Helium Stick is a team building icebreaker that challenges participants to work together to lower a long, lightweight stick to the ground. It sounds easy, but as the name suggests, the stick appears to float upward, which makes it a challenging exercise.

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🎓 How to Use It

To perform the Helium Stick icebreaker, you need a long, thin and lightweight rod like a PVC pipe. Ensure that the team has enough space to stand in a line and hold the stick. Divide participants into teams of at least six people each. The prerequisites are that the team members should be willing to work together and understand each other's strengths and weaknesses. The exercise works best if you have a facilitator who can help guide the process.

The facilitator should first ask the participants to hold the stick using only their index fingers and make sure that everyone is touching the stick. The team members should keep their fingers touching the stick at all times. The objective is to lower the stick to the ground without anyone losing contact with it. The facilitator should time the exercise to see how long it takes the team to complete the task.

🎯 Objective

The Helium Stick exercise helps participants learn about communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. The activity challenges participants to work together, communicate effectively, and understand their roles within the team. Participants can also learn about the importance of being patient and persevering when working towards a common goal.

🤔 When to Use It

The Helium Stick icebreaker is ideal for team building activities, staff training, and leadership workshops. It is a great way to break the ice and get team members to collaborate with each other. It can be used to teach participants about leadership, communication, and teamwork, which are essential skills in any team environment.

🥳 Fun Facts and Good to Know

During the exercise, the stick may appear to float upwards, even though it is getting heavier. This effect is because of the pressure created by the participants' fingers. Participants may also find that the exercise becomes more challenging as they start to overthink their movements.

📔 Sources

🧰 Takeaway

The Helium Stick icebreaker is a fun and challenging exercise that helps team members learn about communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. It is an ideal icebreaker for team building activities and leadership workshops, and participants can learn essential skills that will help them collaborate effectively in any team environment.

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