open · Energizer · 10–30 min · 5-100 people · high energy

Breakout Room Tag

A digital version of 'Tag' where participants move between breakout rooms to catch or evade others. It combines high-energy play with technical mastery of the meeting platform.

When to use Breakout Room Tag

To energize a large group and ensure everyone is comfortable navigating breakout room features.

What it solves

Participants feeling intimidated by or unfamiliar with virtual meeting software features.

How to run Breakout Room Tag, step by step

  1. Create multiple breakout rooms and enable the setting that allows participants to choose their own room.
  2. Designate one person as 'It' and have everyone else distribute themselves across the rooms (3 mins).
  3. 'It' enters a room, counts to ten, and tags someone by saying their name. That person is now 'It' (10-15 mins).
  4. Close all rooms and debrief the experience in the main session.

Materials needed

  • Zoom (or similar platform with self-select breakout rooms)

Facilitator tips

  • Play music in the main room to keep the energy up for those transitioning between rooms.
  • Add a 'Freeze Tag' rule where people must hold a funny pose if caught.

Common pitfalls

  • Participants with older versions of software may not be able to move between rooms manually.
  • Can become chaotic with very large groups; set a limit on the number of rooms.

Variations

  • Themed Rooms: Each room has a different 'safe' activity (e.g., tell a joke) to avoid being tagged.

Running it online or hybrid

This is a platform-specific game designed for Zoom's self-select breakout room feature.

What it produces

None (experiential).

Origin

Created by Erica Marx, featured by SessionLab — source

Build a session around Breakout Room Tag

METODIC places Breakout Room Tag inside a complete, timed session plan — agenda, worksheets, facilitator guide and slides — matched to your group and goal.

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