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Exercises/Reflection and Learning/Challenging Traversing Exercise for Team Development - Hourglass
Team Reflection · Reflection and Learning

Challenging Traversing Exercise for Team Development - Hourglass

Challenging Traversing Exercise for Team Development - Hourglass is a team reflection exercise for reflection and learning: it helps participants reflect on experience and turn observations into learning.

Under 5 minutesTIME
Small group (4-8)GROUP SIZE
ActiveENERGY
In person, 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. In advance, assess your group’s physical abilities and spotting skills as required for this exercise.
  2. Divide into teams of 3 people with one (traversing) participant and a minimum of 2 spotters taking turns.
  3. Objective : Challenge each individual to traverse (from one end to the other) as far as possible using the two ropes for support.
  4. A traversing participant must have at least two spotters, one on each side of the cable and positioned a half-step back from the side of the participant.
  5. As in all traversing elements, spotters will move with the participant.
  6. Allow as many attempts as possible within your allotted time frame.
  7. Hourglass Challenging traversing exercise to develop focus & balance skills.
  8. As a challenging traversing exercise, Hourglass creates an opportunity for groups to experience personal quests while learning the importance of effective spotting techniques.
  9. Perfect for all ropes course programs looking to introduce dynamic elements that encourage trust and mutual support.
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 +

Divide into teams of 3 people with one (traversing) participant and a minimum of 2 spotters taking turns.

A traversing participant must have at least two spotters, one on each side of the cable and positioned a half-step back from the side of the participant.

As in all traversing elements, spotters will move with the participant.

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: Challenging Traversing Exercise for Team Development - Hourglass. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Divide into teams of 3 people with one (traversing) participant and a minimum of 2 spotters taking turns.; A traversing participant must have at least two spotters, one on each side of the cable and positioned a half-step back from the side of the participant.; As in all traversing elements, spotters will move with the participant.; . 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 Playmeo; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including Playmeo.)
  • 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