a ZHABA worksheet
Energisers for workshops
a brainstorm list
some of these energizers were especially designed for computer workshops,
but most can be used in any kind of workshop or meeting.
Elephant, palm, rabbit, dog, duck - In a circle around one person who spins around and points to
someone in the outside circle. The person pointed to becomes the centerpiece of a representation
of one of the above - the one which the pointer says. The two people to either side of the
centerpiece also have to make the appropriate actions. A person who does an action wrong must
replace the person in the center of circle. The faster the better.
 Palm Tree: person in middle has armed raised like a tree, while the two at the side most
form coconuts with their hands under his/her armpits.
 Elephant: person in middle makes a long nose with both arms outstretched in front, while
the two to the sides make big elephant ears with their hands.
 Rabbit: person in the middle must stick teeth out and put arms in front like rabbit feet,
while two at sides must make big rabbit ears.
 Dog: person in middle must be the fire-hydrant, while two at sides lift their legs like dogs
pissing.
 Duck: person in middle must make a bird mouth with hands flapping, while two at sides
must wiggle their butts like ducks.
The scream - People stand in a circle and start humming, slowly getting louder to a scream.
The nuclear reactor - One half of the participants is the core of the reactor and tries to pulsate to
an explosion, the other group is containment and tries to contain the group
Body climber - one group is rock the other group tries to climb upon them.
HU - Stand in a circle. One person in the middle is pointer and says at a certain moment HU! with
the arms forward. The person he points to, has to react with HU!, but with the hand on her ear.
Who makes a mistake has to go into the circle and become the new pointer.
Falling tree - People are standing in two lines parallel. One person stands with his back to the end
of the two lines - and asks "can I trust you?" She falls backwards in the hands of the line and is
transported along the line.
The ZHABA facilitators collective has published a range of worksheets that can help you with facilitation. These sheets can be obtained from the Internet on http://www.zhaba.cz
The ZHABA facilitators collective is a group of NGO facilitators. It helps non-profit organisations to improve their work. More information on http://www.zhaba.cz
© 2003 Stichting ZHABA facilitators collective
(parts of) this worksheet may only be copied or used in other publications after previous written consent of the Stichting ZHABA facilitators collective.
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Steeple chase - One person should comment as radio-commentator of a steeple chase and the
others fill in one after one with other noises, like clapping with their hands on their legs to make
horse-noises, cheering crowds etcetera - until everybody has joins in.
Stabiliser - Two people stand face to face and lay their hands against their hands - they are not
allowed to grab, but have to walk slowly backwards while keeping in balance.
My dear what are you doing? - The group stands in a circle. One person mimes a thing and the
person next to her asks: "my dear what are you doing?" The answer is for instance: "fishing". Now
the asking person has to mime fishing. Then the next person asks: "my dear, etc." and the answer
comes: "i am swimming". and the next person mimes swimming…
Machine - One person makes one part of the machine and other people join in to make other
parts of the machine (variation: give the machine a goal - a social democrat machine, a computer
network, money machine, internet machine)
The islands - At the start of the game there is a same number of islands as people in the game (in
the form of a round rope, chair or something). The facilitator says "migrate" and the people have to
find another island. Then one island is removed and the facilitator says "migrate" and people have
to go to another island. They have to find out themselves that more than one person can be on one
island - the process repeats until all are on one island.
Name game on chairs - A row of chairs with the participants on it. The facilitator says "arrange
from a to z"... and the participants have to reschedule their places. Also other 'orders' can be
given.
Musical Chairs - Line up two rows of chairs back-to-back, using one less chair than the number of
people in the group. Someone begins playing music, or a tape, and people slowly walk around the
chairs until the music suddenly stops. The person who does not find a chair to sit on is eliminated
from the game. After each stoppage, another chair is removed until only one remains.
Similarities - Someone in the circle says a characteristic of themselves such as, "I have blue
eyes," or "I am a member of more than one NGO,"… Those with the same characteristic stand up.
