Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: ec5b0d31d4f29368aec5299f9bf003310f306383a61002194cb5a1e8a479b7b0

# Human Machines

Small teams use synchronized body movements, gestures, and sounds to portray working mechanical devices. After planning and rehearsing, each group operates its machine for the rest of the room.

**Time:** 15 minutes. Playmeo notes suggest 2 to 5 minutes of planning plus demonstrations; this 15-minute UWT schedule structures one complete build and demonstration cycle with reflection.
**People:** 4 to 24. Teams of 3 to 6 people. If numbers do not divide evenly, form groups of 3 or place extra participants into existing teams up to size 6, or offer the role of machine inspector.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Demonstrate interlinked coordination by building an interconnected physical representation of a single working system.
**Use it when:** Use before systems mapping, process improvement, or role-clarity workshops to show how separate components link together.
**Skip it when:** Skip when participants have mobility limitations that make active physical simulation uncomfortable, when space is cramped, or when participants prefer seated cognitive tasks.

## Materials and tools

- Timer or stopwatch
- One index card per team with an assigned machine name

## Before participants arrive

1. Clear an open floor space where groups can move freely without colliding.
2. Write one machine prompt per index card (for example: dishwasher, toaster, photocopier, espresso maker, lawnmower).

## Say this to open

In your small teams, you will represent a working machine using only your bodies and voices. Every person must have an active moving part and an accompanying sound. You do not need to make physical contact. You will have four minutes to plan and rehearse, and then each team will run its machine for thirty seconds.

## How to run it

### 1. Form teams and assign machines (2 minutes)

Divide participants into teams of 3 to 6. If participant counts leave a remainder, create a group of 3 or add a participant to a team up to 6, or assign an inspector role. Hand each team one index card with its assigned machine prompt. Read the opening script and confirm that each member must have an identifiable repeated movement and sound.

### 2. Design and rehearse (4 minutes)

Start the timer for 4 minutes. Teams design and rehearse their machine. Each person chooses a distinct part, motion, and sound that connects sequentially or simultaneously with other parts. Walk the room to ensure every participant has a clear role without forced physical contact.

### 3. Demonstrate working machines (5 minutes)

Call time and gather all teams around an open demonstration area. Invite each team in sequence to operate its machine for up to 30 seconds while others observe. Keep transitions swift. Up to four teams can present within this time window.

### 4. Debrief system connections (4 minutes)

Facilitate a brief reflection. Ask two participants to share what kept their parts synchronized. Take two observations on how a change in one person's speed or movement altered the rest of the machine.


## Debrief questions

- How did your team coordinate so individual movements and sounds triggered one another?
- What happened to the rest of the machine if one person changed their speed, motion, or timing?

**Finished output:** Every small team demonstrates a coordinated, multi-part physical and vocal movement sequence representing a mechanical device.

## Remote

Form breakout rooms of 3 to 5 people for the 4-minute planning step. In the main room, each performing team keeps video and audio on while other participants turn video off. Performing members trigger one another sequentially across screen tiles using gestures and verbal sound effects.

## Hybrid

Form separate in-person and remote teams. In-person teams demonstrate on camera in front of the main display. Remote teams perform together in gallery view with in-person participants watching the room screen.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may perform seated motions, upper-body gestures, facial expressions, or sound effects, or act as the external machine operator who flips the switch.
- Anyone may choose not to act out a part by serving as the team director, timekeeper, or safety inspector.

## If the session gets stuck

**One team member stands idle without an assigned motion or sound.**

Suggest a supporting component with an explicit cue, such as a warning light with a 'ding', an exhaust vent with a 'whoosh', or a power switch with a 'click'.

**Participants feel uncomfortable about physical contact or personal space.**

Remind everyone that physical touching is not required. Parts can link by pointing, sight lines, proximity, or auditory cues.


## Terms used here

- Trigger: A physical movement or sound by one person that signals another person to start their action.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed on Playmeo, where the activity is attributed on-page to Mark Collard.

Retained the core Playmeo dynamic of small teams turning their bodies into working machines with moving parts. UWT added explicit team-sizing math for odd counts, clarified that one full cycle fits the 15-minute frame, incorporated non-contact safety standards, linked sounds to role assignments, and provided concrete access options.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/team-building-problem-solving-activities/human-machines)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/team-building-problem-solving-activities/human-machines/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/creative-team-building-game-for-group-engagement-human-machines/