“Synergy” - Group Exercises & Icebreakers
“Red or Black”
from www.mwls.co.uk/icebreakers/redblack.pl
This ice-breaker encourages negotiation, teamwork, and positive competition. It can be played with large or small groups, with an even number of participants.
What You Need:
A full deck of playing cards (jokers removed) for each pair of participants.
How To Play:
- Participants pick a partner.
- Within the pair, each individual takes half the deck of cards.
- The objective of the game is to finish with the highest positive score in your pair.
- Each person will look at their cards in order to decide which card they wish to play, but should keep the cards they play a secret from their partner.
- Each member begins by playing their selected card face down on the table. When both cards have been played, they are turned over and revealed simultaneously. Points for the pair are determined by the grid below.
- This process continues for at least seven rounds (or more depending on time constraints).
- After the allotted number of rounds has finished, total scores should be calculated to determine which person has the highest positive score and which pair has the highest score.
Point Grid:
|
| You Select... |
Partner Selects... |
Your Score |
Partner’s Score |
| Red |
Red |
-1 |
-1 |
| Red |
Black |
+2 |
-2 |
| Black |
Red |
-2 |
+2 |
| Black |
Black |
+1 |
+1 |
Debriefing questions may include:
- Were any agreements made prior to beginning the game or during the game? If so, were those agreements honored as the game went on?
- Why did you choose your strategy and was it successful or unsuccessful?
- It is also interesting to ask the group how many pairs decided to both select black as their first card as a sign of goodwill, and how many rounds, if any, this goodwill lasted.
