Team building workshop - Lock Picking

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Communication under pressure
Pairs learn to talk concisely, share mental models, and debrief quickly—because feedback is instant: the lock either opens or it doesn’t.

Trust & collaboration
People trade roles—picker, tensioner, explainer—while rotating through progressively harder challenges. Hidden leaders emerge.

Creative problem solving
Locks differ. Tactics evolve. The team practices experimenting, iterating, and sharing micro-wins.

A new sense of Agency:

Before workshop: locked doors = “No.”

After workshop: locked doors = “Please keep out.” Your team now recognizes the choice-and the responsibility-embedded in every system.

Each ASC Lock-Picking workshop follows a tightly choreographed sequence that blends hands-on skill-building, teamwork, and a memorable take-away. A typical session includes:

1. Forcible open & teardown
   Teams forcibly open a brand-new residential front-door lock and completely disassemble it under guided supervision. This dramatic start gives everyone a visceral sense of the object they’ll soon master.
   
2. Mechanics & method
   Facilitators explain why the lock works and how it can be defeated. We translate technical concepts (pin stacks, shear lines, tensioning, feedback) into tactile lessons so even non-technical participants gain immediate intuition.
   
3. Build a practice rig
   Each participant personalizes and assembles a practice-lock holder — a durable platform they’ll use for training and that doubles as the day’s tangible take-away.
   
4. Convert the original
   The workshop converts the disassembled original lock into a practice lock for the group, giving teams a real artifact of the day’s learning that stays onsite for challenge use or can be taken home as an optional memento.
   
5. Design & run team challenges
   Teams set up escalating challenges for one another and mount their new practice locks in ASC’s purpose-built lock-picking room. Think of it as building and mastering your own, highly educational escape-room—designed by your team, for your team.
   
6. Leave with real skills
   Participants walk away with practice rigs, a clear set of safe techniques to continue learning, and either a hobby or a newly honed capability they can practice at home.
   
7. Extend the experience
   Many clients bring family members or student groups back for follow-on sessions. ASC offers structured family and school follow-ups so your team’s investment creates broader community impact.
   

Customization & safety: Every workshop includes an ethics briefing and strict safety controls. We tailor difficulty, station count, and challenge formats to your group and can add leadership debriefs, executive briefings, or competitive scoring on request.

• Group size: 10–60 (larger groups by arrangement; we run multiple stations in parallel)
  
• Venue: Austin STEM Center, 11525 Stonehollow Dr., Austin, TX (ample parking, coach access)
  
• We can come to you: On-site options for hotels/offices (we bring the full kit)
  
• Catering: Preferred partners or bring your own
  
• Accessibility: Seated activity, fine-motor friendly with adaptive options available
  

Safety & ethics: Clear legal/ethical framing; all tools used on training locks; no bypass of real property without permission.

• Core Workshop (3 hrs): starting at $4,500 for up to 25 participants
  
  
• Half-Day Plus (4.5 hrs): starting at $6,500 (adds scenario modules + longer debrief)
  
  
• Full Day (6 hrs): starting at $9,500 (deep-dive facilitation, leadership breakouts, more stations)
  
  
• Add-ons: photo/video capture, custom scenarios, executive briefing
  

CSR Impact: Every workshop funds 12+ fully-scholarshipped student field trips at ASC. Your event is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. We’ll provide a summary impact letter.

• Lead facilitators: former FBI, military, and professional red team operators (story-rich, battle-tested communicators).
  
  
• Co-facilitators: ASC instructional team trained by Ken Hawthorn (Engineer→Educator; founder of the Austin School for the Driven; 10+ years refining this pedagogy).
  
  

Optional student segment: a short “role reversal” moment led by middle/high schoolers trained in our open curriculum—an unforgettable perspective shift for adult teams.

Because it’s universal, low-cost, and unforgettable. It’s the perfect “recipe” for team learning: real tools, tactile feedback, immediate iteration, and a clear win condition.
It also makes ethics and responsibility explicit—we discuss and model what it means to have capability, restraint, and trust.

The Austin STEM Center is a 23,000-sq-ft makerspace dedicated to elevating the depth and complexity of STEM while lowering the age at which students access it. We open-publish our lessons so any school can replicate them. Your workshop underwrites this mission.

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