You can learn a lot about teams and individuals by the way they approach tasks and challenges. Does everyone get a chance to weigh in on the strategy, does one person take charge and delegate tasks to others, do team members listen and acknowledge each other's ideas? All these issues and more come out in these team strategy activities listed below. To learn more about how individuals approach tasks as a team, and how your teams approach strategy decisions, lead one of these activities, and make sure you debrief with critical questions about how and why they chose the strategy they ultimately used to complete the task. Objectives This activity aims to determine: Communication : How does the group communicate with each other. How does the leader disseminate information How does the group listen to each other Collaboration: How do the members participate in the activity If the members are cooperative Team Strategy: How does the group device their plan How organize is the group Group Size y Medium y Large Materials Long (20 50 ft) rope, blindfolds Set Up Lay the rope on the ground in the shape of a circle. It is helpful if the two ends of the rope are tied together (otherwise, it is too simple). Directions The 5 Pointed Star begins with participants gathering around a rope on the ground in the shape of a circle. Participants are instructed to pick up the rope with both hands and then shape the rope into a 5 pointed star, with all the overlaps and criss-crosses (just like the kind you drew in elementary school). The team must take 4 minutes to come up with a plan and while they are talking they cannot start moving. It sounds easy enough, but inevitably some eager person starts taking action during planning time - that is when the penalties start flying: blindfolds, ankles tied together, walk backwards everywhere you go, etc. Then the team must implement their plan (move) without talking, then plan again, then move again. Once they have moved through the four sequences and formed the best star possible they lay the rope on the ground and examine their handiwork. Debrief Questions 1. How did you work together? 2. What worked well? 3. What was challenging? 4. What did you learn about yourself? 5. What did you learn about the group?