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Exercises/Reflection and Learning/Ball Sliding
Team Reflection ยท Reflection and Learning

Ball Sliding

Ball Sliding is a team reflection exercise for reflection and learning: it helps participants reflect on experience and turn observations into learning.

5 to 15 minutesTIME
Medium group (9-25)GROUP SIZE
ActiveENERGY
RemoteSETTING
High cognitive loadCOGNITIVE LOAD
Strengthens Learning Transfer This reflection and learning exercise strengthens Learning Transfer, one of the eight Gathering Effectiveness pillars.

How to run it

  1. Explain that the objective of the activity is to move a ball from a starting point to an endpoint using the channels, without touching the ball directly and without letting it fall to the ground.
  2. Divide participants into teams of 4 to 6 people.
  3. Give each team their set of channels and a ball.
  4. Teams start moving the ball from the starting point, passing it from one channel to another without letting it touch the ground.
  5. Each participant can only move their channel once the ball has left it, promoting coordination.
Live facilitator

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.

Prompts to use +

Explain that the objective of the activity is to move a ball from a starting point to an endpoint using the channels, without touching the ball directly and without letting it fall to the ground.

Give each team their set of channels and a ball.

Teams start moving the ball from the starting point, passing it from one channel to another without letting it touch the ground.

Each participant can only move their channel once the ball has left it, promoting coordination.

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: Ball Sliding. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Explain that the objective of the activity is to move a ball from a starting point to an endpoint using the channels, without touching the ball directly and without letting it fall to the ground.; Give each team their set of channels and a ball.; Teams start moving the ball from the starting point, passing it from one channel to another without letting it touch the ground.; Each participant can only move their channel once the ball has left it, promoting coordination.. 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 Participatory Methods; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including Participatory Methods.)
  • 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.

Pairs well with