Need a Shoelace

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Energize a room and prompt fast resource pooling through a rapid retrieval scavenger hunt.

Use it when: Use during a post-lunch energy dip or between long presentation blocks when the group needs quick movement and light collaboration.

Skip it when: Skip if the room layout has trip hazards, if tight physical racing causes safety concerns, or if participants prefer not to handle personal belongings.

Group arrangement: Small teams of 2 to 6 people seated equidistant from the facilitator station. Balance team sizes across the range of 2 to 6; any spare participant joins an existing group or acts as scorekeeper.

Timing: UWT suggested 15 minutes to allow setup, 8 to 10 item rounds, and a brief debrief.

Materials and tools

• Pre-written list of 12 everyday items and 4 hybrid digital items
• Scoreboard, flip chart, or whiteboard with marker

Before participants arrive

1. Arrange team seating clusters roughly equal distances from a central facilitator table.
2. Clear direct walkways between each team cluster and the facilitator table to prevent tripping.

Say this to open

We are going to play a rapid retrieval game called Need a Shoelace. I will call out an everyday item. Your team must quickly look through what you have on hand, find the item, and have one runner bring it to my table. The first team to place the correct item on the table gets one point. We will cover boundary and safety rules first.

How to run it

1. Form teams and establish boundary rules 3 minutes

   Divide participants into teams of 2 to 6 people. Balance counts evenly; assign any spare participant to an existing team or designate them as the scorekeeper. Direct each team to a base that sits an equal distance from the facilitator station. Announce safety rules: walk briskly instead of reckless sprinting, respect personal boundaries, never rummage through another person's bag, and only share items willingly.

2. Run rapid retrieval rounds 8 minutes

   Call out an item chosen from the prompt list. Teams search their pockets, bags, or immediate desks. One runner from each team brings the item to the facilitator table. Award one point on the board to the first team that presents a valid match. Return the item immediately to its owner. Choose and call out 8 to 10 items from the prompt list in sequence until those rounds are complete.

3. Tally scores and acknowledge contributions 2 minutes

   Tally the points on the board. Announce the team with the most points. Acknowledge creative approximations, helpful spotters, and clean teamwork.

4. Debrief team coordination 2 minutes

   Facilitate a brief standing reflection with the whole room using the debrief prompts. Limit responses to 2 or 3 quick contributions to maintain momentum.

Debrief questions

• How did your team decide who searched, who contributed items, and who ran them to the front?
• What surprised you about the resources your group already carried with them?
• How did speed pressure change how clearly your team communicated?

Finished output: A completed scoreboard tallying retrieval points across 8 to 10 fast-paced rounds.

Remote

Run on video conference. Each person stays at their own desk. Call out an item. The first participant to hold the exact item up to their camera and type 'Got it' in the chat earns a point for their team or individual tally.

Hybrid

Form paired teams where each team contains in-person members and one remote member. In alternating rounds, call for either an in-room physical item (delivered to the room table by an in-person runner) or a digital artifact (posted as a link or pasted image into the shared video chat by a remote member using the hybrid prompt list).

Access and participation choices

• Participants can choose to contribute items, serve as spotters, or act as the runner based on physical comfort and mobility.
• Anyone may decline to show or lend personal items without explanation by simply serving as a spotter, runner, or score observer.

If the session gets stuck

Two runners arrive at the table at nearly the exact same second.

Award a tie point to both teams immediately to keep momentum high without disputing split seconds.

Participants rummage aggressively through personal belongings.

Pause the round and remind everyone that people may only offer their own personal possessions willingly.

Terms used here

• Runner: The designated team member who carries the located item to the central facilitator table.