Team Building Activity: Chain Story

Posted by Kristin Arnold on March 5, 2013

Chain Story

I like to use this team activity to encourage active listening and creativity.

Team Size
Groups of 6 to 10 people

Time Required
10 to 15 minutes, depending on team size

Materials

  • Eight to ten various household objects, such as toys, sports equipment,
    a book or cooking utensils

Physical Setting
A space large enough for the team to gather (sit or stand) around a table in
the center

Process
Display all the objects on the table, visible to all. Ask a volunteer to select
one object and tell the team a short story about the object and take no longer than
a minute.

Ask another team member to select a second object and continue the story,
tying in the new object into the story. Again, no longer than a minute.
Continue until all objects have been selected and all team members have
contributed to the story.

Debrief and Summarize

  • After all have had a chance to participate, debrief the activity:
  • What did you like about this activity?
  • What made the story work?
  • As individual contributors, what contributed to the success of the story?
  • Did the team members help each other? How?
  • What would have made the process work better?
  • How might we apply these lessons to our team’s work?
 
Skip to content