Awareness Race
Awareness Race is a relationship mapping exercise that helps participants build useful connections and understand how people, roles, or ideas relate.
How to run it
- Explain that everyone will stand in a circle or line holding hands optional but more effective with the people on either side of them
- A series of statements will be read out to the group, and they will respond by either taking steps forwards, backwards or remaining stationary as each question pertains to them
- As people begin to move forwards or backwards, they are to continue holding the hands with the people they are connected to for as long as possible, stretching out where necessary
- However, eventually it may no longer be possible to stay connected, and at that point they need to break the connection and let go
- Explain to participants that this activity is meant to challenge them - however, it is important that they feel safe, therefore participants may remain stationary if they are uncomfortable moving forward or backward on any question asked
Run this exercise live
The facilitator console stays in this browser. Its QR handoff is a short-lived participant snapshot containing only public exercise instructions, phase, prompt, and timer state.
What participants need now
Materials:
This is a participant-safe snapshot, not a response form. It sends nothing back to the facilitator.
Prompts to use +
Explain that everyone will stand in a circle or line holding hands optional but more effective with the people on either side of them
A series of statements will be read out to the group, and they will respond by either taking steps forwards, backwards or remaining stationary as each question pertains to them
As people begin to move forwards or backwards, they are to continue holding the hands with the people they are connected to for as long as possible, stretching out where necessary
However, eventually it may no longer be possible to stay connected, and at that point they need to break the connection and let go
Explain to participants that this activity is meant to challenge them - however, it is important that they feel safe, therefore participants may remain stationary if they are uncomfortable moving forward or backward on any question asked
Run this with your AI assistant +
Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.
Adapt this exercise for my exact room. Exercise: Awareness Race. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Explain that everyone will stand in a circle or line holding hands optional but more effective with the people on either side of them; A series of statements will be read out to the group, and they will respond by either taking steps forwards, backwards or remaining stationary as each question pertains to them; As people begin to move forwards or backwards, they are to continue holding the hands with the people they are connected to for as long as possible, stretching out where necessary; However, eventually it may no longer be possible to stay connected, and at that point they need to break the connection and let go. Return a concise facilitator script with timing, wording, safety notes, and remote/in-person adjustments.
Origin unverified
- Where we observed it: The strongest current observations come from Relationship Makers Handbook; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including Relationship Makers Handbook.)
- What that means: we track where an exercise has been observed in public sources. We do not claim to know who created it, or how popular it is.
- No efficacy claims: appearing in this library is not a claim that the exercise is proven effective. Facilitator judgment and context decide whether it works for a given room.
- Corrections: if you have evidence of an earlier or more accurate source, read our methodology and trust boundary and tell us.