Rainstorm
Rainstorm is a large-group sound energiser in which the facilitator conducts the room through a storm made with body percussion: rubbing hands, snapping fingers, clapping, slapping thighs and a collective jump for the thunderclap, then back down to silence. It is a traditional camp and classroom activity; the Amsterdam agency Mischief Makers documents it as Weather Orchestra. It needs no materials and works with audiences of several hundred.
Facilitation script
- 1
Get attention, divide the room into sections with clear arm gestures, and explain the rule of keeping a sound going until you return.
2 min - 2
Demonstrate the four sounds and the jump once with the whole room so nobody is guessing.
2 min - 3
Build the storm: wind, first drops, rain, downpour, moving section by section.
3 min - 4
Peak: one collective thunderclap, then hold the downpour for a few seconds.
1 min - 5
Bring the storm down in reverse order to rubbing hands, then cut to silence.
2 min - 6
Hold the silence briefly, invite applause, and link in one sentence to what comes next.
1 min
Tips
Rehearse your conducting gestures so that 'start', 'keep going' and 'stop' look different from the back row.
Move through the sections at a steady pace so that neighbouring sections overlap on different sounds, since the overlap is what makes it sound like weather.
Resist explaining what it means afterwards; let the silence at the end do the work and move on.
Common pitfalls
Unclear gestures, so sections stop when you turn away and the sound never builds
Rushing through the levels; the storm is over in forty seconds and feels like a gimmick
Skipping the way back down, which leaves the room loud and scattered instead of focused
Talking immediately over the final silence, which throws away the strongest moment of the exercise
Asking for a jump without checking the room, which excludes people who cannot stand and embarrasses them in front of hundreds
Variations
Groups under about thirty can stand in a circle and pass each sound around person to person instead of by section. A seated version replaces the jump with stamping feet, which keeps it accessible for people who cannot stand easily. Splitting the room into more sections gives a longer, more layered storm; with two sections the storm itself is over in about three minutes. It does not work on a video call because audio lag and noise suppression destroy the sound.
Where it fits
When to use it
A plenary of fifty to several hundred people who have been listening for too long
A kickoff where you want one thing the whole room does together before splitting into groups
Theatre-style seating that rules out any energiser needing space to move
After a break, to pull scattered attention back to the front
Mixed-language audiences, because the instructions are almost entirely shown, not spoken
When not to use it
Online or hybrid sessions, where audio delay turns the storm into noise; use a visual energiser such as a GIF challenge instead
Groups under about twenty people. The sound is too thin to be satisfying, so use Sync Claps or Count Up
Rooms with poor sight lines where half the audience cannot see the conductor
A venue with a neighbouring session behind a thin wall, or participants known to be sensitive to loud noise; choose a quiet activity
A sombre moment, such as right after bad news, when a playful activity reads as tone-deaf
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Rainstorm?▾
Rainstorm is an energiser in which a whole group imitates the sound of a storm with body percussion. A conductor brings in rubbing hands, snapping, clapping and thigh slapping section by section, builds to a thunderclap and then lets the storm fade to silence. It is also known as Weather Orchestra or Make it rain.
How many people do you need for Rainstorm?▾
It starts to sound convincing at around twenty people and gets better as the group grows. It is one of the few energisers that works with several hundred people in fixed seating.
How long does Rainstorm take?▾
About ten minutes including set-up and explanation, and up to twenty in a large room with many sections. The storm itself lasts only a few minutes; the rest is dividing the room, demonstrating the sounds and settling afterwards.
Does Rainstorm work online?▾
No. Video-call audio is delayed and filtered, so the layered sound that makes the exercise work does not come through. Keep it for in-person rooms.
Does Rainstorm need a debrief?▾
Usually not. It is an energiser and its effect is the shared moment and the silence at the end. If the session is about collaboration, one remark about how the sound depended on every section holding its part is enough.
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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 group activity; documented as Weather Orchestra by Mischief Makers (Facilipedia).