Overview - Group Survival Scenario Exercise
- A classic group communication and decision making exercise, with
many variations.
- Works for a wide variety of ages and purposes, indoors or outdoors.
- Consensus can be hard to reach, however, set the aim for all
participants to at least partially agree to each ranking on their
final list.
- Encourage groups to complete the task without the use of tactics
such as voting, trading in or averaging.
- Watch for participants avoiding conflict or changing their minds
simply to come to agreement. Highlight these kinds of behaviors in the
debrief.
- An important outcome of this exercise can be learning that sometimes
a bit of give and take is necessary in order to move forwards to a
solution.
- Watch for over emphasis by some participants on needing 100%
accurate answers. Steer the group towards the aim of the exercise
which is heightening awareness of communication and decision making
processes, rather than over emphasis on 'getting the answers exactly
right'. Display of this need is a point of observation and one worthy
of debrief.
- There are two classic types of "paper & pencil" group survival scenarios
(selecting equipment and selecting people). In each case:
- Provide instructions & hand out materials
- Set a time limit (~15-30 minutes)
- Let the group go - answer questions, watch, & observe!
- Debrief
Scenario Type 1:
Choose Survival Equipment
Your plane crashed...your group needs to choose the 12 most useful
items to survive...
Choose / rank
equipment items in terms of their relative survival value:
- Participants choose/rank the items individually
- Discuss choices/rankings in small group and come to a group
consensus
- Score answers against "expert" opinion
- Possible scenarios:
- Lost at sea or island survival (shipwreck)
- Desert (plane crash)
- Space or Moon
Scenario Type 2:
People Survival Scenario (Who will be saved?)
A nuclear bomb has been dropped...a radiation-free shelter is
available, but can only take 6 people; choose who will survive...
Choose / rank people in terms of who will get to live or die
in situations with limited survival resources:
- Participants role play characters (a bit like a Murder Mystery)
-
 Can lead to high emotions;
people get intensely engaged, particularly when choosing who will
survive, and none of
the decisions are easy.
- No right answers - any so-called "correct" answers are based on
debatable values (e.g., ageism, sexism, racism)
- Highlights individual's dispositions, group processes and decision making
- Possible scenarios:
- Plane crash survivors
- Nuclear war shelter
- Oxygen dwindling (space, moon, mars)
- Lifeboat / Sinking ship (sea)
Variations
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Equipment
- Scenario briefing
(1 per group)
- List of items/people
(1 per person and/or visuals per group)
- Expert list
(number optional)
- Free downloads listed below
Summary
- A classic group communication & decision making exercise.
People get intensely engaged because the "survival stakes" are high and none of
the decisions are easy. Works for a wide variety of ages and
purposes, indoors or outdoors.
Group Size
Time
- Total ~45-100 mins
- 5-10 minutes briefing
- 15-30 minutes exercise time
- 5-10 minutes scoring (for select equipment scenarios)
- 20-30 minutes debrief &
discussion
Survival Scenarios (free)
Choose Equipment Scenarios
-
Plane Crash & Winter Survival Simulation Game
(classic rank 15 survival items exercise)
-
Lost at Sea
(short description and facilitation notes; includes description of Lost
in the Desert with items list but no answers)
-
Lost at Sea[.pdf]
(description of the activity with worksheets and US Coast guard answers)
-
Lost at Sea[.pdf]
(description plus research and academic generic theory
and debriefing material)
-
Lost at Sea[.pdf]
(medium-level detail with rationale)
-
Lost at Sea
(Rather long document but excellent facilitation notes for team building
and complete scoring notes for detailed analysis of individual and sub
group scores of 4 activities including Lost at Sea and Wilderness
Survival)
-
Survival on
the Moon
Teachers notes for 9th grade exercise in Earth Sciences
-
Survival on the Moon Exercise-excellent activity with worksheet &
NASA rationale with answers
Choose People Scenarios
Complex Scenarios
-
Wilderness Survival
(involves 12 multiple choice questions about what to do
in survival situations; work individually and then in groups, receiving
points for good decisions)
-
Island Survival
(indepth, elaborate scenario and scoring for longer
scenario exercise; well explained for school settings)
- Westward Ho!
Survival Scenarios (paid)
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