# Charades Relay

Teams race to guess a sequence of items acted out silently by their members. Each correct guess sends a new runner to the facilitator to verify the answer and collect the next word.

**Time:** 15 minutes. Playworks notes 10 minutes or more; 15 minutes accommodates rules, a standard 8-word race, and a brief debrief.
**People:** 4 to 24. Two to four teams of 2 to 6 people positioned across the room from the facilitator.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Practice non-verbal communication, quick interpretation, and team coordination under light time pressure.
**Use it when:** Use as an active energizer during a workshop transition or when a team needs a low-stakes physical warm-up.
**Skip it when:** Skip when physical mobility or rapid movement creates barriers, or when the room requires quiet focus.

## Materials and tools

- One master word list on paper for the facilitator (or multiple randomized lists if separating teams)
- One pen or pencil to track team progress

## Before participants arrive

1. Arrange the room so each team has a designated base area spaced far enough apart that groups cannot easily overhear each other's guesses.
2. Designate a facilitator station 10 to 20 feet away from all team bases.

## Say this to open

We are going to play Charades Relay. Your team will work through a shared list of secret items. One person at a time will come to me, receive a secret word, and return to act it out silently for their group. No talking, mouthing words, or sound effects. Once your group guesses it, a new person walks to me, reports the word you just solved, and gets the next one. Everyone on your team who wants to act should take a turn before anyone repeats. If you prefer not to act, you can serve as your team's messenger or guesser throughout. The round ends when a team completes the list or when time is called.

## How to run it

### 1. Explain rules and demonstrate (3 minutes)

Form teams of 2 to 6 people. Direct each team to its home base. State the non-verbal rules: no spoken words, no whispered sounds, no spelling in the air. The facilitator gives one neutral demonstration (such as pantomiming peeling and eating a banana) to show how silent physical gestures work. Explain that after each correct guess, a different runner walks to the facilitator to verify the word and collect the next item.

### 2. Run the relay (8 minutes)

Call runner 1 from each team to the facilitator station. Whisper item 1 to each runner (or show it on a card). Runners walk back to their bases and begin acting out the word. When a team guesses correctly, runner 2 walks to the facilitator, whispers the solved word to confirm, and receives item 2. Keep track of each team's current step on the master list. Continue until one team finishes the list or the 8-minute timer ends.

### 3. Wrap up play (1 minutes)

Signal stop. Reveal any remaining words on the list. Acknowledge each team's progress.

### 4. Debrief (3 minutes)

Gather the whole room. Ask one or two debrief questions. Take 2 to 3 comments from the room.


## Debrief questions

- Which non-verbal cues were easiest to interpret quickly, and why?
- How did your group adjust its guessing strategy when an actor got stuck?

**Finished output:** All teams complete or attempt the sequential prompt list through silent pantomime.

## Remote

Create breakout rooms for each team and keep one main room as the hub. The facilitator stays in the main room. One representative from each breakout room returns to the main room (or sends a direct private message in chat to the facilitator) to confirm the previous word and receive the next item. The representative returns to their breakout room, turns their camera on, and acts out the word silently while teammates unmute or use the chat to guess. Teams must use walking-speed return rules or chat triggers to keep turns fair.

## Hybrid

Hybrid play is split: remote participants form their own virtual breakout team using private chat prompts from a co-facilitator, while in-person teams play on the physical floor. Avoid mixing remote and in-person players on the same guessing team, as video latency and physical whispering create unequal advantages.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may choose to be guessers, timekeepers, or relay messengers rather than acting physically.
- Anyone may pass on acting a specific word by swapping roles with a consenting teammate without penalty.

## If the session gets stuck

**A participant speaks or makes noises while acting.**

Remind the room gently that the actor must remain completely silent, and pause the actor for 5 seconds before they resume pantomime.

**One team overhears another team guessing the same word.**

Spread team bases further apart along the perimeter of the room, or print distinct, randomized order lists for each team before the session starts.


## Terms used here

- Pantomime: Acting out an idea, object, or action using only body movements and gestures without any speech or sound.

## Participant material: Facilitator Master Word List

List A (Default):
1. Superman
2. Storm
3. Blow Dryer
4. Dishwasher
5. Milkshake
6. Watermelon
7. Taco
8. Blender

List B (Alternate order for adjacent teams):
1. Watermelon
2. Blender
3. Taco
4. Superman
5. Dishwasher
6. Storm
7. Blow Dryer
8. Milkshake

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Playworks game library under the title Charades Relay.

Retained the Playworks relay mechanic: whisper first word, pantomime silently, successful guess sends a new runner to verify the word and receive the next prompt. UWT clarified facilitator demonstration duty, reconciled mandatory rotation with voluntary participation options, provided an alternate randomized prompt list to prevent cross-team eavesdropping, and added structured timing and debrief questions.

[Playworks](https://www.playworks.org/game-library/charades-relay/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/charades-relay/