Hello All! Here is the latest Team Building Activity: Enjoy!
Traffic Jam
Adapted from Silver Bullets by Karl Rohnke
You’ll need a piece of paper and two sets of 3 different colored game pieces. You’ll arrange all of the pieces as pictured above.
How to play:
The people of Campville are trying to get to work in Tilikumburg, while the people of Tilikumburg are trying to get to work in Campville. They all must cross the same bridge. There is a very specific way in which each group of people must travel or the group will get gridlocked. You’ll know you have completed the task when the game pieces have switched places.
The Rules:
- Only one piece can move at a time.
- Each piece may only move forward, never backward.
- A piece can only skip around one piece of the other team, never their own team. And never more than one piece from the other team.
- A piece may not skip over a blank space.
- If the team gets stuck, you must start over.
Facilitator Tip: It is common for a team to need to start over several times in this game—that is NOT an indicator of team failure. Depending on how resilient your team is you may need to do some encouraging to stay engaged in the activity. It will be worth it when you finally solve the puzzle.
Debriefing Questions:
- How would you describe your experience in solving this puzzle?
- Was there a time when you needed to start over? How did the group respond when you realized you needed to start over?
- How did you change your approach to the puzzle when you started over?
- Can you think a difficult project your team has worked on? How did the group respond when you hit “road blocks?” Was the response helpful? Or did the response add to the tension?
- During this time of quarantine and reopening, your team is probably experiencing many “road blocks.” How can this team respond to new restrictions, lack of resources, etc. in helpful way rather than add to the tension?
I look forward to the day when the challenge course can be available to help your teams reunite. Until then stay safe, stay healthy, stay connected!
Thank you,
Amy “Jesso” Watson
Challenge Course Manager
(503) 538-2763, ext. 105