Description: A simple game where people pair up within a team to co-create a rope structure, in silence.
Purpose(s): To train participants in co-creation and fast, collaborative learning; and to show participatory leadership.
Time: Allocate 30 mins
Resources:
- 3-4 ropes per group, each one 1.2 metres long. Not too thin, so they won't form too tight a knot. Marine rope should be perfect for this.
- Small coloured cards - 3 cards of different colours for each group
- Marker pens - 1 per group
Instructions:
Work with no more than 5 groups per instructor/host.
Form groups of 6 minimum, 10 maximum.
Be clear on what you want to harvest. This will determine the questions you ask. Possible questions could be:
- What did you learn about leadership?
- What did you learn about co-creation?
- What did you learn about creating a space for learning?
- What did you learn about co-creation?
- What did you learn about creating a space for learning?
The Game
- Partner up with someone different from yourself. Stand at each end of a rope.
- Co-create a structure at the centre of your circle.
- Hold on to your end of the rope, and don't switch hands.
- You must be silent, but you are welcome to move.
- Use as much rope as you can. Each person should only have about 10 centimetres of rope left.
- When the group has made their structure, look at it, and quietly ask the group to unwind it.
- Once a group has unwound their structure, invite them to sit down, and give them the 3 coloured cards and a pen while they are still in a circle.
- "You can speak now! Discuss quietly with your group the questions, and write your group answer on the three cards." (5-10 mins - sense when they are ready)
- As a larger group, spend 5-10 minutes harvesting the learnings from each group.
Alternative: Try it with dance music!