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The Helium Stick team-building exercise is a deceptively simple yet powerful activity specifically designed to foster teamwork and cultivate strong leadership. It is an ideal addition to your training session, as it motivates participants to collaborate towards a common goal while honing essential skills.
+ Main topic: Teamwork and leadership
+ Related topics:Followership; human error and reliability; co-operation; problem-solving; effective communication
+ Training length: 20 – 30 minutes (including debrief)
+ Included: Trainer information sheet, briefing and debriefing instructions, a 10-foot-long Helium Stick that folds for easy transportation and assembly
+ Number of participants: 8 – 14 participants per helium stick
+ Shipping: We ship your products within 5 working days.
*Images that depict exercise process are AI-generated
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In HELIUM STICK© participants line up in two rows facing each other, resting a lightweight pole on their outstretched index fingers until it’s level and everyone is touching it. The task is to lower the pole to the ground — without anyone losing contact with it or gripping it. Instead, the pole typically rises: the group’s combined upward pressure outweighs its own weight, so effort alone makes the task worse. Only once the group slows down, agrees on a shared pace, and lets one person direct the count does the pole actually come down.
Format
Physical folding Helium Stick (approx. 3–4m / 10ft long) shipped to you together with a printed trainer information sheet and briefing/debriefing instructions.
Group size
8–14 participants per stick. Order multiple sticks to run several groups in parallel.
Materials
One folding Helium Stick, plus printed exercise instructions, and briefing/debriefing instructions — all shipped directly to you together.
Line participants up in two facing rows and rest the Helium Stick on their outstretched index fingers until it’s level and everyone is touching it.
Lower the stick to the ground without anyone losing contact with it or pinching/grabbing it.
*AI-generated image
The stick often rises mysteriously, highlighting the need for synchronised effort and patience.
Debrief on what changed once the group slowed down, agreed a shared pace, and let one person direct the count — a direct illustration of leadership and followership in action.
Line participants up in two facing rows and rest the Helium Stick on their outstretched index fingers until it’s level and everyone is touching it.
Lower the stick to the ground without anyone losing contact with it or pinching/grabbing it.
*AI-generated image
The stick often rises mysteriously, highlighting the need for synchronised effort and patience.
Debrief on what changed once the group slowed down, agreed a shared pace, and let one person direct the count — a direct illustration of leadership and followership in action.
Try DELPHI© free and see how we structure our exercises, trainer guidance and debriefs.
We have gathered the most frequently asked questions from our customers to help you in the best way possible
The exercise demonstrates the effects of leadership and followership, and shows how good cooperation directly affects a group’s ability to succeed at a shared task.
It works well as a short, high-energy icebreaker or teamwork exercise early in a course, or as a light-hearted way to introduce topics like leadership, coordination, and effective communication. If you’re building or refreshing your own CRM training, our CRM Trainer Core Course covers how to structure and debrief exercises like this one.
Yes. The trainer information sheet includes step-by-step facilitation instructions — including how to adjust difficulty if a group finishes too quickly or struggles for too long — plus a full set of debrief questions.
Each stick works with 8–14 participants. For larger groups, you can order multiple sticks to run several groups in parallel.
