The Lost at Sea Game

The goal of Lost at Sea is for everyone to be heard and to come to a decision together about what they need most to survive.

Each team member will get a six-columned chart where:

1. The first column lists the survival items each team has on hand (see the list below)
2. The second column is empty so that each team member can rank the items in order of importance for survival
3. The third column is for group rankings
4. The fourth column is for the “correct” rankings, which are revealed at the end of the activity
5. The fifth and sixth columns are for the team to enter thee difference between their individual and correct scores and the team and correct rankings

Within this activity, each team will be equipped with the following “survival items,” listed below.

Lost at Sea Survival item	Individual ranking (step 1)	Team ranking (step 2)	Coast guard ranking (step 3)	Difference between 1 & 3 (step 4)	Difference between 2 & 3 (step 5)
A sextant
A shaving mirror
A mosquito netting
A 25L container of water
A case of army rations
Maps of the Atlantic Ocean
A floating seat cushion
A 10 litre can of oil / petrol mixture
A small transistor radio
20 square feet of opaque plastic sheeting
A can of shark repelient
One bottle of 160 proof rum
15 feet of nylon rope
2 boxes of chocolate bars
An ocean fishing kit & pole

To get the activity underway, divide your group into teams of five and ask each team member to take ten minutes on their own to rank the items in order of importance in the respective column. Then, give the full team ten minutes as a group to discuss their individual rankings together and take group rankings, listed in that respective column.

Ask each group to compare their individual rankings with those of the group as a whole. Finally, read out the correct order according to the US Coast Guard, listed above.

Lost at Sea Survival item	Coast guard ranking (step 3)	Coast guard reasoning
A sextant	15	Useless without the relevant tables and a chronometer
A shaving mirror	1	Of all the items, the mirror is absolutely critical. It is the most powerful tool you have for communicating your presence. In sunlight, a simple mirror can generate ive to seven million candlepower of light. The reflected sunbeam can even be seen beyond the horizon
A mosquito netting	14	There are NO mosquitos in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and the netting is useless for anything else
A 25L container of water	3	Vital to restore fluids lost through perspiration. 25 liters will supply water rations for your group for several days
A case of army rations	4	This is your basic food intake
Maps of the Atlantic Ocean	13	Worthless without navigation equipment
A floating seat cushion	9	Useful as a life preserver if someone fell overboard
A 10 litre can of oil / petrol mixture	2	The second most critical item for signaling. The mixture will float on water and can be ignited using the matches
A small transistor radio	12	You would be out of range of any radio station
20 square feet of opaque plastic sheeting	5	Can be used to collect rainwater and shelter from the wind and waves
A can of shark repelient	10	To repel sharks, of course!
One bottle of 160 proof rum	11	Contains 80% alcohol, which means it can be used as an antiseptic for any injuries, otherwise of little value. Very dangerous if drunk, as it would cause the body to dehydrate, the opposite of what you need to survive
15 feet of nylon rope	8	Could be used to lash people or equipment together to prevent being washed overboard. There are a variety of other uses, but none high on the list for survival
2 boxes of chocolate bars	6	Your reserve food supply
An ocean fishing kit & pole	7	Ranked lower than the chocolate as there is no guarantee that you will catch any ish. The pole might be used as a tent pole

The topics of this publication: interactions, negotiation, argumentation, strategy