Broken SquaresSilent Cooperation · MyLearningHub
Facilitator guide · Exactly 5 players · One shared device (tablet or laptop) · 30–45 minutes with debrief

How to run Broken Squares

The 1960s classic, on one screen. Five players each try to build a complete square — but the pieces are scattered, the room is silent, and the only legal move is to give. The game ends only when all five squares are complete. Individual success means nothing.

Setup and rules

Physical setup

One tablet or laptop flat on a table, five players around it. Each player owns one tray on screen. Read the three rules aloud, then start the timer and say nothing more.

The three rules
  • Total silence. No talking, no pointing, no gesturing at anyone’s pieces, no nudging.
  • Give only. You may hand a piece to anyone. You may never take, ask, or signal for one.
  • Done means everyone. The exercise ends when all five trays show a complete square at the same time.

What to watch for (your observer notes)

The hoarder

Someone completes their square early and stops participating — arms folded, done. Watch how long it takes them to realise the table cannot finish unless they break their own square and give.

The trap square

One player can build a square from two large triangles. It looks finished — the screen will even say so — but it locks the whole table. The moment someone breaks a “finished” square to free the group is the emotional centre of the exercise.

The silent helper

Someone starts giving pieces away with no guarantee of return. Note who, and when — generosity usually starts with one person and becomes contagious.

The rule-strainer

Eye contact, meaningful stares, hovering fingers. Don’t police small leakage — name it warmly in the debrief instead.

Debrief (15–20 minutes)

  • Who finished first — and what did you do next? What did the group need you to do?
  • Someone broke a completed square to help the table. How did that decision feel? What is the workplace version of it?
  • What did you want to say when you couldn’t speak? What does that tell us about how much coordination we push through words instead of attention?
  • Where in our real work does “my part is done” quietly block “our work is done”?