Introduction
How many times have you heard of a trust fall gone wrong? In case you have been living under a rock for the past few decades, here is a quick summary. In a trust fall, one person falls backwards and is caught by the other members of their group. It’s supposed to be fun and build relationships… But it doesn’t always end that way! Instead of building trust in your team or organization, these gimmicks can create fear and distrust among team members
Problem occurs when people let go!
There are a number of ways that people can get hurt when they trust falls into the wrong hands, but there’s one simple rule to follow: if you’re not sure what will happen when you let go, don’t trust it!
Trust falls are dangerous because they encourage people to put themselves in harm’s way. Sure, most people who do them are fine and only suffer minor injuries (if any), but why risk life and limb? If it’s just a matter of trust and not physical ability or skill level then why take the chance at all? Let’s say for example there’s some sort of fall where two people connect hands as they step off an 8-foot ladder onto each other’s shoulders. If one person lets go or fails to catch their partner then both could be seriously injured or killed by falling onto hard concrete floors or asphalt roadways with no cushioning whatsoever.
A better way for building this kind of cooperation is through teamwork exercises such as rope pulling contests where teams must pull heavy objects across distances without anyone letting go until everyone completes their task correctly without erroring out (such as dropping objects).
Trust falls don’t teach trust – Learning how to help someone is where Trust is built.
If you’ve ever been on a trust fall, you know how awkward and embarrassing it is to fall without someone catching you. Trust falls are not a good way to build trust in others. Instead of building trust with each other, we teach people that a safety net is all they need to put their faith in us.
Trust falls don’t teach trust – Learning how to help someone is where Trust is built.
When we teach others how to help us out when we need it most, we show them our truest self and build up the confidence in them that can inspire them for years down the line
Trust falls are just a gimmick
Here’s the thing about trust falls: they don’t teach you to trust. They are a gimmick, and if you think about it for even a second, you’ll recognize that fact.
Trust falls have become popular in some circles as an ice-breaker or team building exercise. People get into groups of three or four and one person stands on top of the others’ shoulders while everyone holds hands. The “faller” then releases their grip and drops down onto the other people’s shoulders or backs. The falling person is typically held by two people at first, but once they’ve gained confidence in their ability to fall safely (or maybe just because the organizers want the fun to last longer), they let go entirely and let gravity take over until they land on whatever unfortunate souls were unlucky enough to be under them at that moment (and probably weren’t expecting him/her).
Do not use trust falls for building trust in your team or organization.
Some people think that trust falls are an effective way to build trust in your team or organization. They’re wrong.
Does a trust fall teach you how to trust someone? No, it teaches you how to fall. Does it help you build relationships with others? No, it makes them feel uncomfortable and awkward around you, so they don’t want to interact with you as much anymore. Trust falls do not teach anyone anything except how to fall down in a group setting (which is actually pretty useful if that’s what your job entails). In fact, the only thing trust falls can accomplish is getting everyone involved out of breath and sweaty—and that’s only if they’re done right! Trust me: no one wants their team members sweating all over them during work hours; this will only make productivity decrease even further than before because everyone will be too busy trying not to get peed on from above by other coworkers who may have drunk too much water earlier in the day or something like that…
Conclusion
So, bottom line: don’t trust falls. In fact, I would go so far as to say that you should avoid them like the plague.
