free team building games (1)

free team building games - warm-ups, quick games and

exercises, ice-breakers, exercises and activities
These free team building games and exercises generally last less than one hour, and can
be adjusted to create longer team building activities, depending on team building, ice-
breaker, training development required. The development forum gameshow activity is an
example of a sophisticated activity that ideally takes two hours or more, but can be
adapted to fit into an hour if session time requires this. Ensure exercises are clearly
explained, and where appropriate - mostly - that a review takes place afterwards. Review
and discussion are often useful and helpful after exercises which have raised relationship
issues, or changed people's perceptions. Plan and practise all unknown aspects of the
activities before using them. Logistics, facilitation and especially how you split the group
into the numbers of team members per team are factors which have a big effect on how
the exercises work and the experience for all. See the team building activities guidelines
for tips and techniques.

free games, exercises and activities (1) (more

teambuilding games 2)
questioning games ideas (demonstrating open and
closed questions, developing questioning skills)
Use puzzles and fact-finding scenarios to show and practise the use of open and closed
questions.

See the questioning exercise on teambuilding games page 2.

diversity quiz game (teaching and developing diversity

awareness, addressing local diversity issues)
Flexible exercise for groups of all sorts to focus on diversity in an entertaining and
enjoyable way.

See the diversity quiz game on team building games page 2.

causes and solutions exercises (discussion or illustration

of problem-solving, dispute resolution, crisis
management and avoidance, solutions-focused thinking)
Flexible activity - easy to set up - for discussion and teaching of problem-solving, crisis-
mangement, solution-focused thinking.

See the causes and solutions activity on the team building games page 2.

quiz public survey game (all and any aspects of

communications, plus lots of other applications)
Imagine a cross between a quiz and a treasure hunt... this is it.

See the public research quiz game on the team building games page 2.

bin toss game (ice-breakers, competition and

motivation, fun)
You can probably guess...

See the bin toss game on teambuilding games page 2.

bricks in the wall

An exercise for goals and objectives planning.

The importance of components and process in realising aims and changes.

See the Bricks in the Wall exercise on the teambuilding games page 2.

the ampersand exercise

Quick easy idea for ice-breakers, with potential to adapt and develop for more complex
learning.

Good for explaining difference between knowledge and skill, and why skills and
knowledge need developing differently.

See the ampersand activity ideas on the teambuilding games page 2.

seasonal team games

See the Seasonal Team Activities Ideas on teambuilding games page 2.

christmas quiz
See Quizballs 29 - twenty questions and answers for parties and team games.

cartoon and celebrity role-plays (quick character

profiles and scenarios for role-playing)
Do you struggle sometimes to find or compile case-studies for role-playing activities?

Easy quick ideas for enjoyable role-plays - for appraisals, interviews, counselling,
discipline, coaching and more.

See the cartoon role-play ideas on the teambuilding games page 2.

obituaries (personal destiny, life goals, getting control of

direction and purpose)
For encouraging a deeper review of personal potential and life purpose.

See the obituaries exercise on teambuilding games page 2.

telephone chatting activities (team-building for home-

based staff, telephone skills exercises, remote teams
relationships)
Home-based staff and remote teams miss out on the valuable social contact normally
available to office-based teams.

Personal interaction between staff (typically chatting and engaging in the canteen,
elevator, lounge areas, etc) is crucial for developing relationships and mutual awareness
among teams, so if teams do not meet frequently then the leader must devise ways to
enable this personal interaction to happen.

More background and some ideas in the chatting exercises on the teambuilding games
page 2.

quickies
Ideas you can develop and have fun using. See the quickies on the teambuilding exercises
page 2.

visualisation exercises (lifting limits, identifying

personal potential, direction)
A simple activity for groups or teams of any size - individuals too - for visualising and
imagining doing something different and special with our life.

See the visulisation exercise on the other team exercises page 2.

stress reduction techniques (stress reduction ideas and

understanding, for self or others, or teams)
The quick stress reduction techniques on the stress management page aren't teambuilding
activities as such.

However they can provide interesting ideas for dealing with stress and helping and
teaching others about stress reduction.

The ideas can also be used to reduce tension in certain types of teams and meetings, for
ice-breakers or diversions, to demonstrate aspects of mind-body connection and its
relevance to attitude, frame of mind, self-control, and also aspects of NLP, positive
visualisation, lateral thinking, lifting limits, and no doubt lots more too.

The chief effect of these very simple exercises is to change the environment and
atmosphere, and thereby the 'mindset', which is a basis for all sorts of development, quite
aside from the benefits of reducing someone's stress levels.

The 'I am' page helps to illustrate and explain the power of positive visualisation and
'self-talking' which is a strong element within the second of the three stress reduction
ideas.

team skipping (team-building and just about anything

else)
Looking for something very different, lively and flexible?

With lots of fun and team-work and interaction?

See the team skipping activities ideas on the teambuilding games page 2.

isolation and intuition team exercises (relationships,

bullying and harassment, diversity, intuitive
demonstrations)
Two team exercises for groups of any size exploring intuition and isolation, which can
be used to support learning about relationships and feelings.

The isolation and intuition activities are on the other teambuilding games page 2.

Both activities are highly flexible and can be adapted for local circumstances.
age diversity exercises for teams (age discrimination
training, ageism awareness, diversity development)
With the introduction of Age Discrimination legislation, (UK October 2006, and
consistent with European law), there is an increased need to raise awareness and to teach
people about ageism and age discrimination.

Ideas for activities and exercises to highlight Age Discrimination and Diversity issues are
on the other team-building games page (2).

We all, irrespective of age, race, religion, gender, disability, etc., have our own special
capabilities and strengths, and it is these capabilities and strengths that good
organisations must seek to identify, assess, encourage and utilise, regardless of age or
other potentially discriminatory factors.

shot at dawn discussion (morality, leadership integrity,

etc)
An emotional subject which enables a variety of discussions about morality, ethics and
integrity in institutions, the pressures on people in authority which cloud decisions, and
the need for us all to take an interest in the humanitarian and ethical conduct of leaders.

See the 'Shot At Dawn' lessons discussion and ideas on the other team-building activities
page 2.

corporate globalization debate activity (exercise and

warm-up ideas for exploring corporate globalisation
issues)
An entertaining and stimulating way to start any meeting or session involving or relating
to corporate globalisation and/or the influence of the modern digital age and the
worldwide web.

Corporate Globalization Debate Exercise and Ideas are on the other teambuilding games
page 2.
speeches exercises (warm-ups and ice-breakers,
presentation skills and public speaking, motivation,
inspiration and leadership)
A very flexible activity to develop understanding and confidence for speaking to groups,
which can be adapted for many different situations. See the speech exercises on the other
team-building games page (2).

corporate life-cycle exercises (organisational

understanding for selling, management, own-
organisation awareness)
Simple quick exercises ideas for explaining and developing understanding of how
organisations develop and change.

See the Corporate Life-Cycle Exercise on the other team-building page. Based on the
Adizes model.

world cup/major event exercises (debating,

presentation, understanding strategy, management, etc)
If delegates want to discuss the state of football and England's performance, or the
aftermath of any major sporting or entertainment event, here are a few quick easy ideas
for directing team members' enthusiasms towards useful outcomes for learning,
development and team-building, etc.

See the World Cup Antidote Exercises on the other team-building activities page.

See also the Football quiz questions and answers.

baking foil construction exercises

See the ideas for working with this simulating material in the baking foil games on the
other team building page.
Look also below at the newspaper construction games which provide other ideas for
using baking foil.

triple bottom line exercise (understanding and

developing ethical organisations)
See this empowering profit-people-planet activity on the other team-building page. This
activity can also be used in development workshops. It is a very flexible exercise and will
help bring to life the increasing rhetoric (at last) about ethical organisations, 'Fairtrade',
sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and well-being. It sounds great, but how do
you make it happen? Start by understanding what it all means.

fantasticat
This idea is so good that it deserves a section all of its own. See the Fantasticat page.

development forum 'gameshow' activity (beyond team-

building games - alignment and development of people
and organisation - powerful change enabler)
This might be the most powerful activity for people in organisations on this page.
Perhaps ever. Try it and see. It contains some radical and innovative organisational
development principles. These ideas will be too much for many organisations to handle,
not to mention certain CEO's who will pooh their pants at the very thought of it all. It
goes way beyond team-building games and pure team-building activities. See what you
think:

The activity is particularly ideal for conference or auditorium situations. Big company
gatherings to 'motivate' everyone. You know the sort of thing... The CEO says to the HR
department, "Guys, we've got this conference coming up. All the staff will be there. I'm
going to open it up and give everyone a great big bollocking, I mean pep-talk. Yes, Pep-
talk. Get everyone motivated and focused on the new challenges ahead. The need for
everyone to learn new skills, to be more customer focused, more joined-up, to be more
committed and to adapt to all the changes that we need to make, including the ever-
increasing risk of redundancy (so that I can float this baby in a couple of years and make
a bloody fortune/so that headquarters/central government can meet its efficiency gains
and targets)..."
"Go on.." says the HR team, (thinking, "Is he in the real world?...")

And predictably the CEO continues: "So, after I've warmed them up - an hour or so
should do it - it's over to you guys to put together some activities which will get everyone
involved and focused on the changes they need to make, so they can all improve their
skills, increase service levels, save time and money, take the burden off their managers,
and generally come up with some ideas for becoming more effective. Empowerment they
call it don't they? I want to empower them all to be more productive. And to stop all the
whingeing and moaning. That would be good too. Oh, and by the way we've got no
money to spend on it; the hotel is costing us a bleeding fortune as it is."

And then it's over to you.

And here's what you do:

First resist the temptation to leave the company. The people need you. And you like a
challenge. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, remember.

Second, think about using this activity and then discuss it with your CEO. If he/she likes
the idea you've half a chance that they'll allow you to go through with it:

the development forum 'gameshow' activity

It's for a large group - especially at a conference or corporate presentation - group size
between about 50 up to 250 people as an ideal maximum, although double this is possible
with some organisational and logistical tweaks. Eight teams of fifteen people, ie, 120
people is an example of a workable team structure. Other team sizes and combinations
are perfectly possible. The activity can take between two and four hours, although less or
more than this is possible with careful facilitation and structuring.

The object of this activity is to engage the participants in:

• thinking deeply about their own development and how to optimise it, and
• working together to suggest how the organisation can improve.

The activity, and the planning leading up to it, will hopefully help the CEO and senior
managers to understand more about their responsibilities for their people and their
organisation, and perhaps to reappraise their leadership philosophy and purpose.

Important outcomes of this activity will be that:

• people begin to align more closely with the organisation, and crucially: vice-
versa
• people start to think differently about the organisation - "it can be more than
a job if you want it to be.."
• the organisation gets to hear and see what its people are truly capable of
 • the organisation hears how its people can and want to help improve
themselves and the organisation
• the organisation (and particularly the CEO) commits to supporting its people
in doing the above

Make no mistake - this is not for the faint-hearted - this is not for CEO's and
organisations who say one thing and then do another. This is not for organisations and
CEO's who want to line their own pockets and don't give a shite about their people. This
activity is more than a game - it's a philosophy.

Split the group into teams of function or job type. Between four and a dozen teams, up to
about twenty people per team. If you have more than twenty in a single team split the
team into two, for example, 'customer service north' and 'customer service south'.

Organise the seating so that team members are sitting together - either around their own
team table, or in blocks if the seating is fixed in a theatre or auditorium. Imagine the BBC
'Test the Nation' studio format if you've seen it. Each team contains people of a similar
responsibility/role/function, playing together as a team.

Teams need to appoint a team leader, and this responsibility can rotate so a number of
team members experience the responsibility. Team leaders are responsible for ensuring
that everyone in the team has the opportunity to contribute. Setting up sub-teams within
teams is perfectly okay if it ensures everyone has greater input. This can be at each team
leader's discretion.

An optional exercise at this point is to ask each team to design and make their own team
flag, representing the strengths/values/philosophy/challenges of their team. Materials and
timings at the discretion of the facilitator depending on the event. This is an optional
quick introductory exercise - no need to spend ages on it. Don't do it if the people want to
get on with the business at hand, which will very commonly be the case.

The facilitator (a sort of quiz-master or compere role) must prepare suitable questions in
advance, and it is essential to involve the CEO in doing this because there are big
implications that need buy-in and support from the top. Failure to do this will expose the
facilitator/organiser and disappoint the people when nothing happens afterwards. A
central aim for this activity is that outputs must be followed up.

The questions must be carefully designed and powerful, to get people thinking about:

• their own personal strengths, passions, (including hobbies and pastimes),

dreams, ambitions, and how these relate (because they do - believe me) to
their effectiveness, happiness, maturity, tolerance, creativity, resilience,
adaptability, and value etc., as people at work, and
• their ideas and suggestions for how the organisation - in any and every way -
can be improved; from personal development relating to job skills and
whole-person development, to customer service and quality of delivery,
 management, communications and IT, health and safety, ethics and
corporate social responsibility - the whole shebang.

The basic format of the activity is:

The whole gathering is asked a question. Teams confer amongst themselves, and
appointed spokes-people give the answers for their own team in turn. All the answers for
a question are reviewed, and then voted on to identify which answer(s) are considered
best by all teams, or a 1-2-3 ranking of the three best liked answers. Then the facilitator
moves on to the next question. Allowing 30 minutes per question (this will vary
according to type of question, number of teams, etc), you can see that a two hour event
will allow four questions at most, so plan carefully. Careful design of questions is very
important.

Here's an example of a question:

What does each team consider to be its three greatest personal passions, outside
work? And how might each of these passions, if developed further, benefit the
person at work, the organisation and the customers and suppliers of the
organisation? (Obviously a team of fifteen or twenty people will represent more
than three 'passions' - in which case guide the teams towards discussing and
selecting the best three from within their own team.)

Before teams begin to consider the question, the facilitator will need at this point to help
people understand and believe the extent to which each person's passion (each person's
special capabilities, loves, and they dreams they pursue, typically outside work) relates to
their development as individuals, their personal fulfilment, and how valuable and
transferable these skills, knowledge, behaviour and experiences are to the
organisation and their work. (You will probably need to explain this to the CEO before
planning this event as well, and if he doesn't see it then proceed with caution unless
you're lucky enough to have a CEO who is blessed in the 'blind faith' department.)

The teams are then given a few minutes to confer and consider their answers. To an
extent you need to be flexible in how long you allow - there's no point in cutting useful
discussion short if you can adjust the schedule accordingly.

After an agreed/suitable time period, each team's spokes-person gives their team's
answers in turn, which are recorded by the facilitator on stage or at the front of the
auditorium, on a suitable viewing system (flip-chart sheets and blu-tack are perfectly
okay if you like to use them) so all teams can see every other team's answers.

Review and invite questions and comments from the participants.

Then ask the teams to cast votes for each of the other team's answers, by which the
facilitator then allocates scores for each team. The scoring system for the activity is
flexible at the discretion of the facilitator, but must obviously be consistent and fair. For
example ask each team to confer and award three votes for the best answer, two points
for 2nd best, and one point for 3rd best.

(You have the option to award prizes for teams and individuals during and certainly at the
end of the activity. Be creative and think about these prizes - think about some awards
which relate to people's personal passions and interests - not just bottles of booze.)

Example of next question:

Choosing one passion from your team's suggestions, or from another team's
suggestions, which relates to significant and valuable personal development and
organisational benefit, suggest a way which the organisation can help people to
develop that passion, with all the skills, experiences and learning involved. (The
organisation must, after the event, consider all of these ideas, and try to help make
them happen where possible - so people should try to come up with ideas that are
practicable and realistic - and which demonstrate a good result and benefit for
people and the organisation, relative to the efforts and costs involved.)

You get the idea? It's serious stuff. It extends development way beyond job skills into life
skills - develop the whole person - and the organisation must see that this is important
too.

Follow this format using other carefully designed powerful questions.

Here are examples of questions relating to organisational development:

Consider and suggest three ways that the organisation can improve its
communications and cooperation between departments.

Consider and suggest three ways that the organisation could involve its people
earlier in responding to the need for organisational change.

If you were the CEO how would you treat people differently compared to current
practices?

In what ways could the organisation reshape its aims so that people find it easier to
support and align with them?

Provide three examples of obvious daft management practice that need sorting out
desperately, preferably with some suggested remedial actions.

What's wrong with this organisation that even a ten-year-old child could see in a
day of being here?

How can the organisation provide more personal meaning and relevance to you in
your work?
At the completion of the activity you will have received a vast amount of well-considered
suggestions, ideas, feedback and information about your people and their capabilities.
You will see how different functional teams view each other and the organisation. You
will receive and give people the opportunity to contribute significant ideas and
suggestions for improving the organisation's weaknesses and failings, in any aspect that
you wish to expose (you are asking the questions, remember).

If you focus on personal development, you will understand and appreciate, and help your
people to understand and appreciate, that the most important characteristics, skills, and
experiences are those which people can develop for life, not just to meet the needs of a
job skills analysis, or a flaky appraisal process that just goes through the motions.

Certain roles offer more obvious opportunities to overlap development for life and
development for work - ie, to develop job performance and capability through developing
the whole person. Other jobs might initially seem to offer no overlap at all, but be
assured, all jobs offer plenty of potential overlap between the person's life
development and job/organisational benefit. Truck drivers have dreams too. So do
shop-workers. So do labourers, cleaners and soldiers. We all have dreams and passions
that we want to follow and related capabilities that we want to develop, many of which
are extremely and directly transferable to work performance. In fact I'd challenge anyone
to think of a job role that would not gain from developing the job-holder's whole-life
passion or dream or true potential. Try me, send me any suggestions where you think no
overlap exists and I'll show you where it does and publish the examples here.

Aside from transferable capabilities, there is also the effect on a person's general state of
well-being and feeling of self-worth. When people develop as people they become more
mature and tolerant. They become more peaceful and contented with themselves. They
become more self-managing, self-reliant, self-determining, confident, helpful, considerate
- you name it, they become better people. Isn't that what we want in organisations -
grown-up self-sufficient people who largely manage, motivate and look after themselves?

Even the CEO who doesn't give a tuppenny-haypenny shite about the people - he still
wants these qualities in his people, doesn't he?

X-Theory directors everywhere - wake up and smell the bleeding coffee - help your
people develop as people, in the ways they want to, and your organisation will fly.

One day all organisations will achieve sustainable success when they align themselves
with their people's whole-person whole-life needs, and when they do everything possible
to help people develop as people for life, not just for work. This activity framework will
provide a useful and stimulating introduction to that philosophy; for the leaders - even the
X-Theory dinosaurs - and the people.

Be a pioneer. Make a difference. If you want any help, please ask.

simple train the trainer exercises (training people how
to train and coach, writing a simple training plan)
This is a very simple exercise to help people learn how to write training plans, and to
learn how to train and coach others. The activity is groups of any size, subject to splitting
large groups into teams of 6-12 people. Rotate roles of trainer, trainee(s) and observers.
Ask delegates to each write down on a slip of paper a simple task that takes 1-2 minutes
to perform, and which can be performed using materials or items available at the session -
for example making a paper aeroplane to a specific design, or sending text message -
simple things. Delegates must then fold their slips of paper and place in the middle of the
table. Then ask delegates to pick (blind) a task, for which they must then write a training,
and then (picked at random) use the plan to train one or a number of delegates how to
perform the task. Observers and trainees give feedback after the task, as to how well the
training plan worked and was delivered. Points to cover in the review are: communication
style, listening, clarity of instruction, checking understanding, encouragement,
accentuating the positive, giving constructive criticism, transferability of training plan to
another trainer who is less familiar with the task, etc. Refer to any or all of these theories
and models, depending on the depth and complexity of activity required. Bloom's
Taxonomy, and training and developing others theory. Extend the exercise by referring to
Kolb's Learning Styles, Gardner's Multiple Intelligences and VAK Learning Model, and
to training evaluation and Kirkpatrick's evaluation model.

