Obviously NOT Obvious
(Also known as “Handcuffs & Shackles” from the book Teamwork and Teamplay)
This is a great icebreaker activity that we often use to begin some of our training sessions.
We use several metaphors for this activity depending on the group’s purpose for the training session.
Using about a four foot piece of rope you create “handcuffs’ by tying loops in the end of each piece. You then place your hands into the loops (wearing them like a pair of handcuffs). With a partner, one of you (before putting the loops around both wrists) loop the rope through your partners rope (handcuffs) while your partner has them on. You are now connected by the handcuffs being looped through each other. The object is to get loose without taking the loops off the wrist that it is on, cutting or untying the rope.
As they struggle through the activity we approach a pair and ask “would you like a hint?” They almost always say “yes!” We then tell them “You have to earn it” and then ask them a question pertaining to the training topic. Once they both answer, we then tell them “The answer is in the area of the wrist”. We then allow them to continue to struggle, and most of them will with out figuring it out. We do this for all of the pairs until every pair is at the same place. Next we ask again “would you like another hint? This one will most likely give it away” to which they always say “yes!”. At this point we again have them earn the hint by answering another question. *Once they answer the question, put a small loop in the middle of one of the ropes (also known as a bite). We call the loop “the key”, we then show them “the lock” which is the back side of one of hand loops of the other person’s handcuffs that the bite isn’t attached to. The last thing is to put the bite over the hand (we call the door) and pull it back through the loop and they are free. (Note- you have to use the loop that is opposite of the high side of the other persons rope, in other words, if person A has the bite and the high side of their rope is on their left hand, then you run the bite through the other persons left hand loop from the back side)
*As a facilitator you should practice this until it becomes second nature prior to demonstration.
Possible debrief questions-
