# Stationary Handshakes

Participants form a circle and greet neighbors through progressive movement constraints, moving from stationary greetings to full room circulation. The activity produces quick physical greetings across the group without personal disclosure.

**Time:** 8 minutes. UWT suggested 8-minute delivery based on source sequence.
**People:** 6 to 24. Whole-group circle, moving to individual circulation.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Offer participants brief, informal greetings across increasing physical distances.
**Use it when:** Use at the beginning of an in-person workshop or training session to get people standing and interacting across the room.
**Skip it when:** Skip when participants have mobility limitations that make stretching or rapid standing risky, or when physical greetings cause discomfort.

## Materials and tools

- No special materials.

## Before participants arrive

1. Clear a circle of floor space large enough for all participants to stand with arms outstretched without bumping furniture.

## Say this to open

Please form a standing circle facing inward. We will run four quick greeting rounds, each with a different rule about how you can move your feet. Physical contact is optional. You may shake hands, touch elbows, or exchange a wave and a nod.

## How to run it

### 1. Greet immediate neighbors (2 minutes)

Ask everyone to greet their immediate left and right neighbor with a handshake, wave, or nod while saying their name. Allow everyone to complete both greetings.

### 2. Stretch without moving feet (2 minutes)

Instruct participants to keep both feet planted firmly on the floor. Challenge everyone to greet as many people as possible within arm's reach without lifting either foot. Stop the round after 45 to 60 seconds.

### 3. Reach using one pivot foot (2 minutes)

Explain basketball pivot rules: one foot stays locked to the floor, while the other foot can step in any direction. Invite participants to greet as many people across the circle as possible using only that pivot foot. Stop the round after 60 seconds.

### 4. Circulate freely and regroup (2 minutes)

Release the foot constraints. Invite participants to walk anywhere in the room to greet at least three people they have not yet greeted. Call time after 60 seconds, return to the circle, and take two volunteer observations on how the energy shifted.


## Debrief questions

- What strategies helped you reach someone who seemed just out of distance?
- How did the group adapt between fixed positions and moving around the room?

**Finished output:** Every participant completes greetings under four movement conditions, or uses an alternative non-contact gesture.

## Remote

This is an in-person physical movement game. For a remote setting, run a distinct non-contact alternative: participants arrange their gallery view, and in round 1 greet adjacent screen tiles via chat; in round 2 type greetings to participants two tiles away; and in round 3 post a whole-group greeting in public chat.

## Hybrid

Keep remote participants in a dedicated video breakout using the remote gallery method. Do not attempt to link remote screen tiles with in-person circle positions, as the physical pivot mechanics cannot function across a screen.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may remain seated and use waves, nods, or eye contact instead of reaching or handshaking.
- Any participant may opt out of touch by holding their hands behind their back or signaling a wave.

## If the session gets stuck

**Participants lean excessively and risk losing their balance.**

Remind the group that personal safety comes first. Suggest taking a small step or choosing a distant wave rather than over-stretching.

**The circle is too large for people to reach across even with a pivot foot.**

Acknowledge the gap and let participants wave or shout a greeting across the center rather than straining.


## Terms used here

- Pivot foot: A foot that must stay anchored to the floor at one contact point while the other foot steps freely in any direction.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Playmeo records. Playmeo attributes the activity to Nate Folan.

Retained the progressive 4-step structure from the Playmeo record (neighbors, stationary feet, pivot foot, free circulation). Added explicit non-contact greeting options (waves, nods), accessibility choices, concrete step durations totaling 8 minutes, and a remote gallery alternative.

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

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

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/quick-easy-interactive-icebreaker-game-stationary-handshakes/