'maps' activities (team-building games, ice-breakers,

warm-ups, planning and organising, geography,
international business, exporting)
This is a simple activity with lots of variations, to suit many games requirements. For
groups of any size, split the group into teams of up to five people per team. This also
works as an individual exercise and for pairs and teams of three, although obviously the
team-building benefit increases with the size of the teams. Issue each team with a sheet of
flip-chart paper, a pencil and a marker pen, and give them five minutes to draw a map of
a part of the world, for example, Europe, Africa, South America, the states of the USA,
Asia, the counties of England, Scotland, Wales, etc. Anywhere that might relate to the
group and its responsibilities or territory. It's a challenging exercise which is a lot of fun
when teams display and compare their maps. Increase the degree of difficulty by asking
for capital cities or county/state capital towns to be added, or populations estimates, etc.
Reduce the level of difficulty by providing a list of countries or states or counties, towns,
statistics, etc., which people can then work from. Orientate the exercise to your own
organisation or business by asking for information to be mapped relating to your key
customers, branches, markets, etc., - anything that's relevant to your purposes. As the
facilitator all you need is a copy of the correct version to issue to groups afterwards. The
exercise is good for people of all ages, including youngsters.
exercises and ice-breakers for subject-specific training
(for example, first aid training, health and safety,
customer service, etc)
It is easy to devise exercises, activities, ice-breakers and games for specific subject
training, such as first aid, trade-skills, driving, health and safety, etc., by adapting other
generic exercises, and particularly the two examples below. Look at generic exercises and
insert your particular subject or theme. Simply alter the instructions so that delegates are
limited to the subject concerned, be it customer service, safety, or in these examples, first
aid:

A simple ice-breaker idea for group or team introductions:

1. Ask people to think of two personal first aid (or customer service, health and safety,
etc, etc) experiences from their past - one good and one bad. Then ask each person to
describe their experiences briefly in turn to the group. Note the key points on a flip chart.

Another ice-breaker and participation activity:

2. Put as many different items of first aid (or other items relevant to specific training
subject) as there are delegates, into the middle of the table. In turn each delegate must
close their eyes and reach out to touch an item. The one they touch they must then briefly
describe a personal incident or witnessed incident featuring the item. Note the key points
on a flip chart.

In both of these exercises decide before-hand how to review the experiences and
examples given, for example, start a brainstorm session with the group, have a group
discussion, summarise the key learning points, summarise the key areas of interest among
people, discuss the difference between feelings and apparent problem/success/outcome.

The simple exercises above will adapt to suit virtually any theme or subject that you wish
to teach or train.

statements exercises (ice-breakers, recruitment group

selection activities, team-building, identifying coaching
needs, attitude and motivational development)
A very flexible activity. For groups of any size. Split the group into teams of four to five
members. For larger groups the split teams can self-facilitate provided you explain the
exercise and keep an eye on things. If the group size is no more than four or five
obviously you facilitate.

Prepare a number of 'statement cards' (or pieces of paper) each containing a different
statement, (statements to suit your purposes - examples below).

Team members then pick (blind) a statement and complete it by adding their own words
aloud to the team. Each team member does this for each statement in turn. Then a
different team member picks a new statement and the process continues. Encourage the
team to discuss briefly the important points arising of opportunity, threat, and consensus
(agreement) for each statement, and to 'park' these points on a flip-chart or sheet of paper
for review later when all teams reconvene as a whole group.

Statements examples:

Statements for a
Statements Statements session on
for a session for a session personal feelings
Statements for a Statements for a
about and social views
on general session about session about ideas
developing (warm-up ice-
work improving service for improving
and using breaker only - no
attitudes and levels: morale:
people's need for
opportunities: potential: significant
review):

• My
unde
• I most r-
enjoy used
about pote • Information
work.... ntial
• Customers about the
• I least ... • My
would be company...
enjoy • Staff favourite
happier... • People
about can food...
• Customers leave...
work.... help • I like it
cancel... • Staff would
• I hate it ... when...
• Customers be more
when • I • My
argue... committed..
my coul favourite
• Meetings .
boss... d place...
with • People
• Working inste • Holidays...
customers would
in my ad... • Family
.... attend/want
current • If and
• We could training...
team... man friends...
improve... • A career
• The ager here....
biggest s
opportun let/h
ity... elp
us
we
coul
 d...
• To
be
mor
e
effe
ctive
I'd...

You get the idea... Preparation for this activity takes just a couple of minutes: to think of
a suitable subject area and purpose, to think of suitable statement beginnings (the less
words the better because it enables people more interpretation freedom) and then to type
or write them onto a sheet, and cut into separate cards or slips of paper - one statement
per card/slip.

A variation on the exercise, and even easier to prepare, is to invite the team members to
write their own statement beginnings onto a slip of paper each, fold the paper and put into
the middle of the table with other people's statements, and have the team pick and speak
about each one in turn.

When creating (or instructing the team to create) statements, try to accentuate the positive
rather than inviting people to be negative, although if there are serious negatives you are
best knowing about them than not.

(Developed from a suggestion by F Kelly)

'personality tree' exercise (self-awareness, mutual

awareness, Johari development, team-building and
bonding)
For any group size. This interesting activity will take 30-60 minutes. Split the group into
teams of three to five people. Explain first that there is not necessarily any psychological
correlation between what you are about to ask the group to do, and the personalities of
the group (probably.... it's a bit of fun). The purpose of the activity is to develop personal
self-awareness, to develop mutual awareness among the teams' members, to stimulate
feedback from other team members, and generally to assist team-building and bonding
through getting to know each other better. The activity helps Johari Window
development, which is a useful reference model for the teams. The exercise is simple:
Issue each team of 3-5 people with coloured pens, markers, or crayons, and a sheet of
paper per team member (A4 is fine, bigger sheets are great if there's enough room and
some big marker pens or paints and brushes).
Each team member's task is to draw or paint a tree on their sheet. The tree must include
root system, trunk, branches, leaves, buds, fruit, flowers and thorns. After (or before - the
choice is yours) the trees are drawn use this 'key' to ask the participants to think about
their trees in terms of their:

• roots = their life influences and beliefs

• trunk = life structure and particularly aspects that are quite firm and fixed
• branches = relationships and connections, directions, interests, how they spend
time
• leaves = information and knowledge - and sources thereof
• buds = their ideas and hopes for the future, and their potential
• fruit = their achievements
• flowers = what makes them special, their strengths
• thorns = challenges, threats and difficulties

Ask team members to share and discuss their trees and interpretations with each other
within their teams. Emphasise the usefulness of empathic listening and non-judgemental
feedback.

The duration of the exercise is flexible depending on the type of people, and the need,
benefit and willingness for sharing personal feelings. Adapt the key above to suit the
areas of discussion you seek to encourage, for example you could add birds and bees to
the situation to represent temporary 'partnerships' or travel or holidays; or you could add
windfall dead branches and leaves to represent discarded 'baggage'; or change 'leaves' to
mean 'skills', 'buds' to mean opportunities, etc. You can remove items altogether if they
are not relevant to the situation.

(Ack F Kelly)

the 'dalai lama' personality test (ice-breaker, bit of

nonsense, light relief for boring meetings, etc)
The famous 'Dali Lama' personality test seems to have started as a chain letter and email
around the year 2000. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the Dalai Lama, and as a
psychometrics instrument it has no standing at all, other than being top of the personality
testing category loosely referred to as 'a load of bollocks'. The test appears in many
varying presentational formats, which commonly promise lifelong happiness, wealth,
avoidance of plague and pestilence, plenty of sex, yachts, etc., but the essential 'test'
elements are consistent. It's a bit of fun and no more. If you know of any research that
says otherwise please send it to me. Meanwhile use it with a pinch of salt and a firm
disclaimer..
Question 1. Write down the following five animals in the order of your preference:
Cow Tiger Sheep Horse Pig

Question 2. Write a word to describe each one of the following (preferably write five
different describing words): Dog Cat Rat Coffee Sea

Question 3. Write down the name of a different person whom you associate with
each of these five colours (each person must be known to you and important to you):
Yellow Orange Red White Green

Question 4. (In the typical 'Dalai Lama chain letter email, question 4 asks for the person's
favourite number and favourite day of the week, and subsequently links the answers to
respectively: the number of friends to forward the email/letter to, and the day of the week
on which the person's wish will come true, so it's as well to exclude question 4, unless
you position it purely as a bit of nonsense.)

(At this point the chain letter normally suggests, for extra gravitas..."Be sure that your
answers are what you really feel..." and then invites the respondent to make a wish..
world peace, meeting this month's target, a modest win on the lottery, Torquay United to
avoid relegtion...)

After people have written down and thought about their answers, you can reveal the
interpretations....

Question 1 interpretation (Write down the following five animals in the order of your
preference: Cow Tiger Sheep Horse Pig):

• Cow = CAREER
• Tiger = PRIDE
• Sheep = LOVE
• Horse = FAMILY
• Pig = MONEY

Question 2 interpretation (Write a word that describes each one of the following: Dog
Cat Rat Coffee Sea).
The descriptive words are supposedly how you see or feel about:

• Dog = your own personality

• Cat = your partner
• Rat = your enemy or enemies
• Coffee = sex
• Sea = your life

Question 3 interpretation (Write down the name of a different person whom you
associate with each of these five colours: Yellow Orange Red White Green). The people
whom you identify with each colour are supposedly:
 • Yellow = a person you will never forget
• Orange = a true friend
• Red = a person you really love
• White = your twin soul or soul-mate
• Green = a person you will remember for the rest of your life (this is the usual
interpretation of the Green person, although observant readers will notice that it is
effectively the same as the Yellow person, so for added interest, here is an
alternative more interesting Green):
• Green = someone who can teach you a lot about yourself

Just for interest only, the chain email/letter version added additional incentive for
continuing the chain with the promise that by forwarding the message (or 'mantra') to
specifed numbers of people "...your life will improve..." according to the following scale:

• 0-4 persons = slightly (steady now..)

• 5-9 persons = to your liking
• 9-14 persons = you will have at least 5 surprises in the next three weeks
(presumably nice surprises..)
• 15 or more persons = your life will improve drastically and "all that you have
always dreamed will take shape.." (or words to that effect)

And the chain letter typically ends with a final sign-off: "If someone does not smile at
you, be generous and offer your own smile. Nobody needs more a smile than the one that
cannot smile to others..." (which in itself is no bad thing to advocate - see Smile).

For the more mischievous among you, and especially for an audience who might already
have encountered the Dalai Lama test and think they know it all, here is an alternative
Dalai Lama personality test and and answer interpretations, which is an even bigger load
of bollocks than the one above.

autograph collecting exercise (introductions, team-

building, ice-breakers, self-expression and creativity)
A simple activity for groups of any size. Eight to twelve is ideal. Groups of more then
fifteen should be split, for instance a group of fifty could be split into five groups of ten.
The bigger the teams the longer the exercise takes. Issue to each team member a sheet of
paper and a different coloured pen or pencil (number of different colours is a factor
affective teams sizes - different colours are helpful, but not absolutely essential). Ask
each person to draw a matchstick person about two inches high (representing themselves)
on their sheet (landscape way around), and to write their name or autograph (legibly)
beneath it. Then ask the team members to move around the room among their team,
asking other team members to add their matchstick images and autographs, so as to
collect matchstick images and signatures. While collecting images and autographs
encourage teams to discuss their interests and backgrounds, and to focus on people's
names and characteristics, so as to reinforce retention of names. The exercise is complete
when all teams have completed their collections of other teams members. See the
variation to this exercise below:

'personal logos' exercise variation

To increase the creative and expressive aspects of the above activity, the exercise can be
altered by asking first, (instead of using matchstick people images), that team members
should devise a personal logo or symbol to represent themselves (something simple,
quick, recognisable), which they should use instead of the matchstick person. In all other
respects the exercise can be played out unchanged. This adapted version does not
necessarily require coloured pens.

The activity is for people and teams of any job-roles and ages. Young people will
especially enjoy it.

The adapted exercise can be extended by discussing the mix of strengths and capabilities
in each of the teams or the group as a whole.. Again the Johari Window is a useful
reference model.

(Adapted from a suggestion by F Kelly)

getting to know you exercise (introductions and ice-

breakers, team-building)
An activity for any group size. This simple exercise takes 5-15 minutes and encourages
people to get to know each other, and to feel relaxed and involved in group situations.
The activity also helps team-building where teams have worked with each other for some
while but perhaps do not know each other well. Split the group into teams of threes or
fours. Ask them to get to know each other within each team, by giving their names, and
to discover a common interest among the members of their team. At the end of the
discussion period, say 5 minutes, the facilitator has the option to extend the exercise by
asking the teams to each nominate a spokes-person who must then explain briefly the
nature and benefit of their own team's common interest. The Johari Window is a useful
reference model. Where group members know each other and the emphasis is on team-
building, then more emphasis should be put on the requirement to present a common
interest in which all team members agree a common benefit.

(Ack Fionnghuala Kelly)

toilet roll ice-breaker (for amusing warm-ups, group
introductions, icebreakers)
This is a really quick and simple ice-breaker, especially for enabling people in a group to
know each other in a fun way. For groups of four to around dozen people; split larger
groups into smaller teams (the exercise works just as well), in which case apply these
instructions for each of the teams. Pass or toss a toilet roll to one of the group members.
Ask the person to tear off as many sheets as they want and then pass or toss the roll to
another member of the group to do the same, and then on to another member to include
the whole group. (Tossing the roll at random is more fun as it increases fun and
expectation). Do not explain the purpose yet. Some will take two or three sheets, some
will take more. This, and the interpretations made, will generate a lot of amusement and
comment. Be sure to have a spare roll on hand, and obviously if splitting the group into
teams ensure sufficient supplies for each team. You then reveal the purpose: each
individual must give as many facts about themselves according to how many pieces of
toilet roll they have. Those with the most modest requirements will therefore need to say
least; those tearing off a couple of dozen sheets will be under a little more pressure...

This quick exercise can also be used for deciding sequence, for example the order in
which people give presentations (in which case adjust the rule so that each person can
tear off a number of sheets within a range equating to the number of people in the team,
and not the same number as any other team member).

The activity can be used for any situation where people are required to perform a number
of actions or focus on a number of subjects.

The activity can also be extended to create team building games, for example:

After each person has removed their chosen number of sheets, split the group into the
"have's" and "have-less's", and give each side three minutes to prepare a 60 second
statement justifying the merits of 'ambition' and 'modesty' respectively. Or for three teams
(the "have's" the "have-somes and the "have-littles") to prepare and present respectively
on 'adventure', 'pragmatism' and 'caution'.

(Ice-breaker idea courtesy Pam Cook, adapted from an original exercise featured in The
Encyclopedia of Ice-Breakers by Sue Forbess Green)

personal possessions listening exercises (listening skills,

interpreting feelings, telephone listening skills)
A simple quick exercise or warm-up activity for listening skills, particularly for
telephone, call-centre and customer service staff. For groups of any size. Ask the group to
each think of and select a personal possession which holds some meaning for them
individually, which they currently have with them on them - a purse, wallet, piece of
jewellery, watch, pen, mobile phone, set of keys, etc. Each person should write down
their object and name on piece of paper, fold it up, and place it in the middle of the table.
Then the facilitator should ask one of the delegates to pick at random one of the pieces of
folded paper. This person named on the paper should then place their selected object in
front of them on the table and describe it briefly to the group, and explain what and why
it means to them (briefly). The group should be instructed to listen to the person's
feelings about the object, so as to comment and discuss their interpretations after the
person has spoken. The person and the facilitator can give feedback to the group about
how well the group has interpreted what was said and the feelings behind it. Ask the
group particularly to listen and interpret what the object means to the owner. Certain
objects will be very meaningful; others less so. There are no 'best' objects - all objects
will provide useful examples of different feelings and meanings - whether important,
personal, functional, disposable, sentimental, priceless or whatever. After the first round
of discussion pick another piece of paper and repeat the exercise, progressively exploring
how feelings are conveyed, and how to interpret them, with each person's object. Vary
the exercise, increase the challenge, and simulate telephone conversations by having
people listen 'blind' with eyes closed, so that people cannot see the object or see the
speaker's face. For larger groups, split the group into teams of smaller numbers and
appoint team facilitators, so that everyone can have their turn at describing their own
personal possession, in which case organise team sizes to suit the time available.

'joining instructions' ice-breaker (warm-ups, team-

working, cooperation, virtual team-building, 'joined up'
teams)
A really simple activity for ice-breakers and team introductions, and great for
demonstrating the need for communications and team-working when developing virtual
teams and a 'joined up' approach. For any group size and any ages and level of ability and
seniority. Split the group into teams of equal numbers between three and ten people. Ask
the teams to stand and form into clusters. The exercise is a test of cooperation,
coordination and communication. No materials are required. The facilitator calls out (and
displays on a flip-chart) an instruction by which each team's members should join with
each other, for example: twelve fingers, three thumbs, two elbows, one shoulder and two
knees. Each team must then work out as quickly as possible how to achieve the 'joining
instructions'. When properly joined the team can shout out 'joined' for the facilitator to
check they've won the round. Scores can be kept and the game played over several
rounds. Obviously, different joining instructions will create different pressures on the
teams to think and adapt. The facilitator should think about joining instructions to use,
mindful of the likely group and team sizes. Ensure the joining instructions given are
physically possible, and enable all team members to be involved (which is generally
ensured by including lots of fingers in the instructions). It's preferable to state that joined
solutions should involve all team members. Other examples of joining instructions,
depending on team sizes:

• Six knees and twenty five fingers.

• Four elbows, three ears, ten fingers one thumb.
• Three hands, three wrists, ten fingers and two ankles.
• Twenty three fingers, three shoulders, three noses and a chair.
• Three toes, a thigh, a forehead, thirty fingers, a wall and a table.
• Ten fingers, ten thumbs, two elbows, two knees, and three credit cards.
• Six fingers, six thumbs, two ankles, a mobile phone and a calculator.

For the avoidance of (additional) confusion, a hand is just a hand, and cannot also be
counted as four fingers and a thumb. Inclusion of inanimate objects is absolutely fine, in
which case it's best to confirm that body parts connected to inanimate objects count
towards the solution. Extra points for creative solutions can be awarded at the facilitator's
discretion. Stipulation of bare skin contact is also at the facilitator's discretion but if in
doubt do not insist on this or even offer the option (we live in a litigious world). And
unless using the activity for very intimate gatherings it's advisable to exclude tongues...

confessors and critics (emotional intelligence, EQ,

positive emotional responses, relationships,
communications, team-working and team-building)
For groups of any size, all ages and all levels of experience. Explain to the group (briefly
is okay) the basic principles of emotional intelligence (EQ). Particularly emphasise that
negative emotional responses (to all sorts of stimuli, ie., 'emotional triggers') are the
things that most commonly prevent and interrupt constructive adult communications,
necessary for team-working, relationships (work and life, social and romantic), mutual
cooperation, and healthy organizations.

Explain the exercise: the aim is to demonstrate that we are able to improve our awareness
and control of our own emotional responses, and we can improve our awareness of and
control over the extent to which we produce emotional responses in others. "Suffering is
optional" (ack Anita Mountain). Causing other people to suffer is optional. We simply
need to think about and make a commitment to develop our emotional maturity (which is
the essence of adulthood and wisdom).

Split the group into pairs. Ask each person to think of a real personal weakness that they
possess - for example being prone to behaviours such as: being short-tempered,
domineering, too yielding, late, unreliable, disorganised, blaming others, obstructive, not
eating properly, smoking, drinking, not taking exercise, sulking, etc, etc. The weakness
should be real and significant enough to have some emotional feelings attached to it for
the person, but not so serious as would open a can of worms and give rise to the need for
several sessions of psychotherapy. One person of each pairing (for the purposes of this
explanation let's call him/her the 'confessor') should then explain their weakness to their
partner, like an admission and a bit of an explanation or guess as to the cause, for
example: "I can be obstructive at times when I could be more helpful - perhaps it's when
I'm feeling low and that people don't show me any respect," or "I come in late sometimes
because I think 'why should I bother about doing a good job when I should be paid more'
". The other person in the pairing (let's call him/her the 'critic') must then demonstrate
giving the 'confessor' a negative critical reaction to their admission (don't go mad - we
don't want any tears please). Just a few sentences of blame, judgement, and uncaring
reaction (imagine the worst teacher you had at school and how they used to treat kids
who'd messed up or misbehaved, or imagine a a bullying boss you've known).

