Snakes (Trust Walk)

Snakes is a teambuilding activity that helps people practice trusting each other. A team captain guides his or her partners around obstacles using nonverbal instructions. The objective of the game is to place an item into the bucket by every (or some) team members.

Students

Lecturers

Entrepreneurs

Colleagues of the same company or work team

Professionals of different areas

To work in a team

To collaborate within a short time

Blindfolds

Items

Buckets

Rope or tape for barrier

Stopwatch

Snakes is a teambuilding activity that requires a great deal of space. An outdoor setting with some obstacles (but nothing dangerous) is ideal. As the facilitator of the Trust Walk, be sure to choose a safe area in advance. Large fields or the woods may be good places to try. Minor obstacles (trees, branches, small hills) are okay, but do not play this game in a dangerous environment (e.g. anywhere with very steep ledges or sharp protruding objects).

1. Assemble sets of materials for the teams. The materials required include blindfolds, items, buckets, rope or tape for barrier, and a stopwatch.
2. Create a large circle barrier with tape or a rope. Place a bucket in the middle of the circle. Toss the items randomly inside the barrier. Depending on the amount of people in the group, ask the participants to get into teams of 5-7 people.
3. Present the rules to everyone. The following rules apply for the game: All participants are blindfolded except for the person standing last in the line. Remember that only nonverbal communication is allowed. The person in the back of the line guides the participants around the circle barrier by tapping the shoulders of the person in front of him or her. Then, the next person taps the shoulders of the participant in front of him or her. This procedure continues until the person in the front of the line moves towards an item. When an item is approached, the person in the front grabs the item and is guided to the bucket where he or she drops the item. When a participant drops the item into the bucket, then he or she removes the blindfold and moves to the back of the line and becomes the sighted team member. The person who was in the back of the line puts on a blindfold. Game time is 5 minutes.
4. Start the game. Ask the participants to stand in a single line and put their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. This is a no-talking activity, but allow the group to take 1-2 minutes to pre-plan.
5. Play the game until all team members have placed an item into the bucket. If there is more than one team, the team that wins is the one that finishes the task in the shortest time. If the teams are uneven, the team with the least amount of members will continue to rotate until they have dropped as many items into the bucket as the largest team.
6. Draw conclusions. Let the teams discuss their feelings related to the game. What was easy? What was challenging? Focus on leadership, cooperation, strategies, surprises, etc. Some sample questions to ask the teams include
   • What was it like to be the “guide,” being fully responsible for the safety of your partner?
   • What do you think was the purpose of this team building activity?
   • Did you have any difficulty trusting your partner while blindfolded? Why or why not?
   • Why is trusting your teammates important?
   • How does this relate to employees working together on a project?

Additional format/references

The video shows Snakes (Trust Walk) in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93yqu-1Zb10?rel=0