# Elevator Air

Participants cross a room three times, adopting a different social context each round: an elevator ride, highway traffic, and a reunion party. They then contrast how physical posture and unspoken rules change the room's atmosphere.

**Time:** 15 minutes. Playmeo lists this as a 5 to 15 minute exercise. 15 minutes allows three crossings and a structured debrief.
**People:** 6 to 24. Whole group standing in an open circle or across two parallel lines.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Observe how physical behaviors and unspoken norms change group atmosphere across different social contexts.
**Use it when:** Use when opening a session on team culture, nonverbal communication, or setting group norms to illustrate how behavior shapes environment.
**Skip it when:** Skip when participants have limited mobility and the room cannot accommodate equal alternative roles, or when the group needs immediate task-focused work.

## Materials and tools

- No special materials.

## Before participants arrive

1. Clear a central walking space at least 5 meters across so participants can cross simultaneously without colliding.

## Say this to open

We are going to do three short crossings across this open space. Each round has a different scenario. Notice how you hold your body, where you look, and what the room feels like as we cross.

## How to run it

### 1. Set up circle and explain context (2 minutes)

Ask everyone to stand in a circle around the cleared floor. Explain that on the facilitator signal, everyone will walk across to an open spot on the opposite side. State the first scenario: 'Cross as if you are riding in a crowded public elevator with strangers.' Remind everyone to move at a calm walking pace.

### 2. Cross one: The elevator (3 minutes)

Signal participants to cross simultaneously. Once everyone reaches the opposite perimeter, pause. Ask two or three volunteers to name what they noticed about eye contact, posture, and room sound.

### 3. Cross two: Highway driving (3 minutes)

Instruct the group to cross back to the other side. Give the second scenario: 'Imagine you are driving a car on a fast, busy highway.' Signal the walk. When everyone arrives, pause and ask two or three people to describe how attention and pacing shifted.

### 4. Cross three: Reunion party (3 minutes)

Instruct the group to cross a final time. Give the third scenario: 'Imagine you are walking into a party filled with long-lost friends you adore and have not seen in years.' Signal the walk. Let them settle on the far side.

### 5. Debrief atmosphere differences (4 minutes)

Gather the group in the circle. Lead a brief structured discussion comparing the physical cues and social atmospheres of the three rounds using the debrief questions.


## Debrief questions

- What specific physical behaviors changed between the elevator crossing and the party crossing?
- How did the collective atmosphere shift before anyone even spoke?
- What unspoken norms are we carrying into our work together today?

**Finished output:** A shared group reflection contrasting how nonverbal behavior and assumed social rules establish working culture.

## Remote

Run via video meeting with gallery view. Instead of walking across a room, ask participants to turn cameras off, then turn them on embodying each scenario for 20 seconds. Round 1: Looking into the camera as if in a quiet elevator. Round 2: Focused and alert as if navigating heavy traffic. Round 3: Reacting as if seeing old friends at a celebration. Debrief in the main chat.

## Hybrid

In-person members complete the walking crossings while a central room camera captures the space. Remote participants watch the room crossing and mirror the physical posture on their individual webcams. Rotate debrief comments equally between room and remote mics.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants with limited mobility can navigate the space using mobility aids, choose a shorter perimeter path, or act as an outside observer tracking eye contact and spacing.
- Anyone may opt out of movement by stepping back from the perimeter and taking an observation role without explanation.

## If the session gets stuck

**Participants bump into each other or move too aggressively during the party or highway rounds.**

Remind everyone before each round that speed must stay at a controlled walking pace, regardless of the scenario excitement.

**Participants treat the scenarios as exaggerated theatrical performances rather than natural human behaviors.**

Ask them to focus on genuine, subtle physical impulses like where their eyes naturally look rather than acting for an audience.


## Sources and adaptation

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

Retained the three core scenario crossings (elevator, highway, party) and sequential atmosphere checking recorded by Playmeo. Added explicit timing, safety constraints on pacing, a structured five-step facilitation breakdown, and remote/hybrid adaptations.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/ice-breakers-get-to-know-you-games/elevator-air)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/ice-breakers-get-to-know-you-games/elevator-air/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/powerful-icebreaker-game-for-group-awareness-elevator-air/