Each pair must then take a moment to think and write down how they feel, especially: the
'confessor' should think how they feel - write down a few key words. The 'critic' should
try to think about the role you've just played - where did it come from in you? Can you
hear yourself being like that, even to a small extent, in other situations, real situations?
How does it affect the other person? If people wish they can briefly explain their feelings
to their partner, but not too much because the exercise is not complete:

Then the 'critic' should demonstrate giving a positive, understanding, caring, sympathetic
reaction to the 'confessor'. Not agreeing with the weakness, but understanding it and
listening with your eyes to how the other person feels, and the fact that they've made this
admission, which for many people requires a lot of courage. Offer to listen some more,
without judgement, try to imagine how they feel, if the 'confessor' wishes to then discuss
the behaviour (do not discuss the person unless the person wants to, in which case listen
without judgement - it's how the other person feels that matters, not the 'critic's opinions).

Then each pause for a moment and think how you feel. What was helpful and what was
not? (It's not always easy to be understanding and say the right things). Can we think of
real instances where this kind of emotionally sympathetic response would have been
more appropriate than the one actually displayed. How can we increase our awareness of
other people's feelings and emotional sensitivities? How can we control better what we
say to others? How can we control better how we feel when others fail to give us a
positive emotional response? Does receiving a negative emotional response change who
we are, just because another person is not able to give a positive emotional response? Do
we blame others for not giving a positive emotional response? Is blame a helpful
emotional response? Imagine how much more effective a team or orgnization is when
people's emotional responses are positive, tolerant, understanding ('giving' in other
words), rather than negative, blaming, self-indulgent, disinterested ('taking' in other
words).

If you can make more time for this activity, reverse the roles and re-run the exercise to
begin developing greater understanding and abilities in giving positive emotional
responses.
It is helpful also to look at the Johari Window model, the Transactional Analysis early
ideas, and recent TA models especially aspects of 'blame' - the mindset should be: "It's
no-one's fault, blame isn't the issue - what matters is how we go forward, improve and
develop."

Finally it's worth reinforcing the fact that all experiences are opportunities for learning.

Failures, weaknesses, problems and mistakes: they enable us to learn and grow wise.

birds, bees, lions and trees activity (the best of all ice-
breakers and warm-ups for very large groups?..)
An exercise that is great fun, physical, and full of activity. The exercise for large groups -
over 100 people - adults or children.

Ask everyone to think for a minute carefully and decide what animal (or extend to living
creatures, plants, sea creatures, etc) that they each most associate themselves with (other
than a human), but not to tell anyone. ("If you were an animal/living thing other than a
human what would you be?...")

Then ask people to write their choice on a small piece of paper, and keep it in their
pocket. (This is a way of ensuring people do not change their minds later when they see
what creatures other people have chosen.)

Then ask everyone to think of a behaviour/action/sound they can perform that will
represent their chosen creature/living thing (in other words, "Now, act like your chosen
creature..."). Encourage people to move around the room, assuming their chosen creature
is mobile of course. People choosing to be sea creatures will face extra challenge, as will
anyone choosing to be a tree, or a mushroom, and this is all part of the fun. Encourage
everyone to practise their action/noise (chaos and fun of course). Again encourage
movement around the room (or swaying in the wind for all the beautiful trees and
flowers...).

Then ask everyone (while still acting out their creature/living thing actions/noises) to
look for other group members in the room who are the same as they are, and go and join
them to form a group/flock/pride, etc.

Suggest to people that eventual group sizes should be no more than 10-12, although if as
the facilitator you consider that other purposes will be served by allowing bigger groups
sizes than this then feel free to do so.

If using the activity for very large groups, for example over 200 people, it is likely that
some species groups will be quite large, for example, elephants, lions, bulls, dolphins,
dogs, cats - in which case ensure you should ask people when choosing and writing down
their species to think about not only their species, but also one or two other
characteristics, eg, male/female, young/adult/old, sub-species (eg, Persian cat, farm cat,
alley cat, or etc). The facilitator then has the option later if required (ie., if large groups
appear to be forming) to ask people to use these detailed characteristics to subdivide large
groups of say more than a dozen people, in which case these more detailed characteristics
can only be discussed once the main species groups have been formed, and when the
facilitator has given the instruction for a formed group to confer and to subdivide.

Then when everyone is formed into groups of the same/very similar species ask each
group then to elect a spokesperson (who must not be the most senior person in the group,
unless it is the CEO in a pride of male lions, in which case feel free to put him on the
spot..). Each spokesperson must then explain (the consensus view of the species group) as
to why their particular species members all chose to be that particular creature, what
makes them special, and then relate/translate this to the special qualities that they as
people bring to the organisation and to their work and colleagues.

For a bit of added interest you could refer to or ask the species groups if they know the
collective noun for a group of their own particular species (if so it's as well that the
facilitator has the answers to the more difficult ones). And if you wish and have time, and
if it suits your purposes, you can extend the activity by running a team quiz competition
between the species groups (you might need to join/split certain species groups to create
teams with similar team numbers) - and obviously questions about species collective
noun names are an appropriate source of material for a list of quiz questions (here are
some unusual ones).

A final couple of points of note about this activity: Before any reorganising team
numbers for possible subsequent team quiz contest, the facilitator should use the option to
join together any single or very small groups of species if the people concerned might be
feeling uncomfortable or isolated and worried about having to explain to the whole group
why they chose to be a termite, or a lemming, or a Hoffman's two-toed sloth. But use
your judgement, because on the other hand, people finding themselves the single species
member of a group of one, will likely have a very interesting perspective, and might quite
enjoy telling all the lions and dogs and cats etc., why it's good and special to be different
to the crowd, or herd, so to speak. The facilitator of course retains the right to keep
isolated in a team of one, the company practical joker who announces that he/she (it will
be a he not a she..) is a common cold virus, for the duration of the quiz and for the
remainder of the conference.

skills and attitudes exercise (management and

leadership training, encouraging self-development,
developing confidence and lifting limits)
People commonly believe that skills are the most important attributes and the biggest
training priorities. Often they are not. Usually lifting beliefs and changing attitudes have
a far greater impact on individual performance and organisational effectiveness. This
simple exercise helps to explain the differences between skills and attitude, and why
attitude is so much more important than skill. The activity is for groups of any size,
although you can split large groups into smaller teams with appointed team leaders to run
the exercise in syndicates, and then review the different teams' findings afterwards as a
whole group.

First, using a flip chart, brainstorm with the team their ideas of great managers and
leaders - can be real and fictional - famous, celebrity, local business personalities -
whatever. Allow a few minutes to collect a selection of names. Tack this sheet to the
wall. Then ask the team to call out what they think are the attributes most associated with
the various names on the list, that make them good at what they do. In any order, doesn't
matter. Write these attributes on the flip chart. Then ask one of the more dominant
delegates to come to the front and circle all the 'skills' on the sheet, with the help of the
team, and the facilitator if necessary. There will be hardly any. Next ask a quiet team
member to come to the front and circle all the 'attitudes' on the sheet. It will be most of
them.

The point for discussion is that while a certain skill level is necessary to do a job, the fact
is that attitude determines whether the job is done well, and whether the job holder
makes a real difference to their organisation, colleagues and environment.

leading or managing exercise (management and

leadership development, team development, virtual
teams, supervisory development)
Many people confuse or merge the different attributes of management and leadership.
This exercise enables people to understand the differences. Anyone can lead, inspire,
motivate others. Leadership is not the exclusive responsibility of the CEO, directors and
senior managers. Encourage staff at all levels to aspire to and apply the principles of good
leadership, and the whole organization will benefit. Everyone, in their own way, can be a
leader. In fact organizations which have poor leadership at the top actually provide a
great opportunity for ordinary staff and junior managers take responsibility for leading,
inspiring and helping to develop others. Don't wait to be led - be a leader yourself!

Here is a list of many things that managers and leaders do. Either issue the list, or
preferably make (or ask the team to make) separate cards or post-it notes for each
word/phrase, which can be given to a group or team. Then ask the participants to identify
the items that are associated with managing, and those that are associated with leading.
Groups of over five people can be spilt into teams of three, to enable fuller participation
and a variety of answers for review and discussion. Each team must have their own space
to organise their answers. Different teams can be given different items to work with or a
whole set for each team. Manage the quantities and scale according to the situation and
time. NB To shorten and simplify the exercise remove items for which similar terms
exist, and combine other similar items, for example reporting and monitoring. If
shortening the list ensure you keep a balance between management and leadership items.

reporting
monitoring
budgeting
measuring
applying rules and
policies
disciplining people
being honest with people
developing strategy
consulting with team
giving responsibility to
others
determining direction
explaining decisions
assessing performance
defining aims and
objectives
doing the right thing
taking people with you
developing successors
inspiring others
running meetings
interviewing
organising resources
implementing tactics
resolving conflict
decision-making
giving constructive
mentoring
feedback
negotiating
accepting criticism and
keeping promises
suggestions
working alongside team
allowing the team to make
members
mistakes
sharing a vision with team
taking responsibility for
members
others' mistakes
motivating others
formal team briefing
giving praise
responding to emails
thanking people
planning schedules
being determined
delegating
communicating instructions
reacting to requests
making painful decisions
reviewing performance
appraising people
time management
recruiting
nurturing and growing
counselling
people
coaching
team-building
problem-solving
taking responsibility
selling and persuading
identifying the need for
doing things right
action
using systems
having courage
getting people to do things
acting with integrity
listening

If using post-it notes or another method enabling items to be stuck to a wall (for example
cards and 'blu-tack' putty), you can suggest that items be placed on either side of a
vertical line or string (attach headings 'leadership' or 'management' to each side), in which
case the strength of association that each item has with either heading can be indicated by
how close each item is positioned in relation to the dividing line (items that are felt to be
both managing and leading can be stuck on the dividing line). The significance and
importance of each item can be indicated by how high up the wall it is positioned. This
creates a highly visual of 'map' of management and leadership competencies. The review
discussion should investigate reasons and examples for why items are positioned, which
can entail items being moved around to each team's or whole group's satisfaction and
agreement.

Here's the list sorted into suggested categories for the facilitator to use when reviewing
the activity. The answers are not absolute as context and style can affect category. There
is certainly a justification for some of the 'managing' activities to appear in the 'leading'
category if the style of performing them is explained as such, for instance 'reporting the
performance of the team in a way that attributes praise and credit to the team' would be
an activity associated with leadership, whereas 'reporting' is a basic management duty.
You can add tasks, duties, responsibilities and behaviours to the list, and/or invite team
members to add to the list with ideas or specific examples, before the exercise. To
shorten and simplify the exercise remove items for which similar terms exist, and
combine other similar items, for example reporting and monitoring.

managing leading

reporting team-building
monitoring taking responsibility
budgeting identifying the need for action
measuring having courage
applying rules and policies consulting with team
discipline giving responsibility to others
running meetings determining direction
interviewing explaining decisions
recruiting making painful decisions
counselling defining aims and objectives
coaching being honest with people
problem-solving developing strategy
decision-making keeping promises
mentoring working alongside team
negotiating members
selling and persuading sharing a vision with team
doing things right members
using systems motivating others
communicating instructions doing the right thing
assessing performance taking people with you
appraising people developing successors
getting people to do things inspiring others
formal team briefing resolving conflict
responding to emails allowing the team to make
planning schedules mistakes
delegating taking responsibility for mistakes
reacting to requests nurturing and growing people
reviewing performance giving praise
time management thanking people
organising resources giving constructive feedback
implementing tactics accepting criticism and
suggestions
being determined
acting with integrity
listening

(Developed from a suggestion by Sheila Caldwell)

telephone roleplay exercises (communications, customer

service, call-centre training, telephone call-handling
skills, sharing best practice ideas)
These exercises will provide experiential telephone-skills learning as well as encourage
people to work in a team and sharing ideas about real communications improvement and
skills development. The activities also enable the facilitator or trainer to assess delegates'
abilities in handling telephone calls. The activities are primarily for incoming telephone
calls, although the exercises can easily be adapted for outgoing calls scenarios, and can
be adapted for face-to-face customer service desk staff. The activities are for any group
size, and are ideal exercises for training course syndicates. First brainstorm with the
group all the different types of calls can be received (and/or calls made outgoing if
appropriate). When you've collected the main call type examples (on a flip chart or wipe-
board), number them. Next, ask the delegates to each write down a different type of call
example from the list. You can either allocate a number to each delegates or let them
choose. Each person should then write clearly on the piece of paper a brief scenario for
their chosen or allocated call type. Each person should then fold their piece of paper and
put it into the centre of the table, at which each delegate must then pick one of the
scenarios, which they will then role-play as a call-handler. Split large groups into teams
of three, which means you can run several role-plays at the same time (when and if you
think people are ready, since this will create extra noise and distraction, similar to a call
centre environment, which puts extra pressure on the teams). Each team of three
comprises a call-maker (who must act out the scenario), the call handler, and an observer.
Call-makers and call-handlers should sit back-to-back, which is important to replicate
voice-only communications. The observer in each three should begin the exercise by
saying the word 'ring' (or by demonstrating their own mobile phone's ring-tone - for extra
distraction and pressure, and a bit of fun), at which the call-handler makes their response,
and the call-maker acts out the scenario, to which the call-handler must respond. After a
short time (do not let role-plays go on for more than a couple of minutes - there is no
need, and it helps keep people focused if you can keep things moving at good pace),
review the experiences with the whole group, inviting the views of the observers and the
call-makers and call-handlers. Review after each role-play so that people can remember
and share ideas and are able to put them into practice. Then get on with the next role-
plays. Rotate the roles so that each delegate gets the chance to deal with their own
scenario. If delegates prefer, let them choose a scenario if they feel they'd get particular
benefit from role-playing it. Definitely allow and encourage delegates try a particular
role-play again if they want to. Be assured that people will adjust to role-plays if you give
them time to get over the giggles or initial nerves. Laughter is a perfectly natural defence
against nerves which you should allow to run its course. Stick with it, keep things
moving, up-beat, and playful, and people will settle down and enjoy and get a lot out of
the experience.

This activity is a flexible format - adapt it to suit your own situation and the needs of the
group. Adapt the role-plays for outgoing calls or for face-to-face discussions if
appropriate. You should additionally explain and reinforce the correct procedures and
techniques according to your own practices. Obviously use your own communications
training and procedural reference points in the reviews, but try to let people experience
and learn through experience and feedback rather than spoon-feeding them all the
answers. Discovery through experience greatly improves learning, understanding and
retention - people feel the experience, which they cannot do if they are simply told things.
If helpful also brainstorm ideas about the points to be reviewed with the group (for
example, style, intonation, clarity, process, policy, initiative, taking responsibility,
building rapport, diffusing conflict, tolerating abuse, calming upset, using empathy,
active listening, facilitative techniques, etc). Refer also to the theory and instructions for
role-playing exercises. If appropriate (and if the group is comfortable with the idea) you
can record the role-plays and replay the discussions to the group, in which case only one
role-play can be performed at a time, which implies having a relatively small group size.
For larger group sizes recording is not likely to be feasible, and you should use teams of
three as described.

ring tones ice-breaker activity (ice-breaker or johari

window awareness exercise)
This is a simple warm-up ice-breaker activity, or can be used as an exercise to provoke
discussion about self-image and mutual perceptions within teams. As an ice-breaker the
activity adds variety and interest to the normal personal introductions at the start of a
training course or session. When introducing themselves in turn to the group, participants
must demonstrate their mobile phone ring tones, and (here's the important bit) must
explain the reason for their choice of ring tone (or lack of interest in a 'personal' ring
tone), and offer some comment as to what this might suggest about their personality and
style. The extent to which discussion and feedback among the group is encouraged is at
the discretion of the facilitator, depending on the group composition and whether the
activity is used simply as an ice-breaker, or for more involved discussion, which could
easily be linked with the Johari Window and developing mutual awareness. Ring tones
are for many people an expression and extension of personality, as is handwriting, which
is also interesting to compare when discussing personality.

observation and awareness exercise (ice-breaker, warm-

up, observation, awareness, personal change)
An activity or ice-breaker for teams and groups of any size, even large conferences and
seminars. This simple short exercise is adaptable for a wide variety of situations, and
illustrates how we tend to go through our lives in a routine manner, not noticing things
around us, when we should all be more alive to our surroundings (and our own selves).
Awareness is a pre-requisite for response and action - especially effective
communications. Self-awareness is essential for personal effectiveness and change. This
activity demonstrates that we can all improve in these areas.

The facilitator should prepare a list of 5-20 questions (depending on the duration of
activity required) about details of the particular work or meeting environment, (and
optionally about the participants' own selves) for example:

• what colour are the floor tiles in reception?

• what was the name of the lady who served you coffee on arrival (it was on her
name-badge)?
• according to the the plaque by the entrance door, who opened the building and in
what year?
• what is featured in the big landscape picture that hangs in the reception?
• where is the fire extinguisher in the hallway outside this room?
• what products are featured in the pictures in the elevator?
• what was the colour of the receptionist's jacket/hair/blouse?
• what is printed on your room key fob aside from the number?
• how many plastic cards are in your purse/wallet?
• and so on..

To give the activity an extra edge you can make it competitive, in which case ask team
members to exchange their answer sheets for scoring while the facilitator calls out the
answers. You can also award a prize for the most amusing wrong answer. The
observation/awareness emphasis of the exercise is slightly different if the situation is a
one-off conference venue, compared with the group's normal working environment. Try
to make the questions fair for all, especially if participants have quite different familiarity
with the location. Select questions, and adjust the positioning of the purpose and review
accordingly. Whatever - the exercise is an enjoyable and different way to illustrate the
opportunities that we all have for improving our awareness, and therefore responsiveness.
As a point of interest you can refer participants to the 'First Law Of Cybernetics', also
known as the 'The Law of Requisite Variety', which is: "The unit within the system with
the most behavioural responses available to it controls the system." The point being that
you need maximum awareness in order to enable maximum responses. Also point out that
awareness features in at least three of Gardner's inventory of multiple intelligences,
notably spatial/visual, interpersonal, and self-awareness. (Adapted from a suggestion by
Laura Feerer.)

the 'hellespont swim' motivation case study and team

exercise (motivational theory, performance,
achievement and self-development)
Use the Hellespont Swim story as a motivational case study and exercise. Print and issue
copies to team members in pairs, syndicates of three, or small teams, and ask the team
members to consider the case study in the context of motivational theory, plus other
aspects of self-motivation and performance management. There are very many interesting
points of reference within the story that relate to motivation and performance - how many
points of interest can teams identify? Refer team members to the various motivational
and personal development theories, for example, Maslow, Bloom, McGregor,
McClelland, Handy, Adams, Johari, etc., and encourage teams also to identify examples
of performance and project management within the story. Teams should present their
findings to the group after being given a suitable time period for discussion. The
presentations and ensuing discussions provide an innovative basis for assessing
knowledge levels and developing understanding of motivational theory. Facilitators tip:
keep a record of all the suggestions and ideas arising from using the exercise, which you
can build into a list of points to help review future activities involving this case study.

