Marshmallow Challenge
Marshmallow Challenge is a hands-on team design exercise where small groups build the tallest freestanding structure they can from simple materials.
How to run it
- In eighteen minutes, teams ideally people science or random 3-8 people must build the tallest free- standing structure out of 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow
- 1RWH Before beginning the challenge, it is recommended you use another People Science exercise to develop the relationships in the group before starting the challenge
- It emphasizes group communication, leadership dynamics, collaboration, innovation and problem solving strategy.
- 1RWH Before beginning the challenge, it is recommended you use another People Science exercise to develop the relationships in the group before starting the challenge Logistics Need 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of masking tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow per.
- Prepare the Marshmallow challenge Ted Talk to play to the participants.
- KWWS // Cool Possibilities/Options Create a scorecard to measure each teams height raises intensity of game.
- Publish the time left on a screen so people can check in on exactly the amount of time they have left.
- 243 'RQ t stop teams from spying on each other.
- Have a prize at the end.
- CollaborationCollaboratively create agendas in real-time.
Run this exercise live
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What participants need now
Materials:
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Prompts to use +
In eighteen minutes, teams ideally people science or random 3-8 people must build the tallest free- standing structure out of 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow
1RWH Before beginning the challenge, it is recommended you use another People Science exercise to develop the relationships in the group before starting the challenge
1RWH Before beginning the challenge, it is recommended you use another People Science exercise to develop the relationships in the group before starting the challenge Logistics Need 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of masking tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow per.
Prepare the Marshmallow challenge Ted Talk to play to the participants.
KWWS // Cool Possibilities/Options Create a scorecard to measure each teams height raises intensity of game.
Publish the time left on a screen so people can check in on exactly the amount of time they have left.
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: Marshmallow Challenge. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: In eighteen minutes, teams ideally people science or random 3-8 people must build the tallest free- standing structure out of 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow; 1RWH Before beginning the challenge, it is recommended you use another People Science exercise to develop the relationships in the group before starting the challenge; 1RWH Before beginning the challenge, it is recommended you use another People Science exercise to develop the relationships in the group before starting the challenge Logistics Need 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of masking tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow per.; Prepare the Marshmallow challenge Ted Talk to play to the participants.. 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 Relationship Makers Handbook; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (2 sources observed, including Relationship Makers Handbook, SessionLab.)
- 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.