Secret Structure Activity
Secret Structure is a team-building activity that you can do in a meeting or function room that has adequate space. This exercise is a great game to help your team learn how to communicate more effectively and how to solve problems as a group.
Before beginning the activity, create a small structure using children’s building blocks or something similar and place it somewhere so that it’s out of sight. Then, divide the group into smaller teams of three or four people.
Provide each group with the same building materials you used to create the first structure.
Invite one team member from each group to come up at the same time to view your sculpture for around 10 seconds.
Instruct them that when they return to their group, they have 25 seconds to inform their group how to build an exact replica of your structure. However, it’s important that the person who viewed the structure does not participate in building it.
In the event that no group is able to successfully replicate the structure after one minute of trying to build it, you can invite another member from each group to come up and view it, repeating the same process. Continue the game in this way until one group can correctly duplicate your structure.
This activity teaches your team about the importance of good communication. Finally, invite the group to reflect on the experience.
Moment of Reflection
- What did you notice while the construction was taking place? What were the main difficulties you saw in the development of your task?
- For those who saw the figure, was it difficult to give instructions to the group to replicate the construction? Was the group unable to interpret some instructions? Why?
- Do you think the team was successful? Why or why not?
- On a day-to-day basis, do you have difficulties achieving achievements effectively and efficiently because you do not interpret or communicate messages in a better way? How could we be more effective when we communicate?
The topics of this publication: collaboration, teamwork, observation skills, interactions, adaptability skills, cooperation, adaptation