'animal kingdoms' metaphors exercises (team-building,

understanding and development of team dynamics,
organisational structures and cultures)
This exercise is very flexible, and will help teams and leaders to develop understanding
of team and organisational structures, dynamics, politics, communications,
responsibilities, perceptions, relationships, etc. The exercise is for groups of any size,
subject to creating syndicate teams of upwards of three people to no more than seven or
eight people at most. (Large syndicate teams make it more difficult to ensure full
participation by all team members.) Issue each team with a large sheet of paper (for teams
of four and over join two sheets of flip-chart paper together to create a big workspace)
and some coloured marker pens. The aim of the exercise is for each team create a
representation or metaphor of a particular work team, or department, or organisation as if
it were an 'animal kingdom' or animal society of some sort. The team(s) can use any
living creatures to create their metaphor, for example insects, birds, fish, dinosaurs. The
facilitator should stipulate the part of the organisation that is to be represented, ie.,
translated into a metaphor society of animals and living creatures. The team(s) can
choose any form of representation and layout to create their animal kingdom metaphors -
for example, names of animals in a hierarchical structure, or drawings of animals, such as
a plan view of a jungle, or a section view of a beehive or ants nest. Really, anything goes.
The teams then present their metaphors to the group, and discuss the meanings and
feelings about the animal kingdom they've created, which will obviously reflect feelings
and attitudes about the real work situation that the metaphor represents. The situation to
be represented can also be extended to include customers and suppliers. This exercise
will be helpful for inter-connected teams to develop mutual understanding, and will also
reveal to facilitators and managers the attitudes and opportunities for improving and
clarifying relationships, expectations, responsibilities, politics and organisational culture.
Using metaphors, especially those which enable the expression of strong characteristics
(such as animals and wildlife), are an excellent way for people to consider, express and
discuss views about structure, relationships, behaviours, etc., which otherwise tend not to
surface. The Johari Window is a useful reference model for the post-activity review.

negotiation teams scenario exercises (negotiation skills

training, team building, teamwork and
communications, negotiation planning)
In planning and designing negotiation skills training facilitators and trainers commonly
seek ready-made case-studies or off-the-shelf scenarios, to provide a basis for a
negotiation exercise or role-plays. Finding suitable and relevant case-studies is difficult
however. They are rarely free, and even the case-study exercises which come at a price
tend to require some adjustment for the actual training situation. So here's a different
approach to finding negotiation case-studies, that will fit every situation: have the group
themselves design the scenario as part of the negotiation training session, which they will
then use for the negotiation role-play in teams.

First facilitate a brainstorm session with the group to create the scenario, with as many
variables (tradables) as possible for each side. This is a very helpful exercise in itself
since staff and managers needing to learn and practise negotiating rarely appreciate all
the issues and opportunities for negotiation that exists in any particular situation. Having
the group construct the scenario also gives the trainer or facilitator the chance to guide
the development of the scenario, so that it is workable, and to identify the development
needs of the team that warrant most attention later as the session unfolds. Use a template
as a guide for the group for the scenario design brainstorm session. Here's an example of
a template for a negotiation scenario:

• situation description
 • people involved on each side, their level of influence, their personal and corporate
aims, and comment about personality and negotiating styles
• variables (tradables) for each side with values or notional priority ranking for each
side (because each side will place a different value on each variable)
• alternative options for each side (competitor offers with pros and cons, and
comment on opportunity for either side to simply walk-away)
• external pressures and time-sensitive factors (for example seasonal or contractual
aspects)
• plus anything else of bearing to either side

Having constructed the scenario you can then run the negotiation role-play in any way
you choose. The negotiation activity can be organised for individuals or teams, with
stages and responsibilities built in to increase the complexity and challenge. Or simply
run the activity with two teams facing each other across a table, with a suitable time limit
to achieve a creative win-win (collaborative) outcome.

A flip chart is an essential tool for this exercise, because it allows ideas and criteria for
the negotiation to be clearly agreed and shown at all times. As the negotiation role-play
unfolds it is likely that questions will arise which require the facilitator's arbitration, so
expect to have to manage and control the activities closely and pragmatically. In this
respect there is some similarity with real negotiations, which rarely proceed as
anticipated.

The aim of the exercise and the role-play negotiation is not to create a confrontation, or a
winner-takes-all result. The aim - which should be reinforced frequently with the team
members - is for the delegates to seek and develop new ways of arriving at better
collaborative outcomes, by thinking creatively and in collaboration with the other side,
ideally based on a realistic (perhaps historical) work negotiation situation. As such you
can facilitate an enormous amount of learning and ideas with this format, in the way that
the scenarios are developed and discussed, and especially in the way that the negotiating
teams can be encouraged to take a creative and cooperative approach to finding better
solutions than might first appear possible or have historically been achieved.

Every negotiation, when viewed creatively, entrepreneurially and collaboratively,

provides an excellent opportunity to develop and improve synergies between and
benefiting both sides, within the negotiated outcome.

You and the trainees might find it useful to refer to Sharon Drew Morgen's concepts
regarding collaborative facilitation, which although developed primarily for front-end of
the selling process, are also extremely useful for cooperative negotiating. Each side is
uniquely positioned to see how the other side can more effectively contribute to the
combined solution - it can be a strange concept to appreciate initially, but is extremely
powerful in any situation where two people or sides seek to reach agreement to work
together, which is essentially what negotiation is all about. See also the negotiation
techniques material.
language, grammar communications styles training
activities (english language, grammar, communications
styles, for customer service and rapport-building)
This is a simple idea for training and developing language and conversational speech
skills (English language - although the format can very easily be applied to other
countries and languages) for staff of all types, including overseas customer services and
call centres, and for sales and communications training. Effective communications
require language and style that is appropriate for the listener - normally a similar
language style to the listener. Good communicators can adjust their language style to help
the listener understand the communication quickly and easily. Using appropriate
'matching' language and style also helps to build rapport with other people. These
language skills are helpful to all staff, not just people in overseas call centres.

The activity is simply to issue different daily newspapers and/or lifestyle magazines to
the group - some tabloids, 'red-tops', broadsheets, for example (in the UK) The Sun, The
Mirror, The Daily Mail, The Daily Express, the Times, The Telegraph, The Financial
Times. Or use magazines, representing a broad social mix.

Split the group into three or four individuals or pairs or teams of three (depending on
group size and time available), and give each a different newspaper or magazine, so that
each is quite different from the others used in the exercise. The team members then have
20-30 minutes to create an informal presentation and perhaps a simple communications
role-play, which demonstrates important aspects of the language and communications
styles for their given newspaper or magazine.

Involve the group after each presentation, and again after all presentations, in discussion
about the key aspects of the styles they have observed, and the differences in style,
language and words between the different readership/social class styles. Other discussion
points can be extended to include:

• the motives and aspirations of the different types of people, their lifestyles and
concerns, and purchasing drivers
• language and style they'd respond to, and be less likely to respond to - typical
words, grammar and vocabulary
• the sort of products and services they buy (the adverts in the publications can be
helpful in developing this understanding)
• refer to demographics and social classifications details, and also to the readership
profiles of the publications (which are often easy to obtain from the publications
themselves)
• you can even extend the activity to showing and discussing examples of TV
shows for a given type of audience, and exploring demographics information
which is available to potential advertisers
 • refer also to non-verbal communications and the tone of voice, since meaning and
feeling extends beyond words alone refer also to the communications and
language aspects within the theories of NLP (neuro-linguistic programming), and
Transactional Analysis

object sculpture team exercise (understanding team

dynamics, team-building, team communications, mutual
awareness)
This innovative group activity can be used for exploring the dynamics of a team, and
developing mutual awareness. The exercise can be used with teams of four, up to a
maximum of twenty, although such a large group size increases the time required. Larger
groups can be split into teams (ideally work teams) of 4-10 team members. Each person
must be tasked before the activity session to bring along three objects or items that have
some personal meaning and which also relate to the team. (This is an interesting exercise
in itself if the items are shown and their personal and team significance discussed by the
team). Next, use a suitably-sized table or a piece of cloth on the floor to act as the base
for the sculpture. Team members must then, in their own time, place their objects either
all at once or one at a time onto the base. Team members should be instructed to place
and adjust the position of their objects in meaningful relation to other team members'
objects, and at any time any person can move any objects on the base provided none is
removed altogether. Participants should be encouraged to move around the sculpture as it
is evolving. This is all done in silence for a period stated before-hand or decided during
the activity according to the situation by the facilitator, which will typically be 20-40
minutes. The sculpture is complete at the end of the fixed time period when team
members have finished moving the objects and are satisfied with the sculpture.
(Alternatively participants can be permitted to discuss the positioning of the objects,
which on one hand encourages active team-working during the exercise, but on the other
hand will reduce the effect of interference and 'violation', which is obviously a potentially
interesting discussion area for afterwards, so choose what you think will be most helpful
for the team concerned, or even ask the team whether they'd prefer the sculpture build to
be silent or openly discussed.) The facilitator then encourages the team to view the
sculpture from different angles and discuss the meaning of the finished work, and how it
symbolises the team (dynamics, personality, strengths, weaknesses, style, relationships,
mix, opportunities, threats, etc). Then the facilitator encourages the participants to talk
about the process - the significance of their personal objects and how they felt about them
being moved around. A significant aspect of this fascinating exercise is to reveal hidden
personal values and needs, plus the risks of unintentional violation, and the opportunities
for nurturing through each person's own needs and desires. This exercise can be used for
fun and creative activity, and certainly to promote increased mutual awareness and
support. Teams which are able to use their imagination, and able to extract meaning from
what is quite an abstract process, should be able to gain substantial insight into the team's
dynamics from this activity. (Ack John Leary-Joyce) See and use the Johari Window
model to help team members understand and get the best out of this activity.

team islands exercise (team-building, team-working,

planning, negotiation inter-personal skills, creativity,
problem-solving and more)
This is a version of the clay islands exercise below (refer to that game for ideas,
facilitating, team sizes, etc). Clay is great but is messy and more difficult to manage than
this version which uses drawing instead. Gather the team around a large sheet of paper -
the bigger the group the bigger the paper - four sheets of flip-chart paper joined together
makes a good work area for a team of four to ten people. Participants can play as
individuals or in pairs. Using felt tip marker pens team members begin by drawing their
own section of coastline for one whole team island, with whatever features are desired, so
that sections are connected with those of adjacent colleagues to create one big island.
Next, team members can mark out the territory working inland from their own sections of
coastline with whatever features are desired - residential, industrial, transport,
geographical and countryside features - try to agree a suitable scale before this
commences, although the facilitator can deliberately leave this vague so as to
demonstrate the challenges of scaling, interpretation and compatibility as the activity
unfolds. As team members begin to meet the intentions and drawn features of neighbours
they will encounter a variety of issues and situations that need discussing, negotiating,
agreeing, etc., just like those of any growing community or organisation. These will
commonly involve issues about boundaries, roads, communications, resources, culture,
environment, cooperation , dispute, factions and decision-making. Many parallels will be
observed - between the game and the actual team's work issues and dynamics - and life.
This exercise can be used as a sand-alone activity, or at the beginning of a long
programme and then repeated at the end to identify the change in communication and
understanding that has occurred as a result of the programme or session concerned. For
larger groups the activity can be extended to involve the development of a number of
islands - one per team - which when completed can then begin to engage - visit, trade,
explore, learn from, attack, build alliances, etc - with the other teams' islands. Again refer
to the clay islands instructions below for more ideas. This is an excellent exercise for
adults in work or training, and also for young people and children. (Ack John Leary-
Joyce)

positive statements exercises (personal change, attitude

development, confidence and assertiveness, emotional
maturity, emotional intelligence, personal development)
This activity can be varied to suit the situation. It is a simple and yet potent exercise to
encourage and help team members (or children, young adults, anyone really) to think
about and hopefully commit to personal change and development, especially if linked to a
commitment to take action after the exercise. The exercise will also encourage self-
analysis and goal-setting. The sharing of ideas among team members (if the activity is
run so that people discuss their ideas - it can be run 'secretly', so that people keep their
thoughts to themselves) also helps to open 'Johari Window' aspects of mutual awareness,
which is good for team building and effectiveness. First the facilitator or team leader
should refer to the page about relaxation and positive statements or 'scripts' as a method
of identifying and achieving personal change. This will give you and the delegates useful
background for the session, and also for the ongoing implementation of whatever actions
people wish to take forward following the activities.

The exercise is then to ask the team members to think about one, two or three aspects of
their own personal character (how many is up to the facilitator) that they would like to
develop, change, or improve. For example, this might be to develop greater confidence;
to manage their time better; to deal with stress better; to be more creative; to be more
accurate; to finish tasks on time; to take more exercise; to spend more time with their
children; to achieve a qualification; or anything about themselves and their lives, at home
or work, that it is reasonable to want to change. Depending on the group, you can give
extra guidance as to particular areas to focus on or avoid. Be mindful of the group's
comfort zone and keep within it in terms of the personal nature of weaknesses and
sensitivities that you expect people to think about, and if appropriate, to divulge to others.
If you wish to ask the team members to think of more than one aspect for change, you
can guide them to select different types of change, for example, one for work and one for
home; or one for now, one for the next month and one for the next three months. Use
your imagination and refine your instructions to fit the situation. Bear in mind that certain
changes that people seek to make will contain more than one element, which is relevant
to the next stage of the exercise.

When people have thought and decided on their aspect(s) for change, you can ask them to
discuss their ideas and feelings in pairs, so as to validate, confirm, reassess their thoughts.
Alternatively you can ask people to keep their thoughts to themselves. It depends on the
group as to whether you make the exercise 'open' or 'secret'.

Next, ask the team members to translate each desired change into a specific positive
statement, which (in keeping with the technique), should be in the present tense. If a
desired personal change contains more than one behaviour then it can help to break it
down into two more more statements. Broadly, the more ambitious and complex the
desired change then the more likely it will need breaking down into separate statements,
which could be different behaviours or steps.

The facilitator should decide and agree with the delegates whether they wish to share
their aims and statements with others. It is helpful to share, because people can then work
in pairs to to give and receive feedback as to the changes and positive statements which
represent the changes desired. People can also then read out their statements to the group,
as a first step towards using the statements in the way described on the relaxation and
positive statements page.

There are various ways to review the exercise, the process, feelings and the outputs, and
various ways to agree follow-up actions and commitments if appropriate, all of which
depend on the group and the situation, and especially the wishes of the individuals
involved.

the big word game (understanding and defining aims,

purpose, culture, etc)
A very simple game for groups of all sizes, and people of all ages and levels of seniority.
People can work as individuals, pairs, or teams of three or more, depending on the
situation and outcomes and development required. Playing the game with individuals will
limit team discussion and cooperation but will produce individual expression; working in
teams will prompt team discussion and generate collective expression.

The object of the exercise is for the team members to embellish or decorate a big word on
a sheet of flip-chart paper. The word can be the same for each person/team or can be
different, and can be chosen by the delegates or the facilitator, depending on the
outcomes and particular focus required. Short words work better than long words.

The word can be pre-prepared - ie., enlarged and printed in a plain font such as arial, 3-6
inches high, preferably in outline, so as to optimise the opportunity for decoration - and
then the printed sheet stuck to the flip-chart sheet, landscape (sideways). Alternatively
agree the word with the delegates/team and instruct them to draw it as a simple black
outline on the flip-chart sheet. The word should be plain and simple - it's the decoration
that matters, and which can be very revealing.

Participants must use materials provided, for example, pens, paints, crayons, glitter, glue,
textiles - anything, use your imagination - to decorate and embellish the word so as to
emphasise what the word means to them, in whatever context the facilitator suggests. The
context can be anything that pertains to the session, for example; the organisation's values
and positioning, the delegate's personal philosophy (if working as individuals),
management culture, customer service effectiveness - any theme will work. This exercise
is also ideal for very young people, as well as people at work.

The exercise gives delegates the opportunity to express their feelings about the given
context, in the way that they choose to decorate the word.

Examples of themes/contexts: the organisation, customers, customer service, inter-

departmental communications, career opportunities, the school, training and
development.
Examples of words for decoration: team, boss, staff, teacher, student, school, service,
talk, hear, ideas, change, me, us, work.

The results of the exercise can easily be displayed, reviewed and discussed, leading to
opportunities for actions, which the facilitator can follow through. See also the flags and
maxims exercises below.

different perspectives exercise (developing mutual

understanding between job roles, departments,
locations, offices; improving cohesion; defining roles;
building virtual teams)
This activity is designed to improve team members' understanding of each other's roles
and responsibilities, and can produce some exciting output actions. It can also be used in
team building workshops and trouble-shooting meetings, also to define roles and
responsibilities, develop virtual teams, and to develop inexperienced people's
presentations skills and confidence. The exercise can be used at inter-departmental
meetings, international conferences where delegates break out into syndicate groups, or
in any situation involving people representing different roles or responsibilities who will
benefit from learning more about other roles or departments in the organisation, and from
the process of building relationships and empathy with other roles (which are represented
in the group). This very flexible activity is therefore particularly suited to situations
where people need to increase their understanding, appreciation and awareness of other
supporting functions. The format is also good for building virtual teams (ie., people who
are brought together for a particular project from a variety of functions.)

Here are the instructions for the delegates:

Each person (or can be a pair) representing a job role (or department or location) should
prepare a short presentation of their role (or department, office, region, sector, etc), which
they will give to the group, in turn. The presentations can be informal (flip-chart or
discussion style) or more formal (powerpoint), depending on the judgement of the
facilitator, which is based on the capability and confidence of the delegates, and time
available for preparation and delivery. Presenting in pairs is a useful less-threatening way
to introduce novice presenters to the experience. A presentation template guide can be
issued as follows, which you can adjust to suit your situation:

• Here's what we do/can do (including personal introductions)

• Here's why the function is important to our organisation and our customers/the
project
• Our challenges (for example, inter-departmental, strategic, project aims issues)
• How you can help us (especially looking at connecting and dependent functions)
 • Any questions

Allow two minutes after each presentation for initial questions and feedback and to
quickly identify any actions or opportunities for follow-up. The facilitator should 'park'
major issues or questions for later review rather than interrupt the flow of the
presentations.

For more senior people you can increase the time allowed for preparation (which implies
that this be given as a pre-session instruction and prepared by the delegates prior to the
session or meeting), and also a longer period can be allowed for the presentations
themselves.

In any event, calculate and control carefully the time permitted for presentations,
questions and discussion, so that the whole activity fits into the available time-slot.

For light-hearted situations, to add extra perspective/colour/fun to the role explanation,

you can suggest that the presenters should reference a fictional or real character, for
example, from sport, entertainment, cartoons, politics, history; anyone who they feel
symbolises the role. The character reference can be incorporated into the presentation
style and format to whatever extent the presenter wishes.

Depending on the situation and complexity, the facilitator can ask that the preparation be
done prior to the session, in which case use these guidelines to create a pre-session
preparation instruction sheet. If preparation is to be prior the session, presenters should be
encouraged to consult with their departmental/function colleagues if appropriate.

Involving people in this way and 'giving them a voice' encourages presenters to think
about the issues, and improve connections and understanding. The session is particularly
useful in communicating a wide range of perspectives, to a group, up to date, from the
horses' mouths so to speak. The exercise also gives inexperienced presenters a useful
introduction to presenting and speaking to a group since they are talking about a subject
they know well, to a group of peers who will each have to give their own presentations,
which ensures good audience support.

Finally it is essential that the facilitator enables and ensures that all important issues,
questions and actions rising from the session are properly followed up.

If the session is required for project-related reasons (especially involving the formation of
a new team) then it is important to conclude the presentations activities with a group
review discussion and some agreement on an overall action plan.

See also the guidelines on running workshops, running meetings, and creating and giving
presentations.
pass-the-ball exercise (warm-ups, brainstorming ideas,
collecting examples)
This very simple activity format can be used for a wide variety of purposes, for adults in
teams or groups in business and organisations, and also for children. The activity is useful
where a team of people needs encouraging to suggest examples, brainstorm ideas, or
think of words, methods, experiences, etc., and to help people memorise prior learning.
As the exercise is physical as well as mental it is also a great warm-up, and a method of
enabling people to work together and cooperate very quickly, in an enjoyable way.

Simply organise the group or team into a circle, which can be around a table. Ask them to
stand up. Throw a ball - any type of ball - to one of the group members, and explain that
the ball should be thrown to another team member - in no particular order - upon which
the receiving person must call out his or her suggestion, according to whatever theme has
been nominated by the facilitator at the start of the exercise. The facilitator should write
the suggestions on a flip-chart to review them at the end of the activity. Participants
should throw the ball to the next team member, a random, after calling out their idea or
suggestion. The exercise can also be used to reinforce prior learning, when participants
can be asked to repeat examples or details of what they have learned in a previous
session. This includes calling out stages in a particular process or repeating a set of rules
or instructions.

