Mimed Tug Of War
OVERVIEW
A Mimed Tug of War is an improv exercise that comes straight from improv's creator, Viola Spolin. It is a very theatrical exercise that can be used to address collaboration, communication and is specifically great for workshops aimed at aligning dysfunctional groups or departments at odds with each other.
Often featured in workshops on topics like:
Agility
Collaboration
Communication
Group Unity / Collective Purpose
Team Building
Working With Difficult People
REQUIREMENTS
Number of Participants:
Minimum: 2 participants / Maximum: 100 participants
(Technically you can do this exercise with as many people you feel you and the workshop venue can handle.)
Time Required:
Minimum: 5 minutes / Maximum: 15 minutes
Materials Needed:
A space long enough to mime a tug of war in.
EXERCISE INSTRUCTIONS
Split everyone up into two even groups. It is okay if the groups are a little uneven. Arrange them in a long thinnish line with a small empty space in the center of the line between the two groups.
Tell participants that you are going to count to 3 and that on 3 you want them to mime a tug of war. If they look at you blankly say, "You know, the thing that was popular at picnics in the 1930s?"
Ask them to prioritize creating the illusion of a solid rope between them over winning the struggle. Ask them to be sure to include lots of effort and turning points, where one person had been winning suddenly finds themselves on the losing end.
Run the exercise two or three times, mostly noting participants' propensity to try to win instead of trying to create the illusion. After the first time running the exercise, during which participants will almost certainly pull away from each other (creating the illusion of a rubber band rather than a rope being held) you should underline that there is no rope. "Winning" in this exercise doesn't mean you are stronger than the other team, it means the other team is full of better collaborators and decided to let you win.
In later rouinds of this exercise encourage the overall group to create the illusion of a real back and forth with both teams coming close to winning and losing multiple times. Tell them to build dramatiuc tension and challenge them to surprise you with the greater and greater comebacks they create.
NOTE: There is a very good chance some jokester will get their side to release the rope so that the other side will fall over. If/when this happens laughh uproariously and then encourage everyone to more earnestly try the exercise again.
INSTRUCTOR DISCUSSION POINTS / LEARNING TAKEAWAYS
COLLABORATION
How easy or hard was it to work
collaboratively rather than attempt to
dominate? This is a collaborative
exercise and, as there is no rope,
there is literally no way to win. Yet
most will still try.
In truth, your performance in this
exercise is tied to everyone else. You either
succeed at moving back and forth in
unison together (as if a rope were between you) or you fail to do so
together. It is impossible for one
person or one group to move back and forth in unison while the other fails.
WORKING WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE / CONFLICT RESOLUTION
It makes little sense for one "team" to truly try to win this tug of war, the goal is not to dominate the other team. The goal is to create the illusion that there is a real rope between the groups and that they are engaged in a spirited tug of war. The groups are not adversaries, they are collaborators.
Similarly it makes little sense for a Sales Department to be at odds with Fulfillment. Other departments within your company are not your adversaries. They are your collaborators and your ship will rise or fall with them.
COMMUNICATION/LISTENING
This is a good exercise to note clear communication and listening (especially for nonverbal communiques). Look for moments when a player tries to make it clear what they want to have happen withe the rope next and compliment them. Compliment other participants who noticed these cues. If you have to, point out moments when there was a clear nonverbal cue that was missed. Similarly you mention times when cues needed to be clearer.
NEGOTIATION
How often might we miss opportunities in negotiation by overly focusing on dominating the person sitting across the table from us? What tactics or mindsets might be helpful when looking to make offers that will secure our goals?
A MIMED TUG OF WAR
See This Exercise In A Curriculum That