DAY COLORS

OBJECTIVE
To illustrate how people often have different views of the same thing.

PROCEDURE
1) Explain the trainees about this:
Emotions and feelings within each of us are 'triggered' in different ways. We think differently and therefore see things differently. We often do not imagine that other people may see something quite differently to how we see the 'same' thing. Management and relationships, in work and outside of work too, depend heavily on our being able to understand the other person's view, and what causes it to be different to our own.

2) Ask them the following questions:
   1. Close your eyes and imagine the days of the week
   2. What colour is each day?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
a) Why did your choices differ from group members?
b) Why we see the same thing differently?

MATERIAL REQUIRED
None

APPROXIMATE TIME REQUIRED
15 minutes

SOURCE
http://www.businessballs.com

MINE FIELD

OBJECTIVES
a) Communicate each other effectively
b) Develop trust among members

PROCEDURE
1) Select an appropriate area.  Go outside, if possible.  Can be done inside, even in rooms with fixed furniture (which can become objects to be avoided).
2) Distribute "mines" e.g., balls or other objects such as bowling pins, cones, foam noodles, etc.
3) Establish a concentrating and caring tone for this activity.  Trust exercises require a serious atmosphere to help develop a genuine sense of trust and safety.
4) Participants operate in pairs.  Consider how the pairs are formed - it's a chance to work on relationships.  One person is blind-folded (or keeps eyes closed) and cannot talk (optional).  The other person can see and talk, but cannot enter the field or touch the person.
5) The challenge is for each blind-folded person to walk from one side of the field to the other, avoiding the "mines", by listening to the verbal instructions of their partners.
6) Allow participants a short period (e.g., 3 minutes) of planning time to decide on their communication commands, then begin the activity.
7) Be wary of blindfolded people bumping into each other.  The instructor(s) can float around the playing area to help prevent collisions.
8) Decide on the penalty for hitting a "mine".  It could be a restart (serious consequence) or time penalty or simply a count of hits, but without penalty.
9) It can help participants if you suggest that they each develop a unique communication system.  When participants swap roles, give participants some review and planning time to refine their communication method.
10) Allow participants to swap over and even have several attempts, until a real, satisfied sense of skill and competence in being able to guide a partner through the "minefield" develops.
11) The activity can be conducted one pair at a time (e.g., in a therapeutic situation), or with all pairs at once (creates a more demanding exercise due to the extra noise/confusion).
12) Can be conducted as a competitive task - e.g., which pair is the quickest or has the fewest hits?
13) The facilitator plays an important role in creating an optimal level of challenge, e.g., consider introducing more items or removing items if it seems too easy or too hard.  Also consider coaching participants with communication methods (e.g., for younger students, hint that they could benefit from coming up with clear commands for stop, forward, left, right, etc.).
14) Be cautious about blind-folding people - it can provoke trust and care issues and trigger post-traumatic reactions.  Minimize this risk by sequencing Mine Field within a longer program involving other get-to-know-you and trust building activities before Mine Field.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
a) How much did you trust your partner (out of 10) at the start?
b) How much did you trust your partner (out of 10) at the end?
c) What is the difference between going alone and being guided by another?
d) What ingredients are needed when trusting and working with someone else?
e) What did your partner do to help you feel safe and secure?
f) What could your partner have done to help make you feel more safe/secure?
g) What communication strategies worked best?

MATERIAL REQUIRED
1) Markers or lengths of rope to indicate the boundaries (e.g., 50 yard rectangular field)
2) Bowling pins or many soft objects, such as larger balls and stuff - the more the better
3)Blind folds (can be optional)

APPROXIMATE TIME REQUIRED
An hour

SOURCE
http://wilderdom.com

AMOEBA RACE

OBJECTIVE
To help a group get comfortable with one another.

PROCEDURE
a) Explain how to create an amoeba.  There are 3 parts:
* a lot of protoplasm (people who don't mind being close, gather together)
* a cell wall (people who like to contain themselves & others, surround the protoplasm, facing outward, linking elbows)
* a nucleus (someone with good eyesight and the ability to keep on top of things should be the nucleus, seated on the shoulders of some of the protoplasm)

b) Once the amoeba is formed, try taking a walk through a field or around the block. A rhythmic chant might be helpful for coordinating movements.

c) Finally, try a little cell division. Split into two, create a second nucleus and have an Amoeba Race.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Is there any difficulties for making an amoeba? If yes, why? If not, why
2) What sort of sound does a one-celled creature make?