Possible exercise themes and categories for ideas, examples, suggestions:

• reasons why customers contact suppliers

• causes of stress at work
• ideas for this year's Christmas party
• things that motivate us/me/staff
• ideas for a publicity photo-opportunity
• benefits of a given product or service
• management challenges that we face (for managers)
• ways to ask someone to do something for you
• factors that influence profit
• ideas to save cost
• ways to improve quality
• ways to delight customers outside of their normal expectations
• positive inspirational words we can use to help others
• time management tips and ideas
• examples of using positive words rather than the negative (for example,
opportunity versus problem)

Ideal group size is six to ten people. For larger groups split the people into two or more
groups and nominate facilitators for each group to record the team's suggestions and
ideas.
letting go exercise (illustrating the need to look ahead,
to de-clutter, to let go of useless baggage)
Ask the team members each to put their own brief-case or personal organiser on the table
in front of them. Then ask each to think about the obsolete material in it that they've been
too lazy to throw away (or delete, in the case of a PDA). Then ask them to actually
remove the useless items, to screw them up and to put them into a pile in the middle of
the table along with everyone else's. Where individual team members are reluctant to
admit to keeping hold of any obsolete useless material, ask them to identify the three
oldest pieces of material they are still keeping, and to justify their retention to the group.
If they succeed then they should be running the session...

The act of throwing everyone's collective junk into a bin can be used to symbolise the
'look-ahead' theme, and to reinforce a commitment to de-clutter, to welcome and make
the most of change, and not to dwell on the past, to complain about past issues, or regret
past mistakes.

You can extend or change the exercise to by asking people to produce and scrutinise their
own bunch of keys, or contents of handbags (be mindful of sensitivities), or wallets, or
even the address books of mobile phones, to illustrate how we all keep unnecessary
baggage, which holds us back, weighs us down, and hinders our ability to stay fresh and
welcome change. Almost everyone keeps old material - baggage - which weighs us down
and clutters our lives. Getting rid of clutter is a vital aspect of staying fresh, looking
forward and positively embracing change.

Control the baggage from your past, and you control your future.

You can if appropriate refer people to the Transactional Analysis model, which provides
a useful perspective on how, if we let it, the past can condition our future thinking and
behaviour. More importantly, the model shows us that we have a choice either to let our
past control us, or to take control of our past, and thereby find freedom in the future.
Look also at the personal change page, which provides theory, method and sample script
for extending the 'letting go' exercise.

mnemonics exercises (developing the brain; learning,

reinforcing and memorising key facts and data)
The word mnemonic (pronounced 'nemonic' )is from Mnemosyne, the Greek goddess of
memory. This is a simple and very flexible activity to help a team of people (or children)
to learn and remember key facts and information - about anything, and certainly relating
to the particular theme or subject of the team meeting or training session. The exercise is
based on the method of memorising through association. Examples of mnemonics using
association are:

• Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain (the initial letters match those of the colours
of the rainbow, Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet)
• The word 'stalagmites' contains an 'M' for mountain (which points up, as opposed
to stalactites, which point down)
• The word 'stationery' (relating to paper) contains an 'er', as does 'paper' (as
opposed to the word stationary = 'not moving')
• Numbers can be remembered by association with similarly shaped images, for
example: 1 = wand, 2 = swan, 3 = flying bird, 4 = yacht, 5 = hook, 6 = elephant
(trunk), 7 = cliff, 8 = spectacles, 9 = balloon on a stick, 0 = beachball, 10 = stick
and a hoop. There are many other alternatives. This memory method enables long
numbers to be remembered by creating a story linking the respective images.

The exercise itself is simply to ask team members, individually or in pairs, to create their
own mnemonic for a given piece of important information, facts or figures. The
information could be related to the theme of the meeting or not, depending on the
situation. Examples of types of information that are useful to support with mnemonics
are: a process, a theory or model, a formula, technical data, product range, codes and
numbers, procedures and policies, document references, etc. Mnemonics should then be
presented back to the group and discussed as to their effectiveness. Sharing ideas for
memorising key data helps teams on a number of levels: it improves retention of the
particular subject matter used in the exercise; it teaches people how to improve their
memory, and it gets people working together in creative way. There is also always the
likelihood that some particularly good ideas will come out of the exercise, which can then
be conveyed and used to reinforce key information across the wider organisation.
(Thanks M Caroselli for the prompt)

strengths and goals exercise (personal direction,

personal strengths, goal steps, goals, measures)
This exercise helps team members (and individuals) to identify their personal strengths,
direction, aims and goal steps, either in their personal life or for their work-related
development, or for both combined. First ask participants to draw a line on a sheet of
paper, (a large sheet is easier than small one, and a vertical line on a sheet portrait-ways
up is probably easier if you are asked, although it's not critical). Ask them then to map
onto it, (either or both, depending on the purpose and focus of the activity), up to five
major life events and/or the work achievements they have experienced. Then ask them to
list the qualities, skills and attributes that they used, and what experience, skills, and
values they gained as a result, alongside each event or achievement. When the
participants have completed this, ask the individuals to form into pairs or threes, and to
discuss in turn - using the other team members as a sounding board - possible future
direction and aims (career, self-development, or both) that their strengths and experiences
would enable and help them to achieve. (Ack Fionnghuala Kelly)

career review and planning exercise (personal direction,

career path, career counselling)
The purpose of this exercise is to provide participants with an opportunity to reflect on
previous employment, focusing on aspects that satisfied and motivated, or dissatisfied
and demotivated them, so as to assist deciding about future direction and career choice.
The exercise can be given to individuals on a one-to-one basis, or the activity can be run
for a group, in which case you should agree with the delegates before-hand (having
explained the exercise) whether or not they wish to carry out the exercise privately
individually, or to work in pairs, giving and receiving feedback when wanted. Giving and
receiving feedback is very useful, provided people are comfortable. First ask the group
(or individual) to list their past jobs - each on a separate sheet of paper. If any participant
has had more than six jobs ask them to pick their favourite six jobs involving long-stay
employment. Next, for each job, ask the participants to identify and list on the respective
sheets the aspects of each job that satisfied and motivated them, and in a second column
for each job, to list the aspects of the job that dissatisfied and demotivated them. Explain
to the participants that their judgement as to what 'satisfied' or 'motivated' them can relate
to as many different aspects of their lives that they feel are relevant and important.
Encourage people to use their own measures, not ones that have been imposed or
received. Criteria can include things such as culture of the organisation, the location of
the company, duties and responsibilities, tasks, relationships, rewards, etc. (It can be
helpful before the exercise to discuss Maslow, McGregor, Herzberg, Kolb, etc., with the
group, to aid their understanding of motivation, fulfilment, and personal style. Next ask
participants to refer to their individual job sheet lists, and using these reference points to
compile an overall summary two-column list of 'good aspects of previous employment'
and 'negative aspects of previous employment'. The final stage of the exercise is to ask
the participants to use these good and bad criteria to identify (first in broad terms, and
then more specifically) the type of future job, work, career, etc, which is likely to meet
the needs that the 'good and bad' summary list represents. Logically people should be
identifying future direction and choices which include as many good points as possible,
and exclude as many bad points as possible. (Ack FK)

Related materials include:

Sharon Drew Morgen's Decision Facilitation Process.

Susan Piver's 'Hard Questions'.

Johari Window (especially where people have a lot to learn about themselves).
memory games - remembering names and faces
Remembering people's names and faces is a very useful ability to develop, and a central
part of the technique can form the basis for a simple team exercise. While the full
methodology for remembering names and faces include mental approach, repetition,
visualisation techniques, it is the technique of association that mnemonics (memory
devices) are chiefly based on, and which underpins most memory methods, such as
linking (for remembering lots of objects or items). For example: Richard Of York Gave
Battle In Vain is a mnemonic for remembering the colours of the rainbow (initial letters
are associated with those of the colours, red orange yellow etc.)

Association works best when the mental image is exaggerated or unusual (it makes the
association more memorable), and the same technique can be applied to names an faces,
for example: To remember a person called Graham Smith, you could imagine the person
as a blacksmith, holding a grey joint of ham.

Many names can immediately associated with readily recognisable things, for example,
jobs (turner, wheeler, gardener), places (names of towns, counties, etc), geographical
features (hill, cliff, dyke, brook, etc), colours (brown, green, etc).

Foreign names often produce an image based on their phonetic impression (how they
sound), and in any event it always helps you to remember a name if you ask the person
how to spell it, and particularly for foreign names, to ask for their origins and meanings,
which all help repetition, reinforcement, and the ease by which an association can be
created visually and mentally.

Virtually all names readily translate into an image of one sort or another if you think
about them creatively. Practising the technique increases the speed at which these
associations can be created. Weird impossible images and constructions are often more
memorable than logical ones, which makes it even easier to create a memorable
association for anyone.

When using this as a team activity, explain the principles to the group and then have them
take a few minutes to come up with their own visual associations for all the other group
members' names. The presentation of these ideas is fun and can be revealing (sometimes
needing sensitive facilitation), since, if you wish, it leads to discussion between team
members about perceptions, as in the Johari Window model, which helps develop mutual
understanding and awareness.

An excellent reference book on the subject of developing memory techniques is Tony

Buzan's 'Use Your Memory' (now BBC Books), which contains 20 pages of techniques
for remembering people's names and faces.
playing cards sorting exercise - leadership, team-
building, problem-solving, communications
This simple team exercise requires two decks of cards with different distinctive coloured
backs for each team. Remove the three of spades from one of the decks of each team and
store them in an envelope ahead of the exercise. Shuffle the two decks for each team in
advance of the activity and place them face up on a different table for each team. (Ensure
the teams do not see that the backs are different styles.) Split group into teams of between
four and seven people in each team. Do not allow teams to go near the tables at this point.
Ask one member from each team to step out of the room. The facilitator then explains to
these individuals that their responsibility is to pass on the instructions for the exercise to
their teams. Do not mention leadership or that they are leaders in any way.

Instructions: The purpose of the task is as follows. Your team has two separate decks of
cards which I want you to sort into suits and display 'ace-high', ie., aces facing up on the
top of the piles followed by king, queen, etc., down to the two, which should be at the
bottom of each pile. You should have eight piles at the end of the activity. You need to
tell me that the task is correct and complete when you are finished. Are there any
questions? Return to the room and inform groups not to talk until told.

Allow the individuals to re-join their teams. Look at your watch, pause and say 'start
now'. Wander between the groups and keep looking at the watch which should be in your
hand rather than on the wrist.

Observations guide for facilitator - points to review after the activity:

• Use of physical resources - Were the teams able to gather around the table and if
not did they reposition it?
• Human resources - How well were team members involved in the task? Did each
have a role to play, and if not why not?
• Time - There was no time limit given. Did they feel there was one? Was this due
to body language? Did anyone ask about time?
• Competition - Did the the teams feel it was a competition between teams and if so
why? What about collaboration? If the teams did not know that the exercise was a
competition then why did the first team to finish not help the remaining teams to
complete the activity? Was the missing card identified? Was the information
shared with all members of the team? Did teams inform you at the end of the
exercise?
• Cards - Were the decks separated first by turning them over so the backs were
visible or were the decks mixed up? If so why?
• Passing on of information and seeking clarification - Did the initially selected
representatives assume the role of leaders? Did an expert leader emerge because
for example they play cards or did leadership rotate.
• Type of leadership - What type of leadership was exhibited? Facilitative,
autocratic, democratic, etc., encourage the teams to discuss this.
You will see other aspects to review, depending on your situation and what happens
during the activity. While this team exercise is quick to play, the discussion and review
can take longer. There are very many aspects of team-working, collaboration,
assumptions, communications, leadership, etc., to explore. You can also encourage the
teams to discuss their experiences in their teams and relate what happened to what
happens in the workplace when working in teams.

(With thanks to Fionnghuala Kelly, psychologist and author of the excellent 'Talking The
Talk' book on workplace communications.)

team quizzes
Simple and easy and great for team building, a quiz gets people thinking, is ideal for
warm-ups, and encourages people from different teams and work-groups to appreciate
each other's strengths, and to co-operate. Here's an example of a quick team trivia quiz,
with questions and answers (from the puzzles and games page) in MSWord, ready to
play.

See the Quizballs quizzes for a growing library of quiz questions and answers for tivia,
general knowledge, and specialist subjects, notably the management and business quiz.

the logo game - activity for developing and illustrating

team understanding, team values and purpose
A simple quick exercise for teams of all sorts and abilities - even very young children, up
to main board directors. Split the group into pairs or teams of three. Teams of more than
three will require some guidance about appointing a leader, so as to ensure full
participation and reach agreement. Teams of three are ideal. Issue each team with a flip
chart sheet of paper and some coloured marker pens or paints. For added texture and fun
you can issue additional decorating materials, for example, glitter, sand, glue, bits and
pieces of any sort, again anything that fits the context and allows people to express
themselves in ways that might normally not come to the surface. Alternatively issue clear
acetate sheets and acetate coloured pens (which will require an overhead projector to
view the work). The exercise is in three stages:

Each team has to discuss and agree a single word that represents the team's (or teams')
values, purpose and style. This instruction could alternatively be to decide on a single
word to represent the mission, positioning, and/or aims of the team or teams (or of the
department, company or school, etc) involved in the activity. The 'theming' of the activity
is very flexible and can relate to departments, school classes, whole organizations, new
services, anything for which establishing an agreed platform, purpose and philosophy is
important. The facilitator can decide whether to allow hyphenated words. Allowing
phrases or short maxims is not recommended because this changes the emphasis and
focus of the activity - see the 'maxims' exercise below. Devising maxims is a different
activity.)

The word must then be drawn by each team or pair very large on the sheet of paper, in
such a style, and decorated using whatever design and embellishment the team decides
appropriate, so as to represent visually the values, purpose and style of the team or
organisation in question.

The final stage is for each pair or team to present their decorated logo, and to explain the
reasoning behind their designs, which will inevitably provide a basis for much discussion,
comment, questioning and mutual clarification.

Flip chart sheets are normally better materials for this sort of exercise because they can
be subsequently stuck on the walls for all to see, which of course an OHP format doesn't
allow. This activity is a great way to start a workshop or small conference, because it
immediately opens people's minds, encourages free expression, and enables a rapid
increase in mutual appreciation and understanding.

maxims exercise - another activity for developing and

illustrating team understanding, team values and
purpose
Like the 'logo game' above this is an easily organised exercise for teams of all types and
abilities: from young children to grumpy old directors. Split the group into pairs or teams
of three, depending on the team-building effect you seek to achieve. Teams of more than
three need guidance to appoint a leader, unless you are assessing, illustrating or
developing behaviour in the absence of leadership. Issue each team with a flip chart sheet
of paper and marker pen. Filp chart sheets can be stuck on the walls to reinforce themes
and remind team members of purpose and aims, etc. Alternatively issue clear acetate
sheets and acetate pens (which will require an overhead projector to view the work). The
exercise is in two stages:

Each team has to discuss and agree a maxim or motto (a short catch-phrase) that
represents the values, purpose, style mission, positioning, aims, (whatever is
appropriate to the session) of the team, department, company, school, etc.

The maxim should be written by each team on their sheet of paper or acetate and then
presented and explained to the group by each team in turn, with suitable discussion by the
whole group.
As with the logo game above, the team's ideas about the team's (or department's, etc)
purpose is opened up and made transparent to the group and facilitator, which promotes
discussion and increases mutual appreciation and understanding.

See also the 'flags' exercise for other variations on these exercise ideas.

'the teams-sorter' - activity ideas for warm up games

and energizers
A flexible and physical conference warm-up and energizer for big groups - group sizes
of 30 up to 300 or more. Also a great activity for quick introductions and mixing different
teams. If you have a large group want a lot of running about and people mixing and
meeting, these ideas might help you. You will need plenty of space. If necessary ask the
delegates to move all the chairs to the side of the room (they can easily move them back
again, which also helps the warm-up process).

Ask the group to sort itself into teams according to a set of categories that you call out. A
simple example is for people to sort themselves into teams according to the month of the
year they were born. This would obviously create twelve teams, assume the group is large
enough to produce representatives from each month. If the group size is smaller, choose a
category set with fewer divisions, for example, the number of creases on the middle
knuckle of their dominant hand (which causes people to think in an unusual and fun way,
and is therefore enjoyable and interesting - it's a great 'leveller' too).

When formed, give the teams a competitive task or tasks, eg: decide a motto which
reflects them as people, which they then shout as a war cry at the other groups (creative
and energizing). Or ask the teams must find a 'champion' or 'expert' - someone in their
team who excels at something or is remarkable in a particular field, outside of their
working life. Each team then announces their 'champion' in turn, at which everyone can
applaud and cheer the champion's (hitherto unknown) achievements (great for
recognition, etc). You can devise all sorts of other team challenges, perhaps even quick
contests or quizzes between teams. (Here's an example of a quick team quiz, ready to
play.)

It creates more purpose if you can award winners 'tokens' or chitties - these could be
anything suitable - paper slips, counters, play money, wrapped sweets, whatever is easy
to obtain or produce for the facilitator.

You can give people tight timescales for each team-sorting activity and team challenges
and tasks, to focus them on quick team-working, decision-making, communications, etc.
The exercises can be used also illustrate many aspects of team-building, chaos, forming
and working in virtual teams, working under pressure, team-working, risk-taking
(especially on the part of non-elected team leaders, champions putting themselves
forward, etc), anticipation, decisiveness, taking responsibility, communications,
especially if you are less than precise about some of the category descriptions, eg., eye
colour (ie., if you don't tell the group whether green = hazel or is a different colour, then
they have to decide for themselves....)

It's important to have a strong facilitator who can see (ideally from a good vantage point,
on top of a table for example, what's going on, and who can make quick arbitrary
decisions (in the style of 'the judge's decision is final and absolute...')

You could offer tokens to the winning teams each round according to speed, motto,
champion etc (decide by quick cheer-based votes from all teams), and then see which
individuals accumulate the most tokens at the end of all the exercises to identify overall
winners.

You can take tokens away from people or teams who are indecisive, or who fail to help
stragglers and waverers, or who generally could do with being taken down a peg or two,
especially the CEO and Finance Director...

Ideas for team categories into which the group should sort itself (each one is a separate
activity, with our without a time limit - you decide):

• month of birth (obviously would create up to 12 teams depending on total group

size)
• creases on a given knuckle of a finger, or number of rings on all fingers
• favourite colour (depends on category description, if given - you could leave it up
to the group to interpret and decide)
• sweet, sour, bitter, salt (four teams - the way they interpret this is interesting, ie.,
description of the person or their taste in food)
• signs of the zodiac
• eye colour
• hair colour
• think what is and do what is, think what could be do what is, think what is and do
what could be, think what could be and do what could be (an interpretation of the
four temperaments - very interesting exercise in its own right)
• favourite food
• days a week that exercise is taken
• car colours

For a short energiser exercise you can use just one category. Extend and make the activity
more challenging and sophisticated by using several team-sorting sessions, plus team
challenges.

As a facilitator you'll have a lot of fun just thinking of other categories, and you could
certainly include some work-related categories too, although non-work related are often
more interesting and create better mixing of teams. The extent to which you stipulate and
describe the categories is up to you - you can be very specific, or leave it to the whole
group to interpret and decide.

If you are leaving it to the group to decide you can tell them this, or not - it depends how
much freedom, chaos and responsibility you seek to create and assess.

The type of category you nominate by which teams should sort themselves should
obviously relate to the total group size, number of teams, and team member numbers, that
you might wish to create for any particular team activity. Think about how many teams a
particular category is likely to produce, and ensure it fits your purpose.

It's not essential to ask teams to undertake a task each time they sort themselves; the
sorting is an activity in its own right - it all depends on your time available and aims of
the exercise.

