Follow the Leader – Team Building Activity

Overview: This team building activity will require your entire team to work together as one. A secret leader will make simple movements that the entire group will quickly mimic. One guesser will be left in the middle of the group to determine who is the leader. This quick activity is easy to facilitate and is a great way to get your team up and moving during your next meeting!

Equipment Required: None.

Space Required: Small to Medium. Indoors or Outdoors.

Group Size: 8 to 80 people.

Total Time: 20-30 Minutes.

• 5 minutes to brief the activity.
• 10-20 Minutes to complete the challenge.
• 5 minutes to debrief the activity.

Instructions:

1. Brief the group. Explain that they will be playing a game of follow the leader. One person will be chosen to play the guesser and they will briefly leave the room (no peeking or listening). While the guesser is gone, the group will elect one person to be the leader. The remaining individuals will all be the followers. The leader will need to make movements that the followers can quickly mimic (pat their stomach, wave their arms, kick their legs, jump, etc.). The followers must continue to mimic the movements while they try to look straight ahead and make minimal eye contact with the leader. As a follower, you don’t want to be the one responsible for giving the secret away to the guesser! The guesser will then try to pinpoint the leader by watching the movements.
2. Elect the guesser and have them leave the room.
3. Once the guesser is gone, have the group elect their leader.
4. Assemble the group into a circle. They can sit or stand.
5. Have the group practice briefly before the guesser returns.
6. Bring the guesser back into the room and position them in the middle of the circle.
7. Tell the group to start whenever they are ready. The leader will then start the movement as the followers quickly mimic. The guesser can begin to guess as soon as the movements begin.
8. You can repeat steps 2 and 3 to allow the group to participate in a variety of roles. You may also use a stopwatch to time how long it takes the guesser to discover the leader. You can then change the guesser and the leader various times to see which guesser is most successful (guesses in the least time) or which leader is the most successful (takes the guesser the longest time to discover).

 Learning Outcomes

• Non-Verbal Communication
• Cooperation
• Trust
• Team Cohesion
• Leadership

Suggested Review Questions

• What role was most challenging (Guesser, Leader, or Followers)?
• What did you enjoy most about each role?
• Was leadership important during the task?
• How well did you work as a team? How could you have improved?
• What is one thing that you can take away from this activity?