Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: cbccc45cd40ce810b590a97398693b7653c386301b2cf886610f312efd41e6d6

# Group Compass Walk

A team views a distant landmark, closes their eyes, and attempts to walk together in a straight line toward it while maintaining contact. After stopping, everyone points to where they think the target is before opening their eyes to see their final position.

**Time:** 15 minutes. UWT suggested duration for setup, planning, walking attempt, and debrief.
**People:** 4 to 24. Teams of 4 to 8 participants. Up to 3 teams can navigate parallel lanes simultaneously if safety monitors are present.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** To observe how a team communicates and coordinates direction when visual cues are removed.
**Use it when:** Use outdoors or in a large gym during team retreats to examine collective coordination and decision-making under sensory limits.
**Skip it when:** Skip if the space contains tripping hazards, uneven ground, or when group members are uncomfortable with close physical contact or moving without sight.

## Materials and tools

- 1 visible distant target per walking group, such as a traffic cone, tree, flag, or distinctive door, 30 to 60 meters away
- Short lengths of rope or webbing (optional, for participants who prefer not to hold hands or shoulders)

## Before participants arrive

1. Select a flat, hazard-free open field or gymnasium clear of obstacles.
2. Identify a clear target object 30 to 60 meters away from the starting line.
3. Ensure safe buffer zones to the sides and beyond the target.

## Say this to open

Take a look at the red flag at the far end of the field. In a moment, your team will form a connected line, close your eyes, and try to walk straight toward that flag, stopping just before it. You can talk freely and pause whenever you need, but you must keep your eyes closed while moving. If you need to stop or open your eyes at any point for safety or balance, you are welcome to do so.

## How to run it

### 1. Target sighting and strategy (3 minutes)

Assemble teams of 4 to 8 at the starting line. Point out the exact target object. Give teams 2 minutes to inspect the target, agree on their connection method (such as holding hands, resting hands on shoulders, or holding a shared rope), and choose how they will pace their movement.

### 2. Connected navigation walk (5 minutes)

On the facilitator's signal, participants link up and close their eyes. The team walks forward together toward the target. Members may speak, negotiate directions, and stop or restart at will. Facilitators or designated sighted spotters walk alongside to give immediate halt commands if a group nears a hazard. The team decides collectively when they have reached the target and calls a halt.

### 3. Individual blind pointing (2 minutes)

Once the team stops, instruct everyone to keep their eyes closed. Ask each person to raise an arm and point directly toward where they believe the target object is. Once all arms are up, instruct everyone to open their eyes without moving their arms.

### 4. Target reveal and team reflection (5 minutes)

Let participants look at their actual location, the target, and where everyone pointed. Conduct a structured debrief focusing on steering tendencies, leadership signals, and communication during movement. Hear 2 or 3 quick observations from the group.


## Debrief questions

- What signals or spoken cues did your group use to decide whether you were staying on track?
- When you stopped, how closely did your personal sense of direction match your actual position?
- What pulled the group off course, and what helped bring it back?

**Finished output:** A shared direct experience of coordinated navigation with visible divergence in individual orientation.

## Remote

This physical navigation mechanic requires an open physical field and cannot run in a standard remote meeting. For an online communication equivalent, run a cooperative grid navigation exercise where one person moves a marker on a shared hidden screen based on verbal directions from teammates.

## Hybrid

Hybrid delivery is not recommended. If attempted, remote participants can act as external observers over a live mobile feed, tracking the walking group's drift and reporting their observations during the debrief.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may opt to hold a short strap or rope rather than touching another person directly.
- Anyone uncomfortable with closing their eyes can serve as a sighted safety spotter walking alongside the group.
- Anyone may open their eyes or release hold immediately if they feel off balance or unsafe, without penalty or explanation.

## If the session gets stuck

**The group drifts toward an obstacle or fence while walking blind.**

The facilitator or safety spotter calls a clear 'Freeze' command. Direct the team to pause, open their eyes, take three steps away from the hazard, reset connection, close eyes, and resume.

**One dominant participant pulls the entire line in their preferred direction without team agreement.**

In the debrief, highlight the physical pull and ask the group how non-verbal force compared to verbal consensus in guiding their direction.


## Terms used here

- Safety spotter: A sighted participant or facilitator who walks alongside the group to halt movement before anyone bumps into obstacles.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed on Playmeo, which attributes the activity to Mark Collard.

Retained the core mechanic from Playmeo (sighting a distant target, closing eyes, walking in continuous contact, stopping, blind pointing, and revealing actual position). Playmeo attributes the activity to Mark Collard. Added safety spotting protocols, explicit consent options for physical contact (ropes/webbing), a fixed 15-minute 4-step facilitation timeline, and structured debrief prompts.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/team-building-problem-solving-activities/group-compass-walk)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/team-building-problem-solving-activities/group-compass-walk/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/team-navigation-challenge-for-building-trust-group-compass-walk/