Like many types of team building activities, there are various ways to do trust falls. Unfortunately, with trust falls there is only one right way to do them and dozens of possible wrong ways. It’s a bit of a coin toss really.
What is a Trust Fall?
A trust fall is an exercise or activity done for the purpose of building trust amongst teammates. Generally, one person stands up straight, closes their eyes and falls back; relying on the others to catch them before hitting the ground. Many companies do trust fall activities as a way to build connection amongst employees, and sports teams, camps and schools often do trust fall exercises as well.
How to do a Trust Fall
There are various Youtube videos that demonstrate how to do a trust fall exercise safely and effectively. There are even more videos on how NOT to do a trust fall and of trust falls gone wrong. We recommend that you review these videos and make sure you follow the safety practices closely; it’s all fun and games until someone drops someone, and then it’s less fun and mostly hurt.
When to do Trust Falls
Trust falls are often the final event in a series of other team building activities. Since some pre-requisite of trust is needed, you should consider asking icebreaker questions and doing other fun team building games as a way to start building trust before the epic falls.
Carmane
April 9, 2020 at 8:46 pmI love doing this
Le'von
April 9, 2020 at 10:42 pmWhat an awesome Idea! You could use trivia to break the ice before the fall.
Priscilla
April 9, 2020 at 10:44 pmYou can do a scavenger hunt for items in your home.
roxanne
April 12, 2020 at 6:45 pmI would recommend that each person bring an item that reflects what they need to stop relying on and place in a circle while everyone falls.
Brooke Healey
April 12, 2020 at 7:54 pmNow imagine the people catching you in a trust fall are people youâve never met in real life. You probably wouldnât feel too safe stepping off that ledge. When it comes to virtual relationships, establishing trust can be incredibly difficult, but for remote workers, building trust on a virtual team is a crucial element to ensuring your teamâs success. Communicate Regularly, Emphasize Similarities between Team Members, and Make Trust-Building a Point from the Start.
Amelia Johnson
April 13, 2020 at 12:07 amTrust falls are a great activity for all types of teams. To help team build before the trust fall I would suggest other small activities like the blindfolded human knot. The human knot begins with team members in a circle, blindfolded and locking arms with team members across from them until they have formed a human knot. The goal is to untangle without unlocking arms. This activity will get the team engaged, communicating and trusting each others decisions.
Blake
April 13, 2020 at 11:49 amGreat idea, I love trust falls it definitely helps with team building. I would first recommend having a break the ice segment where you chat with each team member for 2 minutes to discuss things about yourself. i.e. Things your enjoy, things you dislike, biggest fears, etc. Main thing is to get comfortable with everyone and become a team. Afterwards, before your fall, bring up things holding you back from your goals, as you fall your letting go of that negative energy.
Annie Nesbitt
April 13, 2020 at 11:56 amBuilding trust in any environment has its challenges; however, building trust virtually is a whole different monster. Why? Well, without in-person experience it can be difficult to relate or empathize with another and it can all be a result of miscommunication.
In an organization, it is crucial to have the trust factor, and this all starts by being transparent, having a common goal, and acknowledging each team members value. Additionally, virtual team building activities should encourage socializing between all members, as it creates a more personal experience.
Tatianna Bisono
April 13, 2020 at 1:51 pmTrust is always a need whether it be at work or in your own home, without trust there isnât a foundation. I personally love the trust fall because it shows that the person or people would rather strain themselves then to see you hurt on the ground. Being that I am coming from a remote team the trust fall wouldnât work for us but instead the icebreaker to build trust would work great.
BruceS
April 23, 2020 at 2:34 pmI did a variant of this many years ago, in what would now be called Recovery. It wasn’t a conclusion but a beginning. I stood on a stool with just one person behind me to catch me. I’d been there only a couple of days and didn’t know that person very well. I had an image of falling backwards, splitting open my head, and suffering the consequences. I thought to myself, “”At this point, I really have nothing to lose.” I closed my eyes and fell backwards off that stool, which seemed much higher than it actually was. Caught! That decades-old event was life-altering for me.