Many of the team building activity ideas below can be used as challenges or team
competitions to be given to the formed teams. Select exercises that relate to your theme
or purpose of the conference or training event.

This type of activity would also integrate well with the 'pick a potato' game, where at the
start of the session everyone is given a potato (or apple, orange etc) to memorise as their
own, and then puts them all into a big box. At the end of the session tip all the potatoes
onto the floor, after which the delegates teams must go and find their own potatoes
(against a time limit ideally) and then (optionally) form into teams of some appropriate
category, (for example, favourite potato dish: fries, roasted, baked, boiled, mashed, etc.)
Any delegates unable to agree/find their potatoes must join the potato-heads group and
lose a token (I bet there'll be none).

This is a very flexible game format - use your imagination.

monopoly® variations games (financial understanding,

business and commercial skills, negotiating, team
building, etc)
Using the classic Monopoly® board game, especially if you adapt the rules for your own
training and development purposes, is an exciting and stimulating way to identify, teach
and develop various commercial, financial and business skills.

The game features many business and financial aspects and so provides a fun way to
observe, illustrate and develop lots of skills and techniques that traditional training finds
quite challenging. Financial training can be a dry subject - bring it to life with a game of
monopoly - for individual contestants or people playing in pairs or teams.
Here are examples of Monopoly board game adaptations:

• Owning 1/2/3 properties gives a right to buy the remainder of the available set at
normal value/stipulated discounted value.
• Negotiation to buy property from opponents is allowed at any time/stipulated
'open-market' times/when it's your turn to roll the dice.
• Time limit per 'turn'.
• Increase money allocated at game start, and/or when passing 'Go'.
• Allow individuals to 'partner' and pool resources.
• Place a time limit on the game - winner(s) decided according to money/total
assets accumulated. Allow games to run from one meeting or training session to
another (obviously record the players' or teams' position when play is suspended).
• Allow loans to be taken out from the bank at stipulated rates.
• Allow contestants to act as banker for a stipulated number of 'turns' during which
time the can loan money to other players at their own terms, and keep profits (or
losses, for example any bad debts) arising during their tenure.
• Encourage/stipulate players to employ zero-risk/high-risk/low-risk/suicidal-risk/
strategies according to personality type or preference, or against personality type
or preference.
• Structure teams using service or project teams from the organisation, for whom
cooperation and team-work helps performance.
• Structure teams to represent different departments, for example Sales versus
Accounts, versus HR, etc., - observe and highlight the different styles and
strategies (pairs versus pairs is fine; three is maximum/optimum per team - four
and over per team can create 'passengers' who get left out).
• Require teams to write a strategy before they start play, and to be able to change
strategy only by re-writing it and submitting to the facilitator for approval.

You'll be able to devise your own variations. Make sure you clarify the rules and ensure
any reviews cover relevant and appropriate learning points. You can buy Monopoly
online - a decent second-hand game is perfectly adequate for business training and team
building purposes. If the businessballs Amazon link is out of stock, try Ebay or another
online games seller.

(Thanks for prompt J Ludbrook)

coaching role-play game (teach and practise coaching

techniques, promote individual strengths and values in
teams)
This activity is an easy fun role-playing exercise for developing coaching skills and
demonstrating coaching techniques. The key coaching skills are:
 • active (empathic, interpretive) listening to understand the person's abilities,
purpose, measures of success and/or attainment of a new capability, and the
person's best learning style and method
• helping the other person to see and understand the nature of their learning need
themselves
• helping the other person to identify and commit to sensible achievable learning
actions and objectives
• being non-judgemental, and not imposing the coach's own methods unless
absolutely welcome and appropriate

So a coaching role-play should logically enable participants to practise and demonstrate

these capabilities. This requires role-playing the coaching of something that the coach
understands, and can perform, and which the 'coachee' does not. For example:

• using a computer programme or programme function

• performing a physical or mental task, not necessarily work-related
• any other special ability that the coach has which the coachee does not, such as
performing a card trick, or telling a joke well, juggling some fruit (fruit is much
more fun than tennis balls), or playing a musical instrument (subject to
availability of the instruments - in any group of ten the chances are that at least
one will ba able to play a guitar or recorder), etc.

Participants can be given a couple of minutes to decide their capability to use to coach
someone (everyone is particularly good at something), write it down, then instruct the
'coachees' to pick their coach and task - blind or open choice, whatever will work best.
Group observation and review is a very valuable part of the activity, and should discuss
how well the coaching has performed in the four key coaching areas.

The exercise is also useful for developing a team's knowledge and respect for team
members' otherwise hidden capabilities and talents, which helps the process of team
building, mutual understanding, and thereby communcations and relationships.

For more guidance about organising role-playing activities look at the role-playing games
section.

kaleidoscope brainstorming©
Dr KRS Murthy's advanced method of intensive brainstorming develops deep team
understanding and team-building, as well as generates extensive creative outputs, and
helps reveal Johari Window hidden areas of knowledge of self, others and what others
think of oneself. If you want a team-building activity to really get your team thinking in
depth, and developing enormous mutual understanding see the Kaleidoscope
Brainstorming techniques article.
lessons in chaos game (team building, warm-ups,
illustrating chaos and chaotic systems and their effects,
communications and team member roles, and lots more)
This activity uses or is based on the PIT card game or home-made game materials for a
card-collecting and energetic trading game using a similar principle to the PIT game. You
can find the actual PIT card game on the web either new or second-hand. It's a great game
of chaos and confusion with lots of different training, learning and team building uses.

The PIT card game is available via Amazon, on the gifts and prizes ideas page.

The usual object of the game is, after shuffling and dealing out the cards, for teams or
individual players to collect a full set of the same suit/type by 'blind' trading/swapping
cards with opponents, by shouting and holding aloft the number of cards for trade,
without revealing what the cards actually are. See the note about shuffling and dealing at
the end of this game item.

The winning team is the first to collect a set of all the same cards, which they should
claim by shouting (whatever - their team name for example).

You can introduce two or three 'rogue' cards (in the PIT game there is a bull and a bear)
which attract penalty points for teams left holding these when another team wins. Rogue
cards can be exchanged singly or amongst any number of other cards of the same suit.

A winning team either ignores possession of a rogue card, or you could give a bonus for
this, as in the actual PIT game, which tests the nerve somewhat of retaining one. Using
rogue cards means that when cards are initially shuffled and dealt, some teams will have
a card more than others, and will possess an extra odd card or rogue card when and if
they win by collecting a full set of one suit, which is allowable.

Strictly speaking a player may only swap cards of the same suit, not a mixed batch, but
people often cheat without encouragement at all, which makes the gam ideal for chaotic
demonstrations and learning examples.

The PIT game or especially home-made versions using a similar theme works well with
very big groups, and the atmosphere is enhanced if you offer a suitably appealing prize to
the winners, to bring out the most competitive behaviours in people.
Alternatively/additionally you can threaten the losers with a 'forfeit' or other light-hearted
booby prize.

For more chaos use two sets of PIT, make more cards of each collectible 'suit' - (the
standard PIT game has nine cards in each suit). For bigger teams and groups 12-15 or
even 20 cards enable a bigger game to be played. For still more chaos encourage/permit
cheating, shouting, standing on tables, etc.

You can also introduce special rules to heighten chaos, eg.,

• ring a bell half-way through requiring players to swap a specified number of team
members between teams (and the cards they hold) causing confusion to team
goals and team communications.
• instruction for teams to exchange assembled collections with other teams
(undoing good work to date and threatening sense of purpose and achievement)
• announce a period by which cards can only be traded using foreign language.
• announce trading is only allowed in 3 or 4 or 6 card-lots (whatever number takes
your fancy - this wrecks team trading strategy and later in a round hampers any
team which gets down to its last three or fewer cards required, because they'd then
have to reverse and trade back already collected cards in order to meet the 3/45 or
6 card rule).
• announce at the start of the game a 100 point (or other suitable value) bonus for
loudest trader award each round (judge's decision is final), and/or a 100 point
bonus for most animated trader per round. Etc...

Use your imagination. The game provides a great fun basis for illustrating all sorts of
organizational and team-working dynamics, problems and experiences.

You can use the activity with quite big groups, for example, 40-50 people can be split
into teams of say five, six, or seven people - generally the more people per team the more
chaos.

Normally to develop organization and management experience you would suggest teams
elect traders/collectors who go out into the melee to swap cards, and one or two
collector/coordinator/compiler/organizers who give the instructions to the traders as to
what cards to collect. Therefore to maximise chaos and chaotic systems examples don't
give them this advice and start the game giving the teams very little preparation time to
organize team tactics (another lesson: poor preparation = more chaos).

Strictly speaking you should play the game with the same number of collectible 'suits'
(card types) as the number of teams, but for added chaos, and a potentially unwinnable
game have one set less card 'suits' than the number of teams, which dramatically reduces
the chances of any team managing to collect an entire set.

The actual PIT game has seven suits of nine cards each, which is adequate for up to seven
teams of threes, but for larger teams and added interest you could use two PIT game
cards, or make your own larger sets of cards - or simply pieces of paper - with 'suit'
symbols or words on them to reflect the players' business or environment.

Teams of three naturally self-organise and self-manage very well, so to demonstrate

chaos use teams of four or more.
As a guide try to allow at least 3 cards per team member, therefore, for example, if
working with six teams of teams five team members make six sets of at least 15 cards.
This way there's plenty to do for each team member.

After the game, or each round, or even during a round, involve all the teams in the review
of the points of note and the experiences and lessons that you want to highlight. An
example of a useful review technique is to ask individuals and teams to talk about or
present their reactions and feelings while subject to chaos and disorganization. You can
also involve the teams in suggesting ways to change the rules to increase or reduce chaos,
or indeed to demonstrate any other aspect of organizational systems.

If you are a team leader, facilitator or trainer seeking to use this sort of exercise for a big
group, the best way to plan the activity - whether for chaos or management experience -
is to get hold of a PIT game or to make your own set of cards, and play a game with a
few friends or colleagues - this will help you to decide how best to use it, and to decide
how to flex the structure and game design to produce the desired effects.

Some other PIT game adaptation pointers:

The more on a team, the more chaos is experienced. However, the bigger the team the
more 'passengers' (team members with nothing to do) there'll be towards the end of the
game/round when the final few cards are being sought. If you can't avoid having very
large teams then issue an extra instruction as to how 'passengers' should assist card-
holding traders towards the end of the game/each round.

If you don't know how many people will be in the total group until the day, you can
decide on the day how to structure teams and suits etc. If in doubt make more cards per
suit than you think you'll need, say 20 or 30 cards per suit, just in case you end up with
very big teams (up to 15 or so) - so that you'll have plenty of team-structure options and
ensure even big teams have plenty to do - It's important to avoid having passengers,
which would result from having too few cards.

Remember: More teams = more chaos, so try to have as many teams as possible (the
lesson is that more teams and relationships need more organizing and communications).
Also: Minimal guidance and organizational advice to the teams = more chaos (another
lesson).

There will be more chaos (resulting from from difficult communications) if the
cardcollector(s)/holder(s)/coordinator(s) are in a different place/room to the trading area -
this will require people to run back and forth and will be very physical as well as chaotic.

Alternatively the trading area can be in the middle of a large area, surrounded by the
collectors/coordinators for each of the teams.

You can also run the exercise in two different ways during the same activity (firstly
traders and collectors all in the same room, and then the second round put the traders in a
different room to the collector/coordinators). This will emphasise the effect of
communications logistics upon chaos.

You could also have a have a contingency to change it half way through a round of the
game (ie remove the collector/coordinators to a different room to the traders, which
suddenly introduce a big difficulty to the exercise - the lesson is that a change in the
structure requires reorganisation of communications and process).

By separating traders from their team's collectors, the exercise then takes on some of the
communications aspects of the 'communications corridor' exercise, which is more
physical because of the running around, especially if the rooms are on different floors.

The complexities you add depend on how much variety and logistical challenge you want
to include (which of course increase the facilitation burden and risk of course, so 'if in
doubt, leave it out').

If during play things threaten to become too 'well managed' you can intervene and
disallow any practices that are enabling smooth activity, for example ban 'runners'
communicating and taking cards between teams's collectors and traders, and insist that
traders need to 'run', or vice versa. On which point you could/should inform teams of
your right to do this (ie., the facilitator's right to move the goalposts) during the activity.
This highlights another lesson: failure to agree sound ground-rules, goalposts moving =
chaos.

If you have time available the activity is best played with a number of rounds - this
enables you to increase the team competition element - you can keep a score on a
blackboard or flip chart. You can award points for 2nd and 3rd if you want - the scoring
is very flexible - however you think it will work best. You can stop the round when a
winner wins and then identify 2nd 3rd 4th etc based on which teams have collected most
cards.

Even when you've run the exact exercise before it is difficult to anticipate length of a
round because the game is so chaotic. Sometimes a team will win quickly, other times it
goes on for ages or gets blocked because a team decides to collect mischievously some of
each suit (another lesson in chaos factors which you can introduce or suggest). 5 minutes
is a reasonable maximum to impose per round. If there is no winner in the time allotted,
the winning team is the one with most cards (or points of same, if you are ascribing
points values to the different suits) collected of their chosen suit or set.

As a final pointer, give yourself the right to intervene as the facilitator - this will enable
you to flex the activity while it's happening - you can of course justify this because
intervention and disruption is a perfectly valid factor in chaos, and so it can be in it's
demonstration.

A note about shuffling and dealing before and during the game: Shuffling and dealing
large numbers of home-made cards or pieces of paper can be time-consuming, especially
given last minute decisions about how many sets and cards to use. If so then think about
using a alternative method of distributing the cards - you don't necessarily have to shuffle
and deal per se, provided each team starts with a randon combination of card types. For
example you could place the cards in piles face down on tables and have each team
member or leader go and take blind a certain number equating to the team's allocation.
This could be done between rounds also, when time and facilitation pressures make
shuffling and dealing difficult. Alternatively find a way to involve all teams returning
their collected card sets in a suitable grouping or piles on a table, the act of which
effectively shuffles the cards, ready for the next round.

(Thanks for prompt KW)

turn the tables exercise (warm ups, ice-breakers, team

rotation games)
This is an enjoyable way to introduce a large group of delegates to each other, and also a
way of planning and organising team groupings or syndicate break-out sessions on a
rotating basis to ensure that every person meets, and plays games or completes exercises,
with everyone else. This way of organising teams is a great alternative to simply asking
every person to stand up and introduce themselves individually. Give each person in the
group a letter of the alphabet as per the matrix below, which provides a basis for
organising and rotating the membership for teams of five, for a whole group of up to
twenty-five people. The model is contributed by Christopher Barrat, based on maths by
the Bernie Batmann, and this contribution is gratefully acknowledged. Issue the matrix to
all team members and explain that it provides the plan for changing teams and meeting
new people, or playing whatever games or exercises have been arranged. The matrix
below has a,b,c,d,e only moving tables once. If you want them to move tables more than
this then alter the table/team numbers in the second column for each round.

table/team 1 a b c d e

table/team 2 f g h i j
round 1 table/team 3 k l m n o

table/team 4 p q r s t

table/team 5 u v w x y

round 2 table/team 1 a f k p u

table/team 2 b g l q v
 table/team 3 c h m r w

table/team 4 d i n s x

table/team 5 e j o t y

table/team 1 a g m s y

table/team 2 b h n t u
round 3 table/team 3 c i o p v

table/team 4 d j k q w

table/team 5 e f l r x

table/team 1 a h o q x

table/team 2 b i k r y
round 4 table/team 3 c j l s u

table/team 4 d f m t v

table/team 5 e g n p w

table/team 1 a i l t w

table/team 2 b j m p x
round 5 table/team 3 c f n q y

table/team 4 d g o r u

table/team 5 e h k s v

table/team 1 a j n r v

table/team 2 b f o s w
round 6 table/team 3 c g k t x

table/team 4 d h l p y

table/team 5 e i m q u
exercise creation pointers (prompts for creating
brainstorming, team building or learning exercises)
When you next want to create a session for brainstorming or teambuilding, try creating
your own, or work with a team to do it. Creating your own exercises and activities just
requires a little imagination. Here are some reference pointers to help the thought
process:

These elements can be selected and combined to act as a kind of formula to help with the
creative process:

• Choose sense(s)/media - sight, emotional feeling, touch, smell, taste, sound/hear,

draw, write, act, imagine, discussion, etc.
• Choose a theme - communications, relationships, creativity, process, planning,
experience, influences, barriers, leverages, opportunities, counselling, problem-
solving, etc.
• Outputs: ideas, discovery, plans, actions, learning, questions, relationships,
understanding, solutions.
• People and logistics (how the exercise works, is briefed and followed up): teams,
pairs, threes, leaders, scenarios, context, materials, rooms, groups, timings,
review, feedback, action commitments, etc.

paper planes and aims game (goal-setting, visualising

success, creativity, team building, motivation, building
belief and commitment)
This exercise is appropriate for any open-minded group and would be especially
beneficial for young people, even children. The activity encourages the team members to
think about and set personal aims, and commit to them in a memorable and meaningful
way. The exercise also enables positive encouragement and mutual support among the
team towards meeting each person's aims. First, ask everyone in the group to set
themselves a personal achievable short term goal. The aims can be to do with higher
performance, quality standards, problem solving or any other challenges in their work or
life. Supply the team some colored paper, marker-pens, glitter, scissors, stickers and
(optionally) directions/instructions for paper airplane models. When all team members
have decided on their goals short term goal(s), ask them to choose a paper airplane design
and make the plane. Ask them to write their goal, with a few points or steps as to how
they will achieve it, on the inside of the paper plane (which enables people to keep their
goals private). Then you, as the facilitator, tutor or team leader, write a positive
encouraging comment on the outside of every person's plane - the emphasis should be on
encouraging comments, for example 'I believe you can do this', or 'I know this is
something you can achieve', etc. Optionally you can involve the group as well in writing
positive inspiring comments on the outside of each other's planes. Allow the group to
continue finishing the decoration of the outside of their planes. The exercise enables each
team member to take pleasure in visualising their own aims, and to give and receive lots
of positive encouragement. Finally, the activity provides the opportunity to go outside as
a team and fly the planes, and maybe to award a few prizes; longest flight, best design,
best trick, etc.

Thanks Laura Feerer for contributing this activity idea for building belief, commitment
and teams. She suggests you can add some additional inspiration by referring to the song,
'I Believe I Can Fly', which would be appropriate I'm sure for certain groups, and a
relevant quote from which is as follows:

I believe I can fly

I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away
I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open door
I believe I can fly.

life-raft (group selection recruitment game, negotiation

and presentation, relationships, appreciating other
people's strengths, team-working and decision-making)
A simple but sophisticated game for a team of six to ten people. The scenario is that the
team is stranded in a life-raft which is too small to hold everyone without sinking.
Someone (or you could say two or three people - it's flexible) must to be thrown
overboard (or eaten, if you prefer the really macabre version) - the group must decide
who is/are to be the unfortunate victim(s). First delegates have the opportunity to present
their reasons why they should stay (the facilitator can decide what media is to be used,
but watch out for the time - this part needs to be reasonably brief). Delegates can be
directed either to base their presentations on their own real selves, or if a less emotive
approach is required, to adopt the personality of a character from history, or a TV soap,
etc. The facilitator must decide how best to instruct the team on this aspect. After
presenting their own cases, the group then debates people's relative values and strengths.
Within this debate individuals can continue to argue their own cases if they wish, after
which the group makes its decision. Set a time limit for each presentation, the debate and
the decision, for example 2 mins per presentation; 20-30 mins for the debate; 5 mins for
the decision or vote. The facilitator can guide the group as to the decision method, for
example secret ballot, show of hands, or preferably to leave the group to decide the
decision process, as this highlights other interesting behaviours and capabilities within
the team. This is also an interesting exercise to use in group selection recruitment as an
interaction game. Points to review if used in other than a group selection context:
 • Quality and effect of individual presentations
• How individuals behave and respond to threat and possible rejection.
• How different personality types within the group react in different ways to the
debating and decision process.
• How the group organised itself to manage the difficult discussion process.
• The different perceptions among the team of relative strengths, weaknesses,
values, etc.
• The way the group decided on how to make the decision (unless told how by the
facilitator).
• The reaction of the team members and colleagues of the victim(s) after the vote -
balance between relief and sympathy.

