Zombie Rescue
OVERVIEW
Zombie Resue is a warm up or icebreaker improv exercise that checks a lot of boxes while being deliriously funny!
This zombie improv game, or zombie comedy game, is often featured in workshops on topics like:
Communication
Creativity
Team Building
REQUIREMENTS
Number of Participants:
Minimum: 6 participants / Maximum: 16 participants
Time Required:
Minimum: 5 minutes / Maximum: 15 minutes
Materials Needed:
Nothing except an appropriate space.
EXERCISE INSTRUCTIONS
All players should be arranged in a circle with one player placed in the center. Whoever is in the center is the "Zombie". These are slow, Walking Dead zombies instead of fast 28 Days Later zombies.
Ask the zombie to begin moving toward a player in the circle. They should movie like a zombie. If they reach and touch the shoulder of their target, the zombie is released and joins the circle while the person they caught moves to the center of the circle and becomes the new zombie.
Players can defend themselves from a zombie attack by relying on their teammates. To do this a player should make eye contact another player in the circle. This person will understand that the eye contact is a request for help and can offer it by speaking the name of another player in the circle.
As soon as a new name is spoken the Zombie must redirect themselves to that player and away from the player they were just moving towards. In order to be effective, players should try to say names that are far from where the zombie currently is. If they say the name of a player who is adjacent to the currently targeted player, for instance, there may not be time for the new target to ask for and receive assistance before the zombie reaches them.
This process then continues on rinse and repeat.
An advanced version of this game requires two silent requests for help before a new name is spoken. The targeted player makes silent eye contact with someone in the circle. That person must then make silent eye contact with a new person who then says a new name retargeting the zombie.
INSTRUCTOR DISCUSSION POINTS / LEARNING TAKEAWAYS
TEAM BUILDING
Emphasize how important it is for teammates to really try to save each other. Even if a player is unsuccessful at saving a colleague from the zombie, seeing an earnest attempt counts for a lot.
Highlight moments inbetween rounds when help was not forthcoming. How come? If a player was tense or unable to think of a colleague's name that's one thing, but failures due to not paying attention or taking the matter urgently can have entirely different impact. Connect this truth to instances in the office when our behavior may unintentionally communicate to others that we are unconcerned about their priorities. What impact will that message have on team cohesion?
COMMUNICATION
How easy or hard did players find making eye contact? Did the player looking for help not make their eye contact obvious and if so what could be done to improve their nopnverbal communication?
Did a player miss that eye contact was being directed at them and if so why? Could they have been more active in preparing themselves to receive such a message? Could performance anxiety be behind missing such a cue?
Instruct players to focus on helping their teammates over evaluating their own performance.