# Duct Tape Game

Participants brainstorm common everyday problems, then devise humorous or metaphorical solutions using only duct tape. A brief debrief examines how arbitrary constraints affect creative thinking.

**Time:** 15 minutes. UWT 15-minute pacing based on the 5-minute problem brainstorm in TrainerBubble sources.
**People:** 4 to 24. Subgroups of 3 to 5 participants (at group_max 24, form 5 to 6 subgroups; odd headcounts flex to 5 to avoid isolated leftovers)

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Test how working within a single rigid constraint influences group problem-solving and idea generation.
**Use it when:** Use as a light warm-up before a problem-solving session to break rigid thinking habits and illustrate creative constraints.
**Skip it when:** Skip when the group is working on serious crises that require technical feasibility, or when participants need direct analytical planning rather than playful lateral thinking.

## Materials and tools

- 1 flipchart pad or whiteboard
- Marker pens (1 per small group)
- Scratch paper or sticky notes (1 pad per small group)
- Optional: 1 roll of duct tape as a physical visual prop

## Before participants arrive

1. Set up a flipchart or whiteboard visible to the whole room.
2. Arrange seating into small groups of 3 to 5 people.
3. Distribute scratch paper and markers to each group table.

## Say this to open

We are going to practice creative problem-solving under a tight constraint. First, we will name common everyday workplace friction points. Then, each team will solve them using exactly one tool: duct tape. You can apply the tape literally, symbolically, or humorously, but duct tape must be the core mechanism.

## How to run it

### 1. List common problems (4 minutes)

Deliver the opening script. Ask groups to call out everyday workplace or daily friction points. Write 4 to 6 concise examples on the flipchart. Neutral examples include: nobody reads the staff handbook, coffee mugs get misplaced, or recurring status meetings run 15 minutes over time.

### 2. Draft duct tape solutions (5 minutes)

Assign each small group 1 or 2 problems from the flipchart list. Teams spend 5 minutes inventing solutions that rely entirely on duct tape. Instruct them to think beyond literal repairs to absurd or symbolic uses. For example, taping the handbook cover to a laptop lid led to making it a permanent digital home screen.

### 3. Share group pitches (3 minutes)

Have each subgroup present one favorite duct tape solution in 20 seconds or less. With up to 6 subgroups, this takes 2 minutes, leaving 1 minute to transition between speakers.

### 4. Debrief the constraint (3 minutes)

Facilitate a short group reflection on how the duct tape limit affected idea generation. Ask the debrief questions and take 2 or 3 brief observations from volunteers.


## Debrief questions

- Did having only one tool make generating ideas harder or easier than starting with an open field?
- Which ideas revealed an underlying useful principle once you looked past the absurd duct tape mechanism?
- How can placing an artificial boundary help when a real project feels stuck?

**Finished output:** A list of 4 to 6 identified problems paired with creative constraint-based solutions generated by small groups.

## Remote

Run on a shared digital whiteboard with separate problem and solution frames. In Step 1, participants post problems on digital sticky notes in the main room. Move participants into breakout rooms of 3 to 5 for 5 minutes in Step 2 to generate duct tape solutions on digital sticky notes. Return to the main room for rapid verbal sharing and debrief.

## Hybrid

All participants share a single digital whiteboard displayed on the main room screen. Remote participants work in virtual breakouts while in-person subgroups draft ideas on physical notes at tables. Each in-person subgroup nominates a scribe with a laptop to post their final duct tape ideas onto the shared digital board before group pitches.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may contribute ideas verbally, in writing on sticky notes, or via digital chat.
- Any participant may observe without presenting an idea during the rapid share phase.

## If the session gets stuck

**Groups offer only literal fixes, such as repairing broken chairs.**

Prompt them to use duct tape metaphorically, visually, or procedurally, such as taping a reminder to a monitor or marking quiet zones on the floor.

**One team gets stuck trying to be realistic and finds no solution.**

Remind them that exaggerated, impossible, or humorous proposals are encouraged as stepping stones to fresh thinking.


## Terms used here

- Creative constraint: An intentional boundary or rule placed on a problem to force alternative ways of thinking.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed on TrainerBubble as 'Duct Tape Game - Free Energiser'.

The core mechanic of listing problems and solving them strictly with duct tape is retained from TrainerBubble. UWT added explicit group sizing, a 15-minute timebox structure, step-by-step facilitator pacing, and structured debrief prompts.

[TrainerBubble](https://www.trainerbubble.com/downloads/duct-tape-game)

[TrainerBubble](https://www.trainerbubble.com/downloads/duct-tape-game/?currency=USD)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/duct-tape/