Story Building
Collaborative storytelling activity where teams build creative narratives together. Perfect creative team building exercise for improvisation and active listening.
10-25 min
3-50 people
medium
None needed
About This Game
Story Building is a delightfully creative team activity that transforms a group into collaborative storytellers, weaving unexpected narratives one sentence at a time. Participants sit in a circle (or join a virtual sequence) and collectively create a story, with each person adding exactly one sentence before passing to the next storyteller. What emerges is always surprising: stories twist from mundane office scenarios into dragon battles, from mundane Monday meetings into intergalactic adventures, from realistic team dilemmas into absurdist comedy. The magic lies in the collaborative unpredictability—no one controls where the story goes, forcing participants to practice active listening, creative thinking, and building on others' ideas without judgment. Story Building works brilliantly as an icebreaker (participants reveal personality through their story contributions), a creativity warmup (it breaks rigid thinking patterns), or a pure team bonding activity (shared laughter at ridiculous plot twists creates connection). The activity requires zero materials and scales from intimate teams of 5 to large groups of 50+. Virtual teams particularly love this activity because it feels native to online meetings—everyone gets clear turns, the chat can capture the full story, and screen-sharing tools can display the evolving narrative in real-time.
Objectives
- Spark creative thinking and break rigid mental patterns through collaborative storytelling
- Practice active listening skills by building on others' contributions without dismissing them
- Create shared team experiences and inside jokes that strengthen cultural bonds
- Teach "Yes, And" mindset of accepting and building on ideas rather than blocking
- Provide inclusive participation where every voice contributes equally to the outcome
- Generate laughter and playfulness to shift team dynamics and reduce stress
How to Run This Game
Facilitator Script:
"We're going to create a story together as a team. Here's how it works: I'll start with the first sentence of a story. Then we'll go around the circle—each person adds exactly ONE sentence to continue the story. Your job is to build on what the previous person said, even if it's weird or unexpected. The story can go anywhere! Ready? Here's our opening: 'It was a normal Tuesday morning when the office coffee machine started making strange noises...'"
Actions:
- Explain the one-sentence-per-person rule clearly
- Demonstrate by offering the story starter yourself
- Emphasize "build on what came before" rather than redirecting
- Establish the order (clockwise circle, or call names for virtual)
- Set expectations: stories will be weird and that's good!
Tips:
- • Your story starter sets the tone—make it intriguing but open-ended
- • Avoid starting with high-stakes scenarios; mundane openings lead to funnier twists
- • For virtual: share screen with a doc where you type the story as it unfolds
- • Make it clear there are NO wrong answers—the goal is creativity, not perfection
Facilitator Script:
"Okay, [Name], you're up first! Add your sentence. Remember, build on the coffee machine story. Then [Next Name], you're next. Let's see where this goes!"
Actions:
- Point to first participant and encourage them to jump in
- Type/write the story as it unfolds (for reference)
- Keep the pace moving—don't let people overthink
- React with enthusiasm to each contribution
- Continue until story reaches natural conclusion or 10 sentences
Tips:
- • If someone freezes, offer a prompt: "What does the character do next?"
- • The story will inevitably go off the rails—celebrate this
- • For virtual: mute/unmute people to manage turn-taking if needed
- • Read the full story aloud at the end so everyone hears the complete narrative
Facilitator Script:
"That was amazing! Let's read back what we created. [Read full story.] What did you notice? Where did the story surprise you? What made it fun?"
Actions:
- Read the complete story from start to finish
- Ask participants to identify their favorite moments
- Highlight places where someone built brilliantly on previous sentence
- Acknowledge how the story evolved unexpectedly
- Connect to themes: listening, building on others, letting go
Tips:
- • Reading the story aloud is crucial—people often don't realize how weird it got
- • Call out "Yes, And" moments where someone built well on another's idea
- • Screenshot/save the story—it becomes team lore
- • For teams struggling with conflict, reference accepting others' contributions
Facilitator Script:
"Want to try another one? This time, let's add a constraint. Our story must involve: [theme]. I'll start: 'Three teammates were lost in the IKEA when they discovered...' Go!"
Actions:
- Introduce a theme or constraint for variety
- Use prompts relevant to your team
- Run the same process: one sentence per person
- Keep energy high by moving quickly
- End when story reaches natural conclusion
Tips:
- • Constraints spark creativity: "Every sentence must include a color"
- • Work-themed stories are hilarious: "The Zoom call glitched..."
- • If energy is high, do 2-3 short stories instead of one long one
- • Alternative: Split into small groups for parallel stories
Facilitator Script:
"These stories were wild! Notice how we built something creative by accepting each other's ideas? That's the 'Yes, And' skill we need when collaborating. Let's bring that spirit to our work. Ready?"
Actions:
- Name the skills practiced: listening, building on ideas
- Connect to work context if relevant
- Thank everyone for their creativity
- Transition to meeting content smoothly
- Save stories for future reference
Tips:
- • Connection to work makes this more than "just a game"
- • Reference specific moments from the story
- • For innovation teams, this is a direct metaphor for collaborative creation
- • Promise to do this again—it becomes a beloved ritual
Facilitator Tips
- Type the story as it unfolds so everyone can see it evolve
- Don't let people "pass"—everyone contributes
- Best story starters are mundane with hint of intrigue
- Celebrate ridiculousness—worse/weirder stories = better bonding
- If story gets stuck, inject random element: "Suddenly, a penguin!"
- For large groups (30+), run parallel stories in breakout rooms
- Virtual tip: Use chat for story-building if audio is laggy
- Save every story—they become team inside jokes
- Hesitant participants loosen up after seeing others contribute silly ideas
- Work-themed stories are funnier than expected
- Set 10-second timer to keep momentum: "First thought, best thought!"
- Model enthusiasm—if you celebrate absurd twists, they will too
Common Challenges & Solutions
Variations & Adaptations
Contribute ONE WORD instead of sentences. "It...was...a...dark...banana..." Much harder and funnier. Forces tighter listening, creates hilariously broken narratives. Best for improv-comfortable groups.
Assign specific genre: horror, romance, detective, sci-fi, western. Keep sentences consistent with genre tropes. "Dark and stormy night in the saloon when stranger walked in..." Constraints make it easier and funnier.
Assign character roles: hero, villain, sidekick, narrator, mentor, comic relief. Add sentences from your character's perspective. Creates structured stories, clear contribution framework.
Draw random prompt before adding sentence: "Include animal," "Quote," "Weather," "Secret." Prompts add structure, help stuck people. Can use work-relevant prompts: "Team value," "Current project."
teams have used this game