MATERIALS REQUIRED
None

APPROXIMATE TIME REQUIRED
15 minutes

SOURCE
http://wilderdom.com/

MYSTERY PERSON

OBJECTIVE
To encourage newcomers and 'oldtimers' to make new acquaintances and get them to mix with other participants.

PROCEDURE
Designate (in advance & secretly) someone as Mr.or Mrs. Mystery person. Prior to and during first few sessions, promote the exercise by publicizing, "shake hands with the Mystery Person, he/she will give you $1."This exercise can be both fun & rewarding.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Why are reluctant to meet new people? (Each new encounter is a challenge to 'sell' ourselves and learn about others)

2. What was the impact of a possible cash incentive on your behavior? (met more people; talk with them only superficially)

3. What are some useful conversation-openers that can help us overcome our reticence?

MATERIALS REQUIRED
Cash prizes

APPROXIMATE TIME REQUIRED
As desired

SOURCE
Games Trainers Play, John W. Newstrom & Edward E.Scannell, McGraw-Hill.

COUNT THE F'S

OBJECTIVE
To illustrate that people see what they want to see: items of prominence catch our attention while seemingly less important items may pass on by.

PROCEDURE
Pass out face-down copies of the following page to the group. When everyone is ready, ask them to turn the paper over and simply count how many times the letter ' f ' appears on their sheet. Allow only a minute. Then, ask "How many of you got 3 F's?" "Who has 4 F's on their sheet? How about 5?.... Does anyone have 6?"

(About 50% of the group will see only 3 F's, 10% will see all 6 F's. The rest 4 or 5 on the sheet.)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.Why couldn't all of us initially see all 6 F's.
2. Have you observed situations where only the important things get attention? Who decides what is important?
3. How can we persuade people to pay more attention to detail? Is it always important?

MATERIALS REQUIRED
Sheet of papers as shown.

APPROXIMATE TIME REQUIRED
5-10 minutes

SOURCE
Games Trainers Play, John W. Newstrom & Edward E.Scannell, McGraw-Hill.

G E T T I N G A C Q U A I N T E D

OBJECTIVE
To allow participants to become acquainted through a structured exercise

PROCEDURE
At the opening session of a group meeting, each individual is given blank name tag. Each person completes the following items:

a) My name is ......................
b) I have question about .......................
c) I can answer a question about ....................

After being given a few minutes to respond to the statements, allow 10-15 minutes in which the group is encouraged to meet and mix as many people as possible.

MATERIALS REQUIRED
Blank name tags

APPROXIMATE TIME REQUIRED
15-20 minutes

SOURCE
Games Trainers Play, John W. Newstrom & Edward E.Scannell, McGraw-Hill.

IDEA EVALUATION

OBJECTIVE

To cultivate a number of new ideas and to encourage group participation

PROCEDURE

Everyone is told in advance to bring at least one idea, exercise, activity,etc.to the next training session.These should be focused around some central theme. For example, how to handle 'problem' trainees.

As each person describe his or her idea to the group, a panel of 'experts' (three of the selected class members) instantly 'rate' the idea on prepared flash card 1-10. The trainer tabulates each total and announces the winners at the end of the time period.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

a) How many people gained at least one useful new idea today?

b) Did this process spark any additional ideas in your mind?

c) Can you think of some other areas in which this method can be applied?

MATERIALS REQUIRED

Three sets of flash cards (5X8 index cards) which each set with a number from 1-10.

APPROXIMATE TIME REQUIRED

20-25 minutes

SOURCE

Games Trainers Play, John W. Newstrom & Edward E.Scannell, McGraw-Hill.

PEOPLE MAP

 

OBJECTIVE

To get to know one another

PROCEDURE

1) Ask participants to create a human map, by standing to indicate where they consider home.  Indicate North, East, South & West, then allow participants to position themselves to create a map.

2) Ask the person who is the furthest what their name is and where they come from.  Proceed to ask each major cluster where they come from.  In this process, participants may refine or improve their map.

MATERIAL REQUIRED

None

APPROXIMATE TIME REQUIRED

10 minutes

SOURCE

http://wilderdom.com

TRAINER'S ROLE

OBJECTIVE
To reach an understanding between trainer and trainee about the trainer's intended role in the session.