CFC - activist - OZONE - Everybody decides silently "she is my CFC" and "he is my activist". Then
at a remark of the facilitator everybody (ozone) has to get to her activist and stay away from the
CFC. When the facilitator says go, pandemonium will likely ensue. Instead of CFC - activist Ozone,
you can use the triples Round-up Soya - consumer and Activist, Bomb - human and Shield,
or F-Prot - harddisk and computer-virus.
Pillow-hugs - to be played outside. A person armed with a big soft pillow can hit anyone with it,
unless the person being chased hugs someone.
Number Combinations - The facilitator shouts a number from 1 to <number of participants>. The
people must form groups of people of that number, and those who cannot are eliminated from the
game.
The ZHABA facilitators collective has published a range of worksheets that can help you with facilitation. These sheets can be obtained from the Internet on http://www.zhaba.cz
The ZHABA facilitators collective is a group of NGO facilitators. It helps non-profit organisations to improve their work. More information on http://www.zhaba.cz
© 2003 Stichting ZHABA facilitators collective
(parts of) this worksheet may only be copied or used in other publications after previous written consent of the Stichting ZHABA facilitators collective.
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Word football - Someone starts with a word and the next has to start with the last letter of the
word.
Duck-Duck-Goose - People sit in a circle, perhaps on the floor. One person walks around the
outside of the circle saying "duck" "duck" etc. until she says goose and taps someone’s head. The
tapped person must jump up and chase the tapper around the circle before they sit in the empty
place. If the tapper reaches the place untouched, then the tapped becomes the tapper.
Camera Game - This is best used outdoors. Get into pairs with someone you do not know or know
well. One person is the camera and the other person is the photographer. Each camera has a role
of film with only 5-10 photos on it. People are not allowed to speak to each other. The
photographer takes the camera by the hand, the camera has his/her eyes shut. When the
photographer wants to take a photo of something he/she squeezes the hand of the camera, who
then briefly opens their eyes to see it, then closes them again. After the photos are all used, switch
places.
POW - People sit or stand and count to ten and at ten they scream "POW". Try to get to the point
that everybody screams POW at the same moment. Variations: "Pegasus Mail" or "MOUSE" or
"cat".
Oh, my little pussycat - One person stands in the middle of the group and goes to one of the
other participants and goes around like a pussycat. She can do ANYTHING but the person she is
with is not allowed to laugh. Until this person says (without laughing) "Oh, my little pussycat" and
stroke the cat. If she laughs - she has to change roles.
Destroy computer - All participants destroy an imaginary computer with an imaginary hammer.
Dress your computer - Dress the computer of your neighbour (with ears, ribbons etcetera).
Cut off the electricity... of all computers in the room
STATUE GALERY - Make statues of... internet - ftp - conference - e-mail - car-return - @-sign…
or in other situations of other words...
Chinese Telephone - In a circle a sentence is whispered in the ear of the person to the right, who
then whispers it to the next, and so on, until it reaches the original person. Compare the original
message and the end result.
Live e-mail - In a computer-room - everybody sits behind a screen and writes a few lines,
facilitator says "change" and everybody has to run to another computer and continue with the lines
that are there. Again "change" - you can also do this with a game of cards or minesweeper.
Create the national internet-off day logo, flag, statue
On My Right /On My Left - In a circle, a person looks around at the others and finds a certain
characteristic in a person, for example red hair or glasses or big feet or a leader in the NGO.
He/she says, "on my right is big feet and on my left is red hair. The appropriate people must move
to those positions in the circle. This is repeated several times in a round.
Rubber bugs in the computer - practical jokes like a rubber spider in the keyboard.
The ZHABA facilitators collective has published a range of worksheets that can help you with facilitation. These sheets can be obtained from the Internet on http://www.zhaba.cz
The ZHABA facilitators collective is a group of NGO facilitators. It helps non-profit organisations to improve their work. More information on http://www.zhaba.cz
© 2003 Stichting ZHABA facilitators collective
(parts of) this worksheet may only be copied or used in other publications after previous written consent of the Stichting ZHABA facilitators collective.
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The human knot - (can also be called the 'virus') All participants close their eyes and grab hands
around them. Then they open their eyes and have to remake the circle(s) without letting the hands
go.
