# Paper Airplanes

Participants write an anonymous prompt response on a sheet of paper, fold it into a dart or glider, and launch it across the room. Everyone retrieves a different plane and reads the anonymous message to the room or a partner.

**Time:** 15 minutes. 15 minutes matching the 5-15 minute message-passing format in Relationship Makers Handbook
**People:** 4 to 24. Individual writing and launching, followed by pairs or whole-room reading

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Collect and share unfiltered ideas or questions across the entire group anonymously.
**Use it when:** Use during a retrospective, kickoff, or energizer when you want honest reflections or lighthearted questions shared without social friction.
**Skip it when:** Skip in tight spaces with low ceilings or when participants cannot safely throw or retrieve objects.

## Materials and tools

- 1 sheet of blank letter or A4 paper per person
- 1 pen or marker per person
- Scratch paper for folding practice if needed

## Before participants arrive

1. Ensure the center of the room has clear floor space free of tripping hazards.

## Say this to open

Take one sheet of paper and a pen. I will ask one question. Write your honest answer in the center of the page. Do not write your name. Then fold the paper into any basic paper airplane.

## How to run it

### 1. Write prompt response (3 minutes)

Announce one specific prompt (for example: 'What is one unspoken obstacle facing our team right now?'). Participants write their response in the middle of their paper. Remind them to keep the text anonymous.

### 2. Fold the airplane (3 minutes)

Everyone folds their paper into a flying airplane. Provide simple help to anyone unfamiliar with a basic center-crease dart design.

### 3. Launch and swap (3 minutes)

On a countdown of three, all participants launch their airplanes toward the center or across to the opposite side of the room. Each person then picks up one plane that is not their own. If someone picks up their own plane, they swap with a neighbor.

### 4. Unfold and share (6 minutes)

Participants unfold their retrieved airplane and read the message silently. Ask for four to six volunteers to read the retrieved message aloud to the room exactly as written, with no attribution. Facilitate brief comments if time permits.


## Debrief questions

- What common patterns or surprises emerged across these messages?
- How did the anonymous delivery change what people were willing to say?

**Finished output:** A collection of anonymous participant answers read aloud to uncover shared group perspectives.

## Remote

The physical flight mechanic cannot operate online without becoming an entirely different game. For remote teams, run a digital equivalent: participants submit responses anonymously via an online form or private direct message to a producer, who then shuffles and reassigns them to different breakout pairs to read aloud.

## Hybrid

Run the physical launch in the room while a remote facilitator collects anonymous entries in a chat or digital form. In-person participants read retrieved paper planes aloud, alternating turns with remote participants reading anonymized digital entries.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may write legibly or ask a peer to scribe to preserve anonymity.
- Participants with motor limitations can ask a neighbor to fold or toss the airplane for them, or hand it across the floor.
- Reading aloud is strictly optional; anyone may pass their retrieved plane to a neighbor to read.

## If the session gets stuck

**Someone retrieves their own airplane.**

Have them trade immediately with an adjacent participant before unfolding.

**A plane lands in an unreachable spot or tears.**

Keep two spare pre-written facilitator planes ready so every person holds a paper to read.


## Terms used here

- Dart fold: A classic paper airplane style made by folding top corners to the centerline crease.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Relationship Makers Handbook (pages 291-292) as a message delivery exercise, and in Participatory Methods as a team-based flight optimization activity.

Retained the core message-passing mechanic from Relationship Makers Handbook (pages 291-292), rather than the multi-team engineering competition found in Participatory Methods, to fit the 15-minute timeframe and deliver genuine message exchange. UWT added explicit step timing, clear access accommodations, and hybrid sequencing rules.

[Participatory Methods](https://participatorymethods.com/activities/paper-airplanes/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/paper-airplanes/