PROCEDURE
1) At the beginning of a session, invite the trainees to express to the group the various roles, attitudes and behaviors they wish the trainer to potray for them.
2) List these on a flipchart
3) Share with them a previously prepared set of your roles for that session.
4) Reconcile the two lists

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
a) What do you expect in the session that I do not intend to provide? What is the source of your expectations? (prior educational experiences, wishful thinking)

b) What do I intend to provide that you did not expect?
c) Do you anticipate any problems reconciling your expectations with my objections?

MATERIAL REQUIRED
Handout with list of intended roles

APPROXIMATE TIME REQUIRED
15 minutes

SOURCE
Games Trainers Play, John W. Newstrom & Edward E.Scannell, McGraw-Hill

H U M A N L A D D E R

OBJECTIVES
a) To develop trust & to be responsible for each other's safety.
b) To engage in unself-conscious physical contact with your group members.

PROCEDURE
1) Partcipants are paired and given one "rung" of the ladder.
2) Several pairs, holding a rung and standing close together from the ladder.
3) A climber starts at one end of the ladder and proceeds to move from one rung to another. As the climber passes by, the pair holding that ladder rung may leave their position and proceed to the end of the ladder, extending the ladder length indefinitely.

* The direction of the ladder may change at any time (e.g, right angle turn). Obstacles may be added and the height of the rungs also may vary.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
a) How did you feel when you were climbing?
b) When you were holding the rung, did you feelings change after the first climber passed by your position?
c) Did trusting people make you climb easier?

MATERIAL REQUIRED
6-10 smooth hardware dowel rods about 3 feet long, 1 1/4' in diameter.

APPROXIMATE TIME REQUIRED
30 minutes

SOURCE
Silver Bullet, Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.

P E R S O N A L L O G O

OBJECTIVE
To increase the creative and expressive aspects of the trainees

PROCEDURE
1) Ask the trainees to devise a personal logo or symbol to represent themselves (something simple, quick, recognizable).
2) After that, ask them to share the logo or symbol among the trainees.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
None

MATERIAL REQUIRED
1) A sheet of paper each
2) A pen/pencil (assorted colors) each.

APPROXIMATE TIME REQUIRED
15 minutes

SOURCE
http://www.businessballs.com

Z O O M & R E - Z O O M

OBJECTIVES
a) Develop communication skills.
b) Enhance problem solving skills.
c) Learn how to be patient.

PROCEDURE
Note:
This game is based on the intriguing, wordless, picture books "Zoom" and "Re-Zoom" by Istvan Banyai which consist of 30 sequential "pictures within pictures".  The Zoom narrative moves from a rooster to a ship to a city street to a desert island and outer space.  Zoom has been published in 18 countries. The Re-Zoom narrative moves from an Egyptian hieroglyphic to a film set to an elephant ride to a billboard to a train.

1) To create the game from the book, separate the picture pages of the book into one page sheets and laminate or place in clear plastic sleeves to protect them and prolong usage.
2) Hand out one picture per person (make sure a continuous sequence is used).
3) Explain that participants may only look at their own pictures and must keep their pictures hidden from others.
4) Encourage participants to study their picture, since it contains important information to help solve a problem.
5) The challenge is for the group to sequence the pictures in the correct order without looking at one another's pictures.
6) Participants will generally mill around talking to others to see whether their pictures have anything in common.  Sometimes leadership efforts will emerge to try to understand the overall story.
7) When the group believes they have all the pictures in order (usually after ~15 minutes), the pictures can be turned over for everyone to see.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
a) Why was it hard to get the story together?
(everyone had a piece, but no-one had the big picture)
b) What type of communication was used in attempting to solve the problem?
c) What communication methods might have worked better?  e.g., Imagine if, at the outset, the group had taken the time to let each person describe his/her picture to the rest of the group.  What would have happened then?  Would the solution have been found faster?  What prevented such strategies from being considered?
d) What kind of leadership was used to tackle the problem?
e) Who were the leaders?  Why?
f) What style of leadership might have worked best?
g) If you were to tackle a similar activity again, what do you think this group could do differently?
h) What real life activities are similar to this activity?

MATERIAL REQUIRED
Set of sequential pictures

APPROXIMATE TIME REQUIRED
30 minutes

SOURCE
http://www.wilderdom.com