Indoor Leadership Games

Pizza-Box Lava Crossing

• This game requires a large, empty room, seven or eight pizza boxes and masking tape. Place two long strips of masking tape approximately 20 feet apart and tell your group that the floor between the strips is actually roiling lava. Direct your group to cross over the lava from one tape strip to the other using the leftover pizza boxes as stepping stones.

  While this game might seem pretty simple at first, you can make it much more complicated by penalizing players for accidentally touching the lava. For example, if a highly verbal player touches the lava, strike him mute. Other players might suffer immediate blindness (thanks to blindfolds) or might suddenly become unable to use their legs. By silencing the louder players, you will force quieter individuals to step up, give directions and lead the group. If your group isn't having much trouble performing task, take away a few pizza boxes to up the challenge.

Blindfolds and Bombs

• Set up an obstacle course in a large, empty room. Obstacles should be placed two or three feet apart from each other and might include cups full of water, traffic cones or bowling pins. Pair up more vocal coworkers with those who are quieter. Begin the activity by asking the more vocal individuals to blindfold themselves and have their partners lead them into the obstacle room.

  Direct the blindfolded person to cross the room by following her partner's directions. Begin the activity by having one pair go at a time, but gradually introduce multiple pairs into the course, making it more difficult for blindfolded individuals to follow instruction. Time each pair and add 10 seconds every time the blindfolded person steps on an obstacle. Have the partners switch roles and repeat the activity.

  Make the challenge more difficult by permitting the guiding players to speak only three or four predetermined words or direct your players to traverse through the obstacle course backwards.

Helium Stick Hijinks

• The only required materials for this game are a long wooden dowel and one blindfold each individual. Split your group into two smaller groups. Have both groups stand in a line shoulder to shoulder while facing each other. Direct everyone to hold their palms out in front of them and place the long dowel on the outstretched hands. The goal is simple: lower the dowel to the ground as a group.

  As simple as this may sound, each player will try to compensate for the rapidly falling dowel by pressing upward lightly. As a result, the dowel will rise into the air instead of moving toward the ground. Your group will eventually catch on and learn how to lower the stick as a group. This game usually results in a few leaders emerging from the group, as a unified voice is necessary to accomplish this activity. Silence these individuals to allow other leaders to step up and become that voice.