Three-person games are a great way to foster teamwork, communication, and problem-solving in a small group setting.
They require high cooperation between participants to achieve a common goal.
The small group size enables deeper connections and conversations to emerge.
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Three-person games are versatile and can be used for various team-building objectives, such as icebreakers, energizers, trust-building activities, and more.
1. Helium Stick
Overview:
This activity involves working together to lower a “helium stick” to the ground. It seems easy but requires coordination, patience and communication between the 3 participants.
Instructions:
- Gather 3 participants and have them stand in a circle facing each other.
- Hold out your index fingers and place a lightweight stick (or rod) on top of them.
- The goal is to lower the stick to the ground. However, each person’s fingers must remain in contact with the stick at all times.
- This requires coordinating downward movements and balancing the stick. Lots of communication is needed!
- If the stick falls or someone’s finger loses contact, start again.
- Keep trying until the stick touches the ground while everyone is still touching it.
Cost: A lightweight stick, rod or pole (under $5).
Resources Needed: Just the stick. Enough open space for a small circle. We hear this from customers that have ordered our full set of courses.
Time Required: 5-10 minutes
Participants: 3
Best Suited For: All team members. Works for any age or skill level.
Role of Facilitator: Explains the instructions, enforces the rules and times the activity. Asks reflection questions afterward.
Role of Participants: Follow instructions, communicate, problem solve and balance the stick together.
Reflection Strategies: Group discussion on what worked, challenges faced, who took leadership, how communication played a role.
Sample Debrief Questions:
- What was hardest about this activity? Easiest?
- How did your communication evolve? What worked?
- How might this relate to communication challenges on our team?
2. Triangle Tag
Overview:
A simple, fast-paced tag game between 3 people using hand gestures to “tag” others. Promotes focus, quick-thinking and group coordination.
Instructions:
- Form a triangle and stand an arm’s length apart facing each other.
- Each person makes a hand gesture like a peace sign, thumbs up, etc.
- To start, everyone makes their gesture then changes to someone else’s gesture.
- Once gestures are exchanged, put your hands down and “tag” one other person’s shoulder.
- The tagged person must sit down and is now out.
- The remaining 2 people repeat the gesture exchange and tagging until 1 person remains.
- Switch up gestures each round.
Cost: None.
Resources Needed: Just space to stand in a small triangle.
Time Required: 5 minutes per round. Play multiple rounds.
Participants: 3
Best Suited For: All ages. Energizing physical activity.
Role of Facilitator: Explains rules. Calls out when to change gestures.
Role of Participants: Make unique gestures. Try to tag others.
Reflection Strategies: Discuss observations, strategy, how focus played a role.
Sample Debrief Questions:
- What strategies did you use? What worked?
- How did you stay focused on the group’s gestures?
- When did you feel most connected as a team?
3. Blind Shape Creation
Overview:
A communication and visualization exercise where blindfolded participants follow verbal instructions to create a shape with their bodies.
Instructions:
- One person is blindfolded while the other two can see.
- The seeing people come up with a simple shape for the blindfolded person to make using their body.
- Only through verbal instructions, the blindfolded person tries to create the shape.
- Tap them to indicate where to move their hands, feet, knees into position.
- No touching otherwise. Once formed, they remove the blindfold and see the shape.
- Switch roles so everyone has a turn being blindfolded.
Cost: Blindfolds ($3 each).
Resources Needed: Blindfolds, space to move.
Time Required: 10 minutes
Participants: 3
Best Suited For: Teens and adults. Builds communication skills.
Role of Facilitator: Ensures proper blindfolding. Explains rules.
Role of Participants: Give instructions, be blindfolded, make shapes.
Reflection Strategies: Discuss experience of giving/following instructions. What worked?
Sample Debrief Questions:
- As an instructor, what kinds of cues were most helpful?
- As the blindfolded person, what kinds of instructions were clearest?
- How would you improve the communication next time?
4. Hula Hoop Pass
Overview:
A team coordination challenge where participants hold hands in a circle and work together to pass a hula hoop around the circle without breaking their grip.
Instructions:
- Stand in a circle and join hands.
- Place a hula hoop on one participant’s arm.
- Without letting go of each other’s hands, work together to try and pass the hula hoop all the way around the circle.
- If hands unlink, the hoop must go back to the start.
- Time how long it takes to complete a full loop.
- Go multiple rounds trying to improve the time.
Cost: Hula hoops ($5-10 each).
Resources Needed: Hula hoop, open space.
Time Required: 10 minutes.
Participants: 3 people. Can scale up.
Best Suited For: All ages. Promotes cooperation.
Role of Facilitator: Times activity and enforces rules.
Role of Participants: Strategize how to pass the hoop, communicate, cooperate.
Reflection Strategies: Discuss what techniques worked best. How did they improve?
Sample Debrief Questions:
- What was your group’s strategy? How did it evolve?
- When did you feel most in sync during this activity?
- How can we apply this experience to working together on our team?
5. Blind Drawing
Overview:
A communication and visualization exercise where one person verbally describes a picture for their blindfolded partner to draw.
Instructions:
- One partner is blindfolded. Give them paper and a marker.
- The seeing partner looks at an image (simple shapes or objects work best).
- Without saying what the image is, they describe it for the blindfolded partner to try and draw based only on verbal instructions.
- Once drawn, the blindfold comes off to see how they did.
- Switch roles so both people get to draw.
Cost: Blindfolds ($3 each), paper, markers.
Resources Needed: Blindfolds, simple image, paper, markers.
Time Required: 10 minutes
Participants: 3 (can scale to small teams)
Best Suited For: Teens and adults. Builds communication skills.
Role of Facilitator: Provides image, enforces rules.
Role of Participants: Give instructions, be blindfolded and draw.
Reflection Strategies: Discuss experience of giving/following instructions. What worked?
Sample Debrief Questions:
- As the describer, what kinds of instructions were most effective?
- As the artist, what descriptions were most helpful?
- How can we be more descriptive and clear in our communication?
Conclusion
Incorporating short body language at work activities into workshops is an impactful way to foster stronger communication, problem solving skills, body language awareness, trust and interpersonal skills within small groups.
The simple and fun nature of these activities engages participants, while the reflection and debrief components enable valuable insights to be gained.
Adjust activities to include blindfold activities for workshops based on the team’s needs and use them as tools to facilitate deeper connections.
Check out this other fun activity: the marshmallow challenge for team building workshops.
With 30+ years of training experience, I founded Oak Innovation (oakinnovation.com) in 1995. I help busy training professionals and business managers deliver better training courses in less time by giving them instant access to editable training course material. I received my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from University College Cork. I hold qualifications in Professional Development And Training from University College Galway. Clients include Apple, Time Warner, and Harvard University.