Other points to observe, especially if using this as an interactive group selection

recruitment game:

• Individual behaviour and style.

• Participation levels.
• Constructive, supportive input ("How can we best approach this...?") versus
negative contributions ("This is a stupid game...")
• Natural leaders.
• Natural process checkers.
• Results driven players.
• Compassion and empathy.
• Presentation skills.
• Negotiation skills.
• Awareness of process and consensus principles.
• Logical and objective assessment of relative values and capabilities.
• Integrity.
• Awareness of need to preserve mix of team abilities.
• Bullying, ganging-up, and defence and reaction to these.
• Sexism, racism, prejudice, and defence and reaction to these.

johari window exercise (self-awareness, self-

development, relationships, team understanding, team
building)
For any size group, any age, any role, provided people know or work with each other. Put
the group into pairs or threes. Each person takes turns to find out from their partner(s)
something in the hidden area, known to others but not known to self. Explain the Johari
Window concept first - show and issue the diagram - and explain why it's positive to
open the hidden areas, so that as much as possible can be known to self and to others.
Explain no-go areas such as intimate personal things, things that could be hurtful or
destructive, and subjective judgements. Encourage people to be objective and non-
judgemental, forgiving, and tolerant in the way they approach the exercise, and in their
own self development and in helping others. Review by having people tell the whole
group what they've learned about themselves, and how this might give opportunity for
positive change in the future. You will need to be on hand move among the teams, keep a
watchful eye, to facilitate, interpret and reassure hurt feelings where necessary. You can
extend the exercise by having people tell their partner(s) something that is known to self
(about oneself) and hidden to others (which is also an alternative and less emotive
exercise than opening the unknown to self part of the window). Take care - Johari is a
powerful instrument.

j'accuse (conflict management, johari window

development, developing relationships, mutual
understanding)
use this activity with care!
Use this activity only if you are confident you can control it. Refer to the Johari Window
- it provides a the basis for interpreting and gaining positive development from this
exercise. Ask people to tell each other in pairs, (or two-on-one, three-on-one, if you wish
to create more pressure) about their (the other person's) weaknesses, failings, dislikable
traits, wrong past actions or decisions, etc., (again adjust the brief according to
sensitivities). Arranging the groups beforehand is essential. Having participants and
observers makes the activity more controllable and less likely to result in a free-for-all.
You must plan to make this exercise ultimately positive, in which people get to learn
more about what's in the 'known to others, and unknown to self' Johari quadrant (which
isn't all necessarily bad, but you can ask for only negatives to be pointed out for the sake
of demonstrating conflict). Delegates should also be encouraged to think about what
causes conflict and emotional upset, and how to avoid, avert and diffuse it. During the
exercise the 'victims' can be encouraged to be defensive (rather than tolerant and
absorbent), and the 'accusers' to be aggressive and confrontational, if you want to create
more 'conflict' for people to deal with. Beware of ending up upsetting people - use a bell
or whistle to bring people back to sensible rational adults (and to inject some timely
humour) if things threaten to get too heated. If you wish to de-personalise the activity ask
people to role-play the accusations and defensive reactions. Showing and explaining the
Johari model after rather than before the activity increases the likelihood of emotional
and natural reactions during the exercise (ie., the more you explain and prepare, the more
objective people will be). Afterwards (or before) you could also refer people to the
Emotional Intelligence and Transactional Analysis concepts to demonstrate how
objectivity helps avert conflict. Please don't hold me responsible for the cost of cleaning
the blood off the walls.......
je t'adore (johari window development, team-building,
relationships, emotional intelligence development)
A positive alternative or supporting exercise for the 'conflict' activity above. Again refer
to the Johari Window model. Ask people in pairs to tell each other something good about
the other person that the other person will not know themselves. It's basically an activity
in which genuine compliments or feedback is given about a person's traits, past actions,
behaviours, etc., - the positive feedback can be about anything. This widens the Johari
quadrant: 'known to others and unknown to self'. The act of giving and receiving genuine
positive feedback is also hugely enriching and motivational. You can review afterwards
how people felt when giving and receiving praise, and contrast this with the negative
effect of giving insensitive criticism. This exercise can be used in conjunction with the
negative feedback activity above to further emphasise the contrast between praise and
blame. Useful reference models are also Transactional Analysis and Emotional
Intelligence.

there ought to be a law.. (creative thinking, recruitment

selection activity, ethics and morality discussions)
A simple exercise for individuals, pairs, threes or a whole group exercise: the aim of the
activity is to suggest a new law, with reasons for it. The game can be extended into a
clear-communications and writing exercise, by asking the delegates to write the new law
in clear terms that explain it absolutely clearly, with minimum leeway for
misunderstanding or misinterpretation. The clarity of the writing can be tested by group
questions and review. This exercise is particularly relevant for people who will benefit
from improved awareness of communicating, delegating and briefing skills. Also helpful
for people with responsibility for writing instructions and manuals. Also a good
personality and attitudinal indicator exercise when used as an activity for individual
candidates in recruitment group selections.

mottos (warm-ups, ice-breakers, creativity, self-

expression, johari window development)
For teams, whole groups or individuals. Ask the team(s), individuals or work-group to
decide on a motto or maxim that reflects their values and purpose, etc. Individuals or
teams then present their motto to the group, and discussion can take place as necessary.
You can be specific about precisely what the motto must represent, or leave the brief
more open, depending on the session aims. Timings are flexible, to suit the situation. This
is a very flexible activity. As an extension of the exercise, from one session to the next in
a week or a month's time you can ask the individuals or teams to find the Latin
translation.... For inspiration you could show some examples:

• "E Pluribus Unum" - the original motto of the United States meaning "One from
many" or "One from many parts"
• "Search, Solve and Succeed" - Pioneer Primary School, Singapore.
• "Per Ardua Ad Astra" meaning "Through Adversity to the Stars" - the British
Royal Air Force
• "Per Veritatem Vis" meaning "Strength Through Truth" - Washington University
• "Securior Quo Paratior" meaning "The Better Prepared, The More Secure" -
Somerset Rossiter family

flags exercise (creativity, self expression, warm-ups,

inter-team or inter-departmental relationships)
Lots of flexibility in this activity. It can be used for individuals or teams of any sorts. The
object of the exercise is simply to design a flag that symbolises the person or the team (or
group or department, etc). Materials required are just some flip chart sheets and colouring
pens or paints. The exercise can be used as a quick warm up or ice-breaker, say five
minutes to create the flags, and a couple of minutes each to present and review; or a
longer team or group activity, requiring 10-15 minutes discussion, development of ideas,
creating the flag design, and then as much time as is necessary to present and discuss the
reasons and reactions. When invited to express themselves in a completely new and
different medium, people find it easier to really think about their qualities. The exercise is
particularly useful to begin inter-departmental workshops. Teams have to think about
what they stand for, how they wish to be seen, and other teams have a chance to see and
understand colleagues or other departments in a different way. As an exercise for work
groups this is a good prompt for debate within the team, and then afterwards between
teams when flag designs are presented and reviewed. This exercise is also excellent as an
individual activity for children and young people of all ages. It can also be used for pairs
or threes of friends, boys groups, and girls groups; the possibilities really are endless. As
an alternative to flags, a coat of arms could be given as the design task. Obviously
encourage participants to include symbols and image icons, as well as colours and
shapes.

partnership flags (partnership, cooperation, merging,

integrating teams)
If you want to focus still further on cooperation and partnership development, you can
extend the above 'Flags' exercise to require teams or individuals to work together (in pairs
or threes or more - however many parties you want to integrate) to combine their designs,
ie., to produce a 'partnership flag' based on and preserving the essential themes of the
original individual designs of the partnership members.

commitment to change (making things happen, personal

change, etc)
A simple exercise for any size group, and a great warm-up or ice-breaker too. Split group
into pairs. Task each individual to agree with their partner something about themselves
that they would like to change - probably something that they have known to be in need
of improvement or change for some time. Each individual clarifies understanding of the
change action with their partner, with suitable measure and timescale (use the
SMARTER rules as a reference - it's on the acronyms and delegation sections), and then
each person makes a personal commitment to the partner to make the change. Each
partner is responsible for following up this commitment and checking that the change
action has been completed (which happens after the training course, meeting, gathering,
etc). The point of the exercise is to demonstrate the importance of specifics,
accountability and commitment, being the ingredients of any successful change. Refer
to SMARTER again in the review of change actions committed, so as to confirm the
viability of each action committed.

best practice development forum

This exercise builds teams and produces good organizational outputs. The activity can
also be run as a virtual team building game for staff in different locations using a team
conference call or video conferencing. Ideally participants will perform similar roles or at
least perform roles with common aspects (if not participants should have good facilitative
skills). The aims of the exercise is to share and develop best practice, ideas, and/or
solutions to common problems. This provides a useful and collectively enjoyable
experience, with some good outputs for the organization when best practice is identified
or developed, and can then be implemented. Split large groups into teams of three or four.
Over four per team makes full involvement unlikely. For example, if the total group size
is twelve, run four exercises concurrently in four teams of three. At the end of the
exercise each team leader presents results of their discussions and ideas or solutions
development to the whole group. You could then look at implementing most viable
suggestions, create project groups and then pilot groups. Establish an emphasis on
working together to identify and implement constructive change, through the sharing of
ideas and experience. The activity can become a regular development forum; a place
where challenges, opportunities, local problems, etc., can be brought along and collective
ability used to find and apply solutions. Teams can be changed for each team building
session. It's important to clarify the precise aims of each exercise before it begins. Teams
can take a few minutes to do this prior to commencing the activity. Take special care with
explaining and clarifying if people of different nationalities are involved. Ensure also that
team members explain and understand each other's situations and processes (which in
itself is another helpful output from the exercise). Ensure adequate support for all
initiatives taken forward to implementation stage, so that participants see that their work
is resulting in some positive effect. Securing support from up-line management prior to
the process will help this, as will obtaining commitment from up-line management where
possible for initiatives considered worthy of implementation. See also the notes on
workshops, brainstorming, and project management, which can be relevant to various
stages of this activity.

team poker
Here's a very simple and effective game for team-building, team-working, building
cooperation, problem solving, leadership, and decision-making skills. Also great for an
ice-breaker and warm-up activity. The game can be used with with a group of 10 or more,
and requires only a deck of cards. Explain these simple rules of the exercise: One card
will be handed out face down to each delegate. Players must not look at their cards until
the game starts. The aim of the exercise is for each person to put together the best three-
card hand by joining with two other delegates.

Where total group size is not exactly divisible by three, players need not be exclusive to
one group of three, ie., any player is permitted to be part of more than one three-card
hand. When the total group is exactly divisible by three this rule is optional, to be decided
by the facilitator. A requirement for exclusive sets of three will tend to increase the
competitive aspect of the exercise.

Card hands are best ranked according to poker rules, which are open to different
interpretation so it's essential to agree the ranked order of possible hands before the game
starts, to avoid any doubt as to the winners. For three cards, a suggested example ranking
according to statistical odds (thanks DB), which you should circulated or write on a flip-
chart, is, lowest to highest: highest card, a pair, flush (three cards same suit), straight or
run (eg., 8,9,10), three of a kind (eg., three kings), top hand being a straight or running
flush (eg., 5,6,7 of hearts). Also clarify highest suits, (eg., lowest to highest: diamonds,
clubs, hearts, spades). The best hand possible would therefore be king, queen, ace of
spades.

Set a time limit, by which all delegates must be grouped in threes, each group
representing a three-card hand. A minute creates a pressurised activity; three minutes less
so - generally the larger the total group size the longer the exercise needs, subject to a
five minute maximum for very large groups.

Variations can be used, which makes it more interesting if you want to repeat the exercise
later with the same group, eg:
 • Each delegate receives two cards, requiring three players to create a six card hand
(clarify rules accordingly).
• Instruct the group to find three or four other players, making four- or five-card
hands.
• Allow each player to change their card once with a card from the top of the
remainder of the deck, face down of course (exchanged cards go to the bottom of
the deck).
• Upturn the card at the top of the remainder of the deck and stipulate that each
hand must include that card (in which case three players will create four-card
hands).
• For very large groups use two decks, and stipulate teams of five, (this is a great
conference warm-up - you could stick a card underneath each delegate's seat,
before delegates arrive.)
• Plus any other variations of your own you wish to try.

Facilitator and delegates can review various behaviours after the activity - eg., leadership,
teamwork, negotiating, and decision making under pressure. This simple game will break
the ice, and get people out of their seats with minimal input from the facilitator. Follow
up with a group discussion about aspects of the exercise relevant to the main session or
purpose. (Adapted from an idea submitted by S Enter)

For additional interest you can also refer to the fascinating origins of playing cards and
court cards, for example, did you know that the name and symbol of the English spades
card (contrary to most people's assumption that the word simply relates to a spade or
shovel tool) instead developed from the French pike weapon (ie., the shape is based on
the business-end of the spear-like pike), and the name for the Spanish version of the card,
which was 'espados' meaning 'swords'.

newspaper bridge the gap team exercise (planning,

team-working, team building, etc)
Newspaper construction exercises are always reliable, flexible and inexpensive activities
for team building (and planning, leadership, team-working, etc) - see the main newspaper
construction exercises and tips below, and they are very transferable when you want
games activities ideas to cascade or spread usage through organizations or departments. If
your aim is to build teams and relationships, especially inter-departmental, mix up the
groups, so team members don't already know each other. For an extra twist to the usual
towers or bridges exercises below, and ideal for large groups, work with teams of 6. Split
each team in half. The team task is for each half-team of three (or can be pairs) to build
their half of a newspaper bridge so that it connects and can be joined to the other half of
their team's construction, to meet in the middle between two tables. Preferably (this is at
the facilitators discretion) sticky tape must not be used to fix each end of the bridge to the
table - ie., bridges must be self-supporting. The winning team can be quickest or
strongest supporting structure - it's up to the facilitator - you can add the requirement for
the bridge to support an object - a lemon or a chocolate bar for example. (The secret is to
build up and out so that each side of the bridge supports the other - two horizontal halves
generally collapse unless each is extremely strong. Tightly rolled struts make stronger
constructions. Establish game rules that prevent both halves of the teams simply making a
single bridge fixed to each table with sticky tape, which would defeat the challenge of the
exercise. Control the level of difficulty of the game by the distance between the tables
and the number of sheets issued.) And in similar vein the next activity:

newspaper domes big group exercise (team building and

team working, leadership, creativity and design)
For one great big group team building exercise, split the whole group into pairs or threes,
the task being to build a dome or roof structure/frame and cover it with newspaper and
sticky tape, between as many tables as there are pairs/threes. This is not a contest
between the teams, it's a task for the whole group to cooperate and work together. For
example, for a whole group size of 12 people, there could be six tables and six pairs - or
five tables and five teams of three - each pair/three building one strut of a six- or five-
strut dome frame; for a group of 9 people, there could be three teams of three, and three
tables, each team of three building a strut for a three-strut roof frame. Each pair/three
should build their strut up and out from the table, connecting in the centre space with the
struts from each of the other pairs/threes. Struts can be fixed to the tables and joined in
the centre-space with sticky tape. For large frames (which will be required of the tables
are placed further away from each other), cross-struts can be used. The whole group can
then cover the dome or roof frame with sheets of newspaper. Requires a lot of thought,
team-working, communication, sharing best-practice, assessment and feedback along the
way, and leadership at key decision stages. Control the level of difficulty by the distance
between the tables and the number of newspaper sheets issued. (As with many of the
newspaper team building activities, the secret is to agree first on a strut design - typically
tightly-rolled sheets - which can then be used to construct whatever overall design is
planned, but let the delegates work this out for themselves.)

The most effective way to build a dome or covered 'roof' is to create a frame first, using
tightly rolled sheets as struts. The simplest construction would use three tables and three
struts, one from each table-top edge, joining together in the middle at the top to form a
pyramid frame, which can then be covered using newspaper sheets. A round dome
structure is more difficult, takes more time, needs more newspapers, and needs to have
several struts from each table to create a curved shape, and then a number of lightly
formed horizontal strut 'rings' around the the outside of the entire main frame to create a
curved contour. This type of structure must be designed beforehand to have a good
chance of succeeding, and it helps if the group contains someone with a bit of
engineering talent or instinct. There are other ways of making a structure, for instance flat
square frames on 'legs' (short newspaper struts), and if you do not stipulate a height then
people will often be creative (cheat) and simply make a big sheet and attach it to each
table edge, which rather defeats the point. Hence you can clarify the aim of the exercise
by stipulating that the roof must be capable of covering all or a given percentage of the
group members, standing or sitting (at your discretion) depending on the frame height
that you think is reasonable. If in doubt agree the frame height aim with the group, which
means they effectively set their own target. This is a challenging and enjoyable team
activity - encourage team members to enjoy it. For a simple pyramid allow at least 15
minutes for the 'build'. For bigger constructions and rounded domes allow at least 10
mins for the design stage and 30 mins for the build. And remember to provide plenty of
plastic rubbish bags for the clear-up afterwards. It can be helpful for the post-activity
review to brainstorm before the activity with the whole group the expected key
performance elements, and for these to be used as the assessment criteria (see the
Training elements/exercise review template assessment proforma sheet available on the
free resources page).

paper-doily exercise (communications, instructions,

interpretation, developing mutual understanding, active
listening, clarifying questioning techniques)
This exercise can be carried out in pairs with several pairs playing the game at the same
time, or one pair playing and the remainder of the group observing. Two people sit back
to back. Each has a piece of paper (can be any sheet of paper provided it is rectangular -
not square - a large sheet of newspaper works well particular if the activity is being
observed). One player (the instructor) folds and tears his/her sheet of paper at the same
time reading pre-prepared instructions to the other person (the student) as to how the
student is to fold and tear/cut their sheet of paper. For added interest issue each pair with
a hole-punch and a pair of scissors (smaller sheets of paper are more likely to require
scissors). Other than giving the instructions the delegates cannot discuss or explain
anything else. Instructions must be read out exactly as they appear on the instructions
sheet, which is created and supplied by the facilitator. Neither player must be able to see
what the other is doing while the exercise is under way. After the instructions have been
completed, the team members turn and face each other, unfold their sheets and compare
their paper doilies, which will look quite different, even though each has been made from
the same instructions. Here are examples of instructions for the instruction sheet (you can
create your own variations or use these, or reduce them for a quicker simpler exercise -
do not include the bracketed points, which are facilitators notes and to help with the
review):

1. Fold the paper in half horizontally (this depends on what way the sheet is held and
could be interpreted to be folded along the landscape or portrait axis)
2. Fold in half again diagonally (again, this is open to interpretation - normally an
asymmetrical fold corner-to-corner).
3. Fold in half again vertically (again, this is open to interpretation).
 4. Fold the top right corner so that the point is at the centre of the folded sheet (the
folded corner could be one of four).
5. Fold the longest point to the corner farthest away from it (can be open to
interpretation).
6. Fold in half again or as close to two halves as possible (it may not possible to fold
exactly into two symmetrical or even asymmetrical halves).
7. Tear or cut off 2cm of the sharpest corner with a straight cut or tear.
8. Tear of cut off 1cm of the opposite or farthest corner to the above corner with a
curved cut or tear (curved what way? - again this is open to interpretation).
9. Punch three holes along the longest edge (where exactly along the edge is open to
interpretation).
10. Punch two holes in the next-to-longest edge (where exactly along the edge is open
to interpretation).
11. Cut a 0.5cm sharp 'V' two-thirds into the shortest edge (this is open to
interpretation).
12. Unfold the paper and compare your doily with your partner's doily.