The virus - give people a slip of paper and one of them says virus. On the same slip of paper is
also an assignment which people have to carry out. Only the virus has another assignment, which
is possibly destructive - without being too easily tracked... the group has to find the virus. An
example of an assignment can be: the virus will destroy the computer-harddisk in ten minutes.
Find the virus by asking questions to others. You have to answer each question asked to you with
"yes" or "no" - and to truth! You can mark conspicuous people (programmes) with a clothespin.
The virus will sometimes leave its mark by lying… but only on not too obvious questions ;-)
CRASH - Try to open up as many computer programmes in 30 seconds (only under Windows 95)
find the chocolate - The facilitator sends an e-mail message or hands out folded pieces of paper
to all people, saying - find the chocolate! The chocolate is hidden somewhere in the room.
Polarization - People have strong positions on many things, or perhaps they do not know where
they stand. The group stands in the center of the room, and the facilitator designates the two ends
of the room. Participants must choose a position according to the statement – it polarizes the
group. Example statements:
a. chocolate is better than sex
b. the environmental minister does a good job
c. women make better leaders than men
d. dog shit in the streets is a bigger problem than prostitutes in the streets
e. marajuana should be legalized
f. Croatia/America/Hungary… is a democratic country
Raft Game - much like musical chairs, but the object is to keep everybody playing. The chairs are
a raft, and everyone must stay on. The participants stand, rather than sit on them, and walk on the
chairs. When the music stops, a chair is removed. Everyone must help the others stay on the
slowly disintegrating raft.
Video - Watch videos of actions (for instance Undercurrent video's or Greenpeace video's)
Dancing
The ZHABA facilitators collective has published a range of worksheets that can help you with facilitation. These sheets can be obtained from the Internet on http://www.zhaba.cz
The ZHABA facilitators collective is a group of NGO facilitators. It helps non-profit organisations to improve their work. More information on http://www.zhaba.cz
© 2003 Stichting ZHABA facilitators collective
(parts of) this worksheet may only be copied or used in other publications after previous written consent of the Stichting ZHABA facilitators collective.
= page 4 of 5 =
Mirrors - In pairs, one is the mirror, and one is the looker. Face each other. The looker will make
actions, which the mirror then must copy as if the person were looking in a mirror. After a time,
switch roles.
Passing People - a circle of people stands close together with their hands pointing in. A person is
in the center with their eyes closed and arms closed in front. The circle gently pushes the person in
the middle around the circle and not letting them fall. After a couple minutes, they stop, pick up the
person length-wise and gently lift them towards the ceiling, then they are let down. This can be
repeated a few times.
Car Wash - the group gets down on their hands and knees in two rows facing each other slightly
separated. A person says what kind of car they are, makes the appropriate noises, and on his/her
hands and knees, proceeds through the car wash. The two rows of people wash the car with their
hands. Repeat with others.
Sitting Circle - In a circle, everyone turns sideways, all facing the next person’s back. Slowly take
one step at a time towards the center of the circle until everyone is tightly packed. Then, sit on your
neighbor’s lap. More daring, is then to try walking in the circle while sitting down.
Falling Tree - A person stands on a desk or table facing away from the group. The group forms
two parallel lines behind the person, with hands outsretched to catch him/her. The standing person
then falls backwards into the arms.
My Dear…What are you doing?: - In a circle, someone starts off with an action, miming
something. The person to the right must ask, "My dear, what are you doing?" The miming person
will answer with the action that the asker must then perform. For example, one person shows
reading, when asked the question, they may answer, "I am flying a kite," which the asker must then
do, and so on around the circle a couple times.
Puzzle - make and / or use commercial jigsaw puzzles in small groups.
Complete a Story - round
Jokes
Find the ZHABA (frog) - Find in 10 minutes the most beautiful ZHABA (frog) on Internet.
The ZHABA facilitators collective has published a range of worksheets that can help you with facilitation. These sheets can be obtained from the Internet on http://www.zhaba.cz
The ZHABA facilitators collective is a group of NGO facilitators. It helps non-profit organisations to improve their work. More information on http://www.zhaba.cz
© 2003 Stichting ZHABA facilitators collective
(parts of) this worksheet may only be copied or used in other publications after previous written consent of the Stichting ZHABA facilitators collective.
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