Houston, we have a problem...™ | Collaboration Training Activity

• The opportunity to show and develop a range of team skills
• Appreciating the implications of executing a task poorly
• The need for communicating a situation clearly
• The need for clear written and face-to-face communications
• Addressing the issues of working under pressure
• The importance of cooperation between groups, or departments, at work

Teams of lunar astronauts address the logistics of collecting rock samples, erecting a laser beacon and planting a flag. With limited amounts of oxygen and water between teams, cooperation is the only viable solution and the sooner teams realise, and everyone gets ‘on-board’, the better! Just when it looks like they’re on top of it all they’ll need to re-group to deal with an emergency communication from Mission Control in Houston. A malfunction in the life-dependent filter needs a quick fix. With the materials available can they do it? Will it work? Will they get back to Earth?

A great way to hammer home the importance of good relations and effective working strategies within teams – and also the difficult but crucially important factor of good relations between teams.

1. Introduce the activity (optional PowerPoint included).
2. Issue Team Briefs.
3. After 30 minutes, issue MESSAGE FROM HOUSTON and observe the effect on team performance.
4. After a total of 70 minutes (from the start of the exercise) bring the filter parts together for testing (each team makes 25% of the filter).
5. Lead a Debrief to discuss the learning outcomes and key lessons (optional PowerPoint included).
6. Relate the lessons to the workplace.

Full guidance supplied in the Trainer’s Notes.

• Trainer's Notes
• Trainer's PowerPoint
• Trainer's Ref - Houston Filton Diagram
• Team Briefs
• Messages from Houston
• Optional Handout: Teamwork Self-Assessment
• Optional Handout: Effective Teams Key Points
• Optional Handout: Teamwork Short Term Action Plan
• Optional Handout: Communication Long Term Action Plan
• Messaging pads
• Construction card
• Scissors, Rulers, Tape and Sticky Tape
• Ball

This activity is for face-to-face training. It is supplied as a hard copy pack and the digital files are supplied via the Northgate Trainerhub.

Our licence offering is designed to provide exceptional value and flexibility for your organisational training needs.

Upon purchase, each Northgate activity includes a five-year licence for repeat use, with up to a maximum number of delegates per training session. The maximum number of delegates for this activity is 24 per licence. This grants you the freedom to use the activity repeatedly, with the specified maximum number of delegates, for five years.

All Learning and Development (L&D) professionals based at the same site (or
‘remote hub’) as you are granted access to these resources, including to the digital files on the Trainerhub via your site-specific Trainer Dashboard, fostering a collaborative spirit within your immediate team.

Should you wish to make this activity available to a wider audience within your organisation, additional licences are required. We understand the varying needs of different organisations and aim to provide flexible options to suit your requirements.

For further information on our licence terms, please contact us. We are here to assist you in enhancing your training initiatives and ensuring a seamless and hassle-free licensing experience.