What is Trust Course?

Trust Course pairs everyone up and blindfolds one partner in each pair, then sends them through an obstacle course built from whatever's nearby — cones, branches, boxes, pillows — using nothing but their partner's spoken directions. The director talks; the walker moves on trust alone.

It works because it turns communication into the only tool that matters: a vague command turns into a stubbed toe fast, so directors learn exactly how precise "a little to the left" actually needs to be. The walker, meanwhile, has nothing to go on but the voice guiding them — a level of trust most partnerships never get to practice out loud.

Skip it for a group uneasy with blindfolds or being physically directed by someone else — that discomfort doesn't go away just because the obstacles are soft. It also needs real, hazard-free space: a cramped room turns careful navigation into a shuffling pileup instead of a challenge.

The rules

Partner everyone up in the group.
Build the course from safe objects only — no rope, nothing easy to trip over.
Blindfold the walker before they see the course setup.
The director gives clear, careful commands; the walker moves slowly and follows only those.
Switch roles once so both partners take a turn blindfolded.

Before you start

Group size: 2–16 participants. Partner everyone up. An odd number out can rotate in as a spare, or run one three-person round.
Pick a hazard-free space. An outdoor grassy area or an indoor room free of anything breakable — the course should be the only obstacle in the room.
Build the course before you blindfold anyone. Outdoors, use trees, branches, cones, and stones. Indoors, use boxes, trash cans, brooms, pillows, erasers, and walls. Skip rope and anything easy to trip over.
Gather the materials. A blindfold for every walker, plus obstacles from the list above. Optional: rope or string for a custom layout, a timer for competitive rounds, or small checkpoints to grab along the way.
Check safety before anyone starts. Confirm the space is free of real hazards and that no one's put in harm's way before the first blindfold goes on.

How to run it

Set up the course 10–15 min
Build it from safe objects — trees, branches, cones, and stones outdoors; boxes, pillows, and walls indoors. Skip rope and anything easy to trip over.
Partner up and assign roles 2–3 min
Split into pairs and pick who goes first as the walker (blindfolded) and who directs, without letting the walker see the setup.
Blindfold the walker 1 min
Blindfold them fully before they get a look at the course.
Give clear commands 5–10 min
The director talks the walker through it, slowly and one obstacle at a time, to keep the walk injury-free.
Switch and rerun 10–20 min
Swap roles so both partners take a turn blindfolded, then debrief with the reflection questions below.

← listening is the actual skill being tested.

Facilitator tips

Keep commands short and literalSkip vague phrases like "watch out" — "two steps left, then stop" is the kind of instruction a blindfolded partner can actually act on.

Let people choose their roleOffer the choice between blindfolded and directing rather than assigning it — comfort with the blindfold varies more than people admit upfront.

Build in accommodations before you startA chair to rest on, a shorter course, or a simplified layout keeps mobility or vision needs from becoming an afterthought.

Variations

Limited commands

Cap how many commands each director can give — it forces precision instead of a running stream of instructions.

Timed runs

Time each pair through the course, or rank partnerships by how fast they finish.

Checkpoints

Set up small checkpoints along the course — an object to grab or an action to perform before moving on.

Crawl instead of walk

Have players crawl the course instead of walking it, for a slower, lower-stakes version.

Why it works

Trust, tested one command at a timeThe walker can't see any of it — they're acting entirely on what their partner says, a level of reliance most partnerships never get to practice out loud.

Vague commands get an instant correction"Watch out" doesn't stop a stubbed toe; "two steps left" does. The course hands out real-time feedback on which instructions actually work.

Active listening, with no option to tune outThe walker has exactly one source of information and has to track it completely — there's no glancing around for context.

HELLO, MY NAME ISJon

"I love that it costs almost nothing to set up and it still gets at something real — you can't fully trust someone until you've had to, and this game manufactures that moment on purpose."

Jon Zajac · Founder & Chief Icebreaker

Reflection questions

For teams and classrooms that want the debrief — these turn the walk into an actual conversation.

What was your experience being the blindfolded walker?Names how it felt to hand over control completely — most people don't expect that vulnerability going in.
How did you feel giving commands as the director?Surfaces which commands actually worked and which didn't land.
What was the most challenging part of the Trust Course for you?Pinpoints exactly where the walk got hard, which tells you what to adjust next round.
How did you overcome those challenges?Gets at the specific fix, not just the struggle — the fix is the reusable part.
Did you learn anything new about your partner through this activity?Strengthening relationships is the point of the exercise — a new detail counts as a win.
How can you apply the lessons learned from this game to real-life situations?Moves the lesson out of the course and into Monday morning.
What strategies did you use to build trust with your partner?Names the exact behavior that built trust — the stuff worth repeating on purpose.
How comfortable were you relying on your partner's instructions? Why?A direct check on how much control someone was actually willing to give up, and why.
Did the game change your perspective on trust and communication? If so, how?Gauges whether the activity actually shifted how someone thinks about trust, not just whether they enjoyed it.