Points for the debrief and review discussion: How many of you ended up with paper
projects exactly the same? Why were you unable to end with exactly the same doilies?
What instructions were the least helpful and why? How could these instructions have
been made clearer? What clarifying questions would you have asked if permitted to
clarify the instructions? What additional tools or devices would help the reliability of the
instructions and fullness of understanding (the obvious ones are a ruler, and a diagram for
each stage - the point here is that complex instructions often need tools, references,
examples or other devices to enable proper clarity and accuracy, and the responsibility is
with the writer to take the initiative to use and include these aspects if required - don't
assume that words alone are sufficient, because they rarely are).

As an extension of the exercise ask everyone (in pairs of as a group discussion or

brainstorm exercise) to re-write the instructions so as to guarantee producing two
identical doilies.

NB If facilitating this exercise ensure you try out your instructions before using them in
the activity.

(Based on a suggestion from D Smith)

desert island menu

A quick, simple (and often revealing) warm-up, ice-breaker and introductory exercise for
any group up to about a dozen people. (Group size can be larger if the 'show-and-tell'
time per person is controlled tightly). Delegates have a couple of minutes to consider and
decide three types of food that they would choose to live on for a year, if stranded on a
desert island, with nothing else to eat or drink, other than water. After considering their
selection and reasons, each delegate then takes turns to tell the group what three foods
they would chose and why. The facilitator can determine finer points of the rules, such as
if there's anything to cook with, if there are any condiments, and "Does 'chicken tikka
masala' count as one food type?", or "Can we choose processed ready-made meals as one
food type?", etc. The point of the exercise is to get delegates thinking about something
completely different, in a way that allows them to express their own personality, likes,
dislikes, weaknesses, etc, to the group. For large groups put people into teams of three
and have them come up with a selection of three foods that satisfy each member of their
team. Other than obviously daft selections like 'whisky, lager, and magic mushrooms' or
'burgers, chips and eggs' there are no right or wrong answers - it's simply an exercise in
personal preference.

newspaper models (team building, problem solving,

creativity, leadership, planning and project
management)
A variation on the newspaper construction exercises featured below. For bigger teams,
especially comprising engineers and technical team members. Instead of making
newspaper towers or newspaper bridges, the challenge is to make a more complex model,
of a machine, or vehicle or building, again out of newspaper. If the model is to be a
machine it could be a working model. the machine could be one from the particular work
situation. Introduce additional materials as appropriate - string, pipe-cleaners, rubber
bands, stapler, etc. The bigger the team then the more complex and challenging the task
can be. For teams of 5 or more ask that each team appoints a leader, and state that each
team leader is responsible for ensuring full participation of all team members. Refer to
the tips and rules for newspaper construction exercises below.

the postbag exercise (for group selection recruitment,

time management, planning and prioritising, and
assessing strategic judgement and initiative, team-
working, organization and decision-making)
This exercise is good for group selection activities. The team exercise is to sort a big pile
of your typical post. Team size 3-5, so if there are more than 5 delegates create more than
one team, and ensure suitable space, materials, and facilitator for each team. If used as a
group selection activity involving more than one team (it would be suitable for
supervisors and clerical staff) observers can move between teams. You'll need to define
the typical destinations/actions - give basic guidelines but not sufficient for all the
answers, so that there's opportunity for teams and team members to use their own
initiative. Define the purpose of the exercise clearly in terms that reflect what you want
the delegates to achieve and the hypothetical situation in which they'll be working. Also
explain to the team(s) that they can ask facilitators about certain items if required, and
include two or three oddball items that definitely need asking about. Observers will be
able to see how the teams organize themselves, people's levels of initiative and
judgement, experience, who has good and less good ideas, input, and how people work
with others in a team situation. You could ask the teams to present their conclusions as to
what should happen with the contents of their postbag. Review and discussion also will
provide useful indicators. For added challenge you could throw in a couple of
'interruptions' such as phone calls or visitors introducing additional issues to be sorted,
prioritised and actioned. This exercise can also be used for supervisory management
development and assessment. If used with people who already work for the organization
the exercise provides useful indication as to delegates strategic awareness and
prioritisation capabilities and judgement.

SWOT analysis team building exercises (for team

building, decision-making, change-management,
strategy development, direction and motivation)
For a single team or any number of teams. For teams of three or four team members.
Teams of five and over require a team leader. This is a really motivational and
empowering activity that can deliver immediate organizational and business benefits. The
exercise duration is from 30 minutes upwards, depending on the complexity of the
SWOT subjects issued to or agreed with the teams. The SWOT exercise can take a whole
day if the task is complex and big. First refer to the SWOT analysis notes and template
examples on this site.

Ensure all delegates are issued with SWOT analysis instructions, and confirm their
understanding of the process, which makes an ideal initial group exercise.

Identify before the session, or have the teams or team members do so at the start of the
exercise, suitable subjects for SWOT analysis. Have the teams choose a subject each, and
then work as a team to produce the SWOT analysis, which should then be presented back
to the group for discussion and review. It's important that the teams want the particular
subjects.

Prior to the exercise it's important for the facilitator to clarify what will happen after the
exercise to the teams' SWOT analysis findings, so that team members have an
appropriate expectation for where their efforts and recommendations will lead.

This SWOT exercise is very flexible - use it to suit the situation, the group, and what the
organization needs. Examples of SWOT subject areas (have some specific propositions,
opportunities or options handy in case you need them):
 • organizational or departmental change options
• business development ideas
• team re-structuring
• problem-solving options
• customer service improvement ideas
• production/distribution/technical support efficiencies or improvements ideas

N.B.

1. The above headings are not SWOT subjects, they are areas within which you can
identify SWOT subjects.
2. A SWOT analysis can only be used to assess a specific option, proposition,
company, department or idea - a single SWOT analysis cannot be used to
compare options or evaluate a number of options or propositions at once.
3. Avoid agreeing to SWOT subjects that are clearly beyond the remit of the teams
(which creates expectations that cannot be met), unless the situation allows for the
group to make recommendations.
4. A SWOT analysis measures a business unit, a proposition or idea; a PEST
analysis measures a market.

PEST analysis team building exercise (for team

building, motivation, direction, strategy development,
gaining buy-in and consensus)
See the PEST analysis article and template. Structure the activity as with the use of
SWOT analysis exercise above. Note that a SWOT analysis is based broadly on half
internal and half external factors. A PEST analysis measures a market; a SWOT analysis
measures a business unit, a proposition or idea. PEST is almost entirely based on external
factors, so ensure at least some members of each team have knowledge of, or are able to
consider, the PEST factors if you intend using this exercise. PEST is a good exercise for
marketing people, and is good for encouraging a business developmant, market orientated
outlook among all staff. If you want to use PEST with staff who are not naturally
externally focused you can have them do some research and preparation in advance of the
exercise. As with the SWOT exercise, it's important to clarify the subject of the/each
analysis.

'my pet hate' exercise (for rapport-building, empathy,

facilitative questioning, active reflective listening,
interpretation, personal development)
An innovative and effective team building exercise for training and practising active and
reflective listening skills, empathy, and facilitative questioning. Also a great team activity
for personal development and personal problem solving. For groups of six or more in
teams of three or pairs.

Ask each delegate to think of a situation or person that they find extremely difficult or
frustrating. The situation can be from work or home life, but nothing so personal as to
cause discomfort when revealed to others. Guide delegates also to avoid criticism of other
people who might be part of identified frustrations, whether these people are present or
not.

For teams of three, the first person is the interviewer, second person is as interviewee,
and third is observer. The first person in each team has 5 minutes (facilitator can allow
longer, depending on total exercise time available, group size and desired intensity) to
question the second person about the second person's difficulty or frustration. The first
person should use rapport-building and empathy, sensitive facilitative questioning, active
listening, reflective listening, and interpretation skills, to encourage and enable the
second person to explain how they feel, why they feel like it, what are the causes and
what might be the remedies, plus any other points of relevance. The second person should
try to respond naturally to the interviewer. The group then reconvenes and the first person
from each team must then briefly (max 2-3 mins) describe, explain and summarise to the
group the second person's difficult situation. The second person from each team then
gives feedback to the group (including to their interviewer) as to the accuracy of the
interpretation and the quality of the interviewing (rapport-building, facilitative
questioning, active listening, reflection, interpretation and empathy) used by the first
person. The third person observer of each team then provides a brief neutral overview
comment, if required and helpful. When each team has completed these stages, rotate the
roles and run the exercise again, so that each person plays the interviewer, interviewee
and observer.

This exercise can also be run in pairs, without the third-person observers, which is
appropriate for small groups of 4-8 people, or if the time available for the exercise doesn't
allow three rotations of the team roles. Use the review sheet to provide a break-it-down
structure for feedback and review. For odd numbers of groups the facilitator can take part
to make teams numbers equal, which is important so as to avoid creating 'passengers'
(inactive team members) at any stage.

Training and review elements of the exercise (optional use of training element review
sheet):

1. rapport building and empathy (intuitive sensitive style)

2. facilitative questioning
3. active/reflective listening
4. accuracy of interpretation and description

Exercise duration and activity options typically:

 • Facilitator's introduction and explanation, in use of training element review sheet
- 5 mins
• Optional brainstorm of review elements - 5 mins
• First interviews in teams of three - 5 mins
• Summaries to group and feedback - number of teams x 3 mins
• Second interviews in teams of three - 5 mins
• Summaries to group and feedback - number of teams x 3 mins
• Third interviews in teams of three - 5 mins
• Summaries to group and feedback - number of teams x 3 mins
• Final group review of activities and experiences - 5-30 mins depending on
exercise depth and intensity requirement
• Optional review of personal actions arising - 5 mins (defer major issues outside
exercise session)
• Total exercise time nominally 30-45 mins plus 3 mins for each interview
summary = total delegates x 3 mins, ie., a group size of fifteen in teams of three
will take a total of 75-90 mins.

If the exercise is run in pairs without observers the third round of interviews and
summaries is obviously not required.

smartie hunt game (team building, ice-breakers, warm-

ups, leadership, delegation, fun)
A fun game for a team building ice-breaker or training warm-up, for leadership and team
motivation, and a great party game for kids or adults. This activity is also a great leveller
and funny to play and observe. For groups of ten to thirty or so people, dependent on the
room size. Split the group into two or more teams - ideally 5-7 per team - and have each
group appoint a leader, which can - if helpful - be the least confident, most junior
member of each team (leadership in this game is fun, and should help build confidence
and status of the leader). Before the session hide the contents of a tube of smarties sweets
(or a box, depending on team numbers and game duration) around the room. Write down
on separate pieces of paper the names of as many animals as there are team members (or
children if its a kid's party). Animals should be those associated with recognizable noises,
eg., pig, horse, cow, donkey, snake, duck, chicken, monkey, frog, etc., although for an
adults party, for extra fun, you can include one or two animals for which no recognizable
sound is commonly known, eg., platypus, armadillo, hamster, etc. (For very large groups
you can double the number of available animals by prefacing each one 'little'/'large', or
'mummy'/'daddy', and stipulate that the noises should differ accordingly - high and low of
course...) First have each team member take a piece of paper which shows the animal
they are to play in the game. The object of the game is for team members to find the
hidden smarties, and direct their leader to them by making their own animal noise
(actions are entirely optional in this game, also great fun and virtually inevitable). The
team leader who collects the most smarties wins the game for their team. Team leaders
are not permitted to look for smarties. Team leaders are not permitted to follow the
sounds of animals belonging to other teams, but opposing team members are permitted to
follow sounds of animals of other teams, and then to make their own noises on seeing the
smarties. This great game requires leaders to remember which animals are in their teams,
so a minute can be permitted for this before starting the game. You can also allow a
couple of minutes for teams to prepare game tactics, although this is not essential. Give a
time limit - 5-10 minutes is fine - as smartie hunts are tricky to predict. The use of
smarties provides a good link to the SMART and SMARTER acronyms relating to task
delegation. As an alternative to smarties sweets you can use M&Ms instead, which link
well to the 3M mnemonic or MMM acronym: measurable, manageable, motivational,
defining the essential elements of any contracted arrangement or delegated task (see the
acronyms and delegation free materials).

tattoo game (relationships, attitudes and behaviour

perceptions)
A game for dinner parties or team building and bonding, however this game is definitely
not an activity for particularly sensitive people as it involves revealing personal
information, and entails discussion of potentially personal feelings and perceptions. Seek
all team members' agreement before playing this game. This exercise can be used for fun
and relationship-building, or to highlight and challenge assumptions and pre-conceived
judgement about people, class, background, stereotypes, etc. You can develop different
games ideas around this exercise depending on the type of party game or team building
activity required (and the level of intimacy welcomed by the group), based on the game
as follows: ask team members to write down secretly on a piece of paper each whether
they have any tattoos on any part of their body, or for more daring groups or party games,
a description of the tattoos and their locations. (The amount of detail to be given is a
variable factor of the game and must always be subject to agreement by the delegates.)
Team members then fold their pieces of paper and put each into a container to prevent
cheating. Group members then take turns to pick one of the folded pieces of paper and
guess who it belongs to. Team members should read out what's written on the paper and
explain their thought process (which obviously raises points for comment and reaction
during or after the guessing game). If the person guesses correctly, the paper is removed,
if not, it is placed back into the container. Points can be awarded for correct guesses
and/or to team members incorrectly matched to tattoos. For groups of up to seven the
guessing stage of the game is best played by individuals; groups of eight and over can be
split into two teams for the guessing stage of the game, in which case members of the
guessing team are not allowed to admit or deny ownership of the description. Team
members should also be instructed to disguise handwriting, and to use the same sort of
pen or pencil, to avoid giving clues. Allowance also needs to be made for team members
having visible or known tattoos, the simplest rule being to disregard these tattoos. For the
same reason team members selecting a description that they know already (of a friend for
instance) should return the piece of paper to the container without revealing its contents
and pick another. The point of the game is not the score or who wins, it is the speculation
and guessing, and the ensuing discussion and reaction, particularly people's reactions
when being matched incorrectly, and correctly, to particular tattoos. For more
adventurous activities and variations to this game you can extend the exercise to include
body piercings, which, like tattoos, for the purpose of the game, should not be known or
visible. N.B. Tattoos and piercings are actually a serious and fascinating aspect of human
behaviour, culture and evolution, and have featured in one form or another across most
civilizations throughout the history of human-kind; in a games context the subject can
produce lively and enlightening debate. (As with all of these games on this team building
page please read carefully the disclaimer below - if in doubt about any team member's
vulnerability or sensitivity to any team building game or activity, don't use it.)

the 'prisoner's dilemma' win-win game (based on the

'prisoner's dilemma' puzzle, for team building, and
team-working, co-operation skills)
Use this exercise for a great team building game, and to demonstrate the value of
cooperation. Run the exercise as it appears on the sheet or adapt it to suit your situation
(change values and numbers etc, etc). Here's a free 'prisoner's dilemma' win-win game
sheet and scorecard (pdf) and the same game sheet/scorecard in MSWord format which
you can amend to suit your needs.

Ideally split the group into two teams of up to five per team (larger teams require leaders
to avoid chaos or disaffected passengers). The teams must select simply either 'defect' or
'co-operate' in each round. Scoring is based on the selections of both teams. The point of
the game is to game is to demonstrate that poor co-operation leads to winners and losers,
and ultimately everyone loses as a result of retaliation. When the teams decide to
cooperate, everyone wins. The facilitator acts as the 'banker'. Use this free team building
exercise with groups sizes from four (in which case the 'teams' would be pairs), up to
twenty or more, or split teams into pairs and have them play separately. For details and
examples of the prisoner's dilemma look at the puzzles section.

More guidance for playing the prisoner's dilemma game:

• The game is better with two teams, but it will work with several teams - adapt the
sheet and scoring accordingly.
• The game sheet that is available as a pdf or MSWord file is all you need to give to
the teams.
• The only 'question' each round for each team is to decide whether to 'defect' or
'cooperate'.
• If delegates want to start with an imaginery 'float', rather than having to
contemplate being in debt, you can agree a small credit balance for each team.
 • The point of course is that if all teams cooperate they will beat the banker, but it
takes a while for them to realise this - so don't tell them before hand, just explain
the scoring system and tell them the point is to accumulate as much 'money' as
possible - teams then tend to defect and try to win at the other team's expense,
which in turn causes relatiation, which produces unsustainable losses.
• For background reference, read the explanation of the prisoner's dilemma on the
complex puzzles page.
• Use the game sheet (pdf or MSWord format - also available from the free
resources section) - one game sheet per team - make sure all team members can
see it - if necessary issue copy-sheets or show the sheet on a screen.
• The facilitator should practice the game first with individuals (eg family
members) playing the part of the teams, so you see how it works.
• In early rounds make sure that teams do not reveal their selection to other teams
until they all show their selection at the same time - the best way is have them
write down on a sheet of paper and then all show together, or for them to hold up
a pre-prepared 'defect' or 'cooperate' card, simultaneously, when the facilitator
says to. As the game progresses allow teams to confer if they ask to.
• The facilitator needs to keep the score for all the teams on a flip-chart or
equivalent.
• The game ends when the teams get the point and are all cooperating every round,
which will beat the banker.

team-building workshops (for team building, change

management, performance management, creativity,
train-the-trainer, problem solving, process
development, etc)
Workshops are a wonderful way to motivate and focus teams, as well as breaking down
barriers, and developing performance, confidence and achievement. Workshops are also
ideal for teams and groups who might resist or feel uncomfortable with games or
activities too far removed from their normal work. Workshops can be very quick, and
integrate well within routine team meetings. Workshops also help establish new leaders
into teams whether established or newly formed. The participative aspect of workshops
make them highly effective team building activities. As ever, for any training session,
workshops need clear aims be established and agreed, and the session to be clearly
planned and managed, with useful, relevant outputs, which can be coached later through
implementation. More details about workshops, and a sample format for a 1-2 hour
session are on the workshop section.
up in the air (for team building, handling change, team
development, teamwork, listening skills, illustrating the
training and learning process, and more)
You can use this game to support the training of any new task, particularly if delegates
feel unsure about their ability to learn the new task and apply it along with existing
activities. The game works extremely well, and trainees love it because it's different and
fun. This exercise will also help participants understand and deal with that uncomfortable
feeling when they join a new team, experience change within their own team, or are
forced to adjust to a change in procedure or policies. It emphasises the understanding of
'what is now new and will soon become the normal' and helps demonstrate how the
transition from new to normal can flow naturally. Amongst other things, use this great
team building game to develop multi-tasking ability, eg., for people who are unsure of
their ability to talk to customers and work on the computer at the same time. This game is
also ideal as a warm-up for training sessions or courses because it helps delegates
remember the names of other people in the group.

How it works: A group of 6 to 20 stand in a circle facing each other. The facilitator must
participate as well. The facilitator explains to the group that they will call out a person's
name and toss a ball (such as a stress ball or juggling ball - any soft object actually, even
fruit or cuddly toys will suffice) to the named person. That person must then call out
another person's name in the circle (who has not yet had the object tossed to them) and
then throw the object to that person. This continues until everyone in the circle has
thrown and caught the object. The facilitator must explain to the group that each person
must remember their catcher. When the object has been thrown to everyone in the group,
the ball returns to the facilitator, and is then thrown around the circle again, in the same
order as before. This cycle continues until the facilitator is happy that the whole group is
comfortable with the exercise. (You'll know this because people are actually listening for
their name to be called out and catching the object.)

When the group is competent with the first ball, the facilitator introduces a second ball
(or suitable object), which must follow the same order as the first, so that two objects are
being passed around the group. When competence is reached with the two objects, a third
is introduced, and still, every thrower must announce the name of the catcher before
throwing.

And so on. At some stage between three objects and saturation point (ie as many objects
being passed as people in the group - it's up to the facilitator) without warning the
facilitator instructs the group to begin tossing the objects in the REVERSE order (ie.,
catchers call out names of, and throw to, the people who previously threw to them. Chaos
at first, but all great fun, and gradually people learn, which after all, is the point of the
game.

Points to review: How did you feel when the exercise began? After you reached a
comfort level with the task, how did you feel when more objects were added? How soon
did you achieve comfort level when