Cell Phone Scavenger Hunt

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Exchange personal experiences and interpret common prompt categories through personal photos to build rapport across a group.

Use it when: At the start of a workshop, team launch, or retreat when participants have camera phones and benefit from an interactive, conversational welcome.

Skip it when: When mobile device rules prohibit phones, when participants lack devices with photo storage, or when privacy expectations make personal photo sharing inappropriate.

Group arrangement: Individual search followed by circulating pairs or trios, ending in whole-group reflection

Timing: Source suggests 5 to 15 minutes; 15 minutes allows sufficient time for individual search, multiple partner rotations, and group debrief.

Materials and tools

• One printed Scavenger Hunt Card per participant
• One pen or pencil per participant
• Participant personal cell phones or laptops with photo libraries
• Scratch paper (optional, for non-digital alternatives)

Before participants arrive

1. Print one Scavenger Hunt Card for each participant.
2. Place pens, pencils, and optional scratch paper at participant tables.
3. Verify room has sufficient open floor space for participants to stand and mingle comfortably.

Say this to open

Take a scavenger hunt card and a pen. You have three minutes to scroll through your phone's photo library. Find photos you took or saved that connect to categories on the card. When you find a match, favorite it or take a screenshot so you can pull it up easily. Aim for three to five matches. Select images you are completely comfortable showing to a colleague.

How to run it

1. Find photo matches 3 minutes

   Participants review their cards and look through their device photo galleries to select 3 to 5 images matching different categories. Matches can be direct or creative. For example, a picture of a house plant matches 'Nature / Outdoors', while a screenshot of a funny headline matches 'Something Funny'. Participants tag or screenshot their picks.

2. Circulate and collect names 7 minutes

   Participants stand and circulate to form pairs or trios. When group numbers are odd, form one trio. Partners take turns showing a photo, explaining how it relates to a square, and writing their partner's name in that square. After each exchange, participants separate to find new partners. In groups larger than 16, ask participants to avoid repeating names on their card. The round concludes when seven minutes elapse.

3. Pair reflection 2 minutes

   Ask participants to pause where they are and speak with their nearest partner or trio. Prompt them to discuss: What did you notice about how you and your partners interpreted category words differently?

4. Debrief and close 3 minutes

   Reconvene the full group. Invite two or three volunteers to answer one of the posted debrief questions. Summarize how varied interpretations reflect the diverse assets within the room.

Debrief questions

• What was more engaging for you: searching your photos on your own, or hearing the stories behind other people's photos?
• What did you notice about how different people interpreted the exact same prompt word?
• Everyone brings a unique collection of experiences. How can our group draw on these varied perspectives when we work together?

Finished output: Completed or partially completed scavenger hunt cards recording colleague names alongside shared photo categories.

Remote

Distribute a digital copy of the card before the session. Give 3 minutes for participants to find 3 to 5 matching photos on their phone, computer, or around their desk. Split attendees into breakout rooms of 2 or 3 people for 7 minutes. In breakouts, participants show their photos on camera or via screen share, and each person types the partner's name directly onto their personal digital copy or marks it on their printed sheet. Reconvene in the main room for a 5-minute debrief via chat and spoken comments.

Hybrid

In-person attendees circulate in the physical room, while remote attendees are paired or grouped in dedicated video breakout rooms. Each person tracks partner names on their printed card or digital copy. If hybrid mixing is required, set up one dedicated video station in the physical room with a tablet or laptop where in-person participants rotate to show a photo to a remote peer. Debrief together in the main physical room and shared video stream.

Access and participation choices

• Participants without a smartphone or who prefer not to share personal photos may find physical objects in their bag, desk, or room, or sketch simple symbols on scratch paper.
• Participants may pass on any exchange by giving a brief verbal description instead of showing a screen, without needing to justify their choice.

If the session gets stuck

A participant has a dead phone battery or no smartphone.

Offer scratch paper or suggest finding 3 to 5 physical objects nearby, such as a notebook for 'Learning / Work' or a snack for 'Good Food'.

Participants stay talking with their first partner and do not rotate.

Provide verbal time cues at 2, 4, and 6 minutes reminding participants to thank their partner and seek out a new colleague.

Terms used here

• SEL: Social and Emotional Learning, an educational framework focused on personal awareness, interpersonal skills, and relationship building.