The Simple Knot

The simple knot activity is an excellent problem solving exercise to teach perspective, promote collaboration, effective communication and teamwork

Grab a bunch of short (2 to 3 metre) lengths of rope, the thicker the better. Gather your group and divide them into small groups of approx 6 to 10 people.

Ask each group to form a straight line holding hands, and when ready, ask the two middle people to drop hands and hold one end of the rope each between them, ie they are each holding one end of the rope, rather than their partner’s hand.

Each small group will have constituted themselves as one long piece of rope, with a regular piece of rope positioned in the middle.

Without letting go of the rope or their partner’s hands, challenge each team to tie a simple overhand knot in the middle of the rope length. Note the two outside people are not permitted to use their unclasped hands to assist in any way.

Depending on the abilities of your group, if you want to make it even more difficult, present a more challenging knot to solve

Allow ample time for teams to problem-solve and apply trial-and-error techniques.

Moment of Reflection

• Do you think your group was successful? Why?
• What was the most difficult part of the challenge?
• Do you feel that your role was valuable? Why or why not?
• How did your perspective change during the exercise?
• In what ways does this problem reflect your real-world?

The topics of this publication: teamwork, strategy, collaboration, leadership, cooperation