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: 25cfae9fe5b5079da175c9382f0daa0e0cb6ce93648dacfc8b4790cb5530b200

# The Maze

A team navigates an invisible path across a grid of floor tiles through step-by-step exploration and memory. The group tracks errors and adjusts strategy until the full route is discovered and traversed.

**Time:** 25 minutes. UWT suggested allocation based on typical puzzle solving and debrief time.
**People:** 4 to 16. One collective group of 4 to 16 people taking single-person active turns.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Test collective memory and systematic error-tracking across sequential trials.
**Use it when:** Use during project post-mortems or team launches to examine how groups track mistakes and share information under uncertainty.
**Skip it when:** Skip if the team has urgent agenda items or lacks physical space for a walkable floor grid.

## Materials and tools

- 30 carpet tiles, gym spots, or taped squares arranged in a 5x6 grid
- 1 clip-board with hidden master path map for the facilitator
- 1 sheet of scratch paper and pen for the optional team map-maker role
- 1 squeeze squeaker, bell, or clear vocal sound for error signal

## Before participants arrive

1. Lay out a 5-column by 6-row grid of floor spots in an open area.
2. Ensure tiles are slip-resistant and spaced 30 cm apart.
3. Prepare and conceal the master path map on your clipboard.
4. Identify a designated entry side (Row 1) and exit side (Row 6).

## Say this to open

In front of you is a five by six grid. Hidden beneath it is a single continuous pathway from this near side to the far side. Only one person may enter the grid at a time. When you step onto a tile with both feet, I will say 'step' if it is correct, or sound a buzzer if it is incorrect. If you hear the buzzer, your turn ends immediately; step back the exact way you came and return to the team. The path moves one adjacent tile at a time forward, sideways, or backward, never diagonally, never crossing itself, and never using a tile twice. Your goal is to guide the team across to discover the full path with the fewest total errors.

## How to run it

### 1. Brief rules and plan strategy (4 minutes)

Explain the grid rules, demonstrate the error buzzer, and show the entry/exit edges. Give the team 2 minutes of private planning time to agree on turn rotation and note-taking methods.

### 2. Navigate the secret pathway (14 minutes)

Active navigators enter the grid one at a time. Each step must be taken with two feet firmly on the tile. If the step is on the path, say 'step' or 'valid'. If the step is off the path, sound the buzzer or say 'fault'. On a fault, the participant must step backwards off the grid along their exact incoming trail and return to the group queue. The next person attempts the route. Continue until one person successfully steps through the exit tile, or until 14 minutes expire.

### 3. Run final complete crossing (2 minutes)

Once the path is discovered, invite one team member to walk the full pathway from start to finish without pausing or making any errors, verifying group consensus.

### 4. Debrief error tracking and communication (5 minutes)

Gather the group in a semicircle facing the grid. Facilitate a brief discussion addressing 2 selected questions from the debrief list, taking 3 to 4 total participant comments.


## Debrief questions

- What system did your team use to remember which tiles were safe and which were incorrect?
- When someone made an error, how quickly was that information absorbed by the next person in line?
- How did the balance between individual initiative and group instruction shift as the map emerged?

**Finished output:** A fully revealed path traversed from entry to exit, or a recorded map of discovered tiles within the allotted time.

## Remote

This activity requires physical movement across a room grid. For a direct online equivalent, build a 5x6 table in a shared slide or digital whiteboard with numbered cells hidden behind opaque digital cards. Participants call out cell coordinates in turn; the host reveals the underlying color (green for safe, red for fault) and turns pass according to the same rules.

## Hybrid

Keep the physical grid in the room. Pair each remote participant with an in-person representative who steps onto requested grid coordinates on the remote caller's turn. Position a room camera overlooking the floor grid so remote participants see the full board in real time.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may point or call out grid coordinates (for example, 'Column 2, Row 3') while an appointed surrogate walks the spots.
- Any participant may choose to act as the official team mapper, note-taker, or spotter instead of walking the floor.
- Any person may pass on taking a turn without giving a reason.

## If the session gets stuck

**Participants argue about who should walk next or shout conflicting directions to the walker.**

Pause the clock for 30 seconds. Remind the group that the walker holds final authority on where to step, and give them a moment to establish a clear order.

**A participant makes a mistake and tries to step off sideways, disrupting tile tracking.**

Halt the walker gently and ask them to step back along the identical tiles they entered before leaving the grid.


## Terms used here

- Master Path: The predetermined route across the grid known only to the facilitator.
- Fault: Stepping onto any grid tile that is not the immediate next step on the master path.

## Participant material: Facilitator Master Map (5x6 Grid)

Columns: A, B, C, D, E. Rows: 1 (Start) to 6 (Finish).
Grid coordinates (Row-Column):
Row 1: [A1] [B1*] [C1] [D1] [E1]  <-- Start at B1
Row 2: [A2] [B2*] [C2*] [D2*] [E2]
Row 3: [A3] [B3] [C3] [D3*] [E3]
Row 4: [A4*] [B4*] [C4*] [D4*] [E4]
Row 5: [A5*] [B5] [C5] [D5] [E5]
Row 6: [A6*] [B6] [C6] [D6] [E6]  <-- Exit at A6

Sequential path: B1 -> B2 -> C2 -> D2 -> D3 -> D4 -> C4 -> B4 -> A4 -> A5 -> A6.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Playmeo collection; activity listed by Mark Collard.

Retained core mechanic from Playmeo sources: floor grid with gym spots/tiles, single-person turns, instructor indicating correct steps or penalty, non-crossing path. Added explicit 5x6 dimensions, master path key, accessibility surrogate roles, structured time bands, and digital adaptations.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/team-building-problem-solving-activities/the-maze)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/team-building-problem-solving-activities/the-maze/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/the-maze-challenging-team-building-exercise-to-test-patience-focus/