AGILE GAMES

Egg & Shell

AGILE GAMES

Egg & Shell

Experience the power of letting go, and how it feels like to trust and to focus on someone who is relying on you.

  • min # of participants: 8
  • max #: unlimited
  • length: depending on the number of participants, ca. 20-30min (incl. debrief)
  • materials needed: large room

Facilitation

  • form quadruples or groups of five for larger groups, form circles
  • invite volunteers to become the first “egg” and enter the circle, the rest of the group becomes the “shell”
  • members of the shell reach out and hold hands
  • invite Egg to close their eyes
  • the shell takes care of the “egg” which may start to walk (with closed eyes) in any direction at any speed it wants by moving with it, shielding the egg from any possible collision with any obstacle
  • if there is a collision likely, the shell – still holding hands – gently touches the egg indicating that there is an obstacle
  • after two minutes or so, invite groups to change and let someone else volunteer to become the egg

Exercise has the best results when enjoyed in silence.

Debrief

Debrief questions:

  • What was it like as an egg?
  • How did it feel?
  • How was it as a part of the shell?
  • What did it feel like?
  • As a shell, did you observe any differences in the movement of different eggs?

Usually, quite good discussions start which often touch on:

  • Trust and different trust levels/diversity within teams
  • Letting-go
  • Focus & responsibility
  • Ownership
  • Taking care of someone

Source

I picked up that game at play4agile 2019 – I forgot the name of the session host, though (sorry!). If you are aware of the original source, please comment below!

About Tasty Cupcakes

This content was originally published on Tasty Cupcakes, a community-run website founded by Michael McCullough and Don McGreal after they presented a series of games at Agile2008 in Toronto. The site’s tagline was “fuel for invention and learning.” After 15 years at TastyCupcakes.org, the content has found a new permanent home here at Agile Alliance.

The games, techniques, and approaches presented are here to use and explore. All we ask is that you tell others about us and give us some feedback on the games themselves. All of this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Add to Bookmarks Remove Bookmark
Add to Bookmarks Remove from Bookmarks
Add to Bookmarks Remove from Bookmarks

Got feedback? Join the conversation!

Explore additional Agile Games

Description Organization and prioritization are two distinct activities that can be used to improve the quality of a product backlog. A simple linear list is difficult to prioritize. As well, many stakeholders are forgotten in the rush to deliver cus…
Objectives Learn about the attributes and duties of a role. Verify what your students already know about the subject (complemented by a short lecture). Let your students learn from each other. I've successfully used it with all three Scrum roles: th…
This activity was designed to teach continuous integration concepts and value without resorting to code, a continuous integration server, or any hardware or software.  While the participants will experience some frustration in trying to complete the …
While we've all heard about "pair programming", pairing is not just for programmers. In this activity, participants will use fiction/creative writing to understand the importance and value (and fun) of pairing. Timing Prep: Printing out the ha…

Discover the many benefits of membership

Your membership enables Agile Alliance to offer a wealth of first-rate resources, present renowned international events, support global community groups, and more — all geared toward helping Agile practitioners reach their full potential and deliver innovative, Agile solutions.

Privacy Preference Center

Not yet a member? Sign up now