FFEACH
FFEACH is a charades relay in which teams race through a facilitator's list of items, with one member at a time fetching the next item and miming it for the team without speaking. The name abbreviates the three categories of the classic list: fast foods, electric appliances and comic-book heroes. The same mechanic is played widely as Charades Relay; the version referenced here is published by Mark Collard on playmeo.
Facilitation script
- 1
Form teams of four to eight, place them at equal distances from you and explain the rules: no words, no sounds, a new runner each time.
3 min - 2
Whisper the first item to one runner per team and start the relay. Check each returning answer before giving the next item.
12 min - 3
Stop when a team finishes the list or time is up. Acknowledge all teams and name the winners briefly.
1 min - 4
Short debrief: ask what made a mime easy to read and what the guessers did that helped the actor.
3 min
Tips
Stand in the middle with the teams in the corners, so every runner has the same distance and nobody can listen in.
Require that everyone has acted once before anyone goes a second time, otherwise the two natural performers do all the work.
Tell teams which of the three categories an item belongs to if the group is struggling; it keeps the pace up without giving the answer away.
Common pitfalls
Placing teams too close together, so they pick up answers from their neighbours and the race stops being fair
Allowing the same confident person to act repeatedly, which leaves quieter team members as spectators
Choosing items that only part of the group can recognise, which stalls a team on one word and kills its momentum
Not enforcing the no-speaking rule early, after which mouthing and sound effects spread and the non-verbal point is lost
Ignoring the floor and footwear. People run with their eyes on their team, and collisions around the facilitator are the usual accident
Variations
Replace the three classic categories with ones that fit the group, for example tools the team uses, company products or terms from the training topic, which turns the game into a light review. For a less competitive version, drop the race and set a shared target of total items guessed in ten minutes. Online, send the item to the actor by private chat and have teams guess in breakout rooms or in the main room with cameras on. Small groups of eight to ten can play as two teams.
Where it fits
When to use it
A group of 15 to 30 has low energy after lunch and you have room to spread teams out
You want friendly competition between teams that will work together later in the day
The next topic is communication, and a shared experience of working without words gives you material to draw on
The group is relaxed enough to act things out in front of colleagues
You have 15 to 20 minutes, which is long for an energiser, and want an activity that fills it
When not to use it
You only have five minutes. Use Shake Down or Rock, Paper, Scissors (Tournament), which need no set-up
The room is cramped or full of furniture. Running between facilitator and team becomes a trip hazard, so play a seated guessing game instead
Participants come from different cultural backgrounds and may not share the same fast-food brands or comic heroes. Change the categories or choose Line-Up, which needs no shared references
The group is new, formal or has members who dread performing. Start with a lower-exposure activity such as 3 Question Mingle
Some participants cannot move quickly. Remove the running element and let teams send a messenger at walking pace, or drop the race altogether
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is FFEACH?▾
FFEACH is a team charades race. Teams send one member at a time to the facilitator to collect an item, that person mimes it without speaking, and once the team has guessed it a different member fetches the next item. The first team through the list wins.
What does FFEACH stand for?▾
The name is an abbreviation of the three categories used in the classic item list: fast foods, electric appliances and comic-book heroes. You can swap in any categories that suit your group and still run the same game.
Is FFEACH the same as Charades Relay?▾
Yes, in its mechanics. Charades Relay is the generic name for a race in which teams take turns miming items from a facilitator's list. FFEACH is that relay played with three specific categories.
How many items should the list have?▾
Ten to fifteen items fill about a quarter of an hour for teams of four to eight. Order them from easy to hard so every team gets going quickly, and keep a few spare items in case one team races ahead.
What can a group learn from FFEACH?▾
It is mainly an energiser, but it gives a useful opening for a conversation about non-verbal communication. Teams notice that guessing improves when the actor checks what the team has understood and builds on it, and when guessers call out partial ideas instead of waiting for certainty.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from Traditional charades relay; version described by Mark Collard (playmeo).