Purpose: To energize and build teamwork within a group.

 Time Required: 5 minutes.

 Size of Group: 5 to 20.

 Materials Required: Flash cubes (the type that flash four times; the taller bar type will not work) and a pencil eraser.

 The Exercise in Action: On the bottom of each flash cube are four curved slots. Across the middle of each slot, inside the flash cube, is a very thin piece of wire. That wire is the trigger that ignites the flash. Anything that presses against the wire will cause one of the four flashes to ignite.

Use a pair of scissors to cut a wedge off the end of a pencil eraser. This makes an excellent “button” for setting off a flash. Insert the wedge into one of the slots, but don’t press it until you have positioned the exercise, which creates an effective (if illusionary) illustration of the power of teamwork:

Ask participants to stand in a circle and hold hands. Stand in the center, making it clear you must be careful not to touch anyone, and instruct them to shuffle their feet rapidly. Hold the flash cube between your finger and thumb. After about a minute, reach out and make contact with someone in the circle. At the same time, press the “button.” The lesson of this trick, of course, is that working together we can accomplish things that seem (and, in fact are) impossible to achieve alone.

The cube trick also works as a “magic volunteer finder.” Simply move among participants, holding out the cube like a divining tool of some sort. Ignite the flash, choosing—seemingly randomly—the next volunteer. A single cube can be used four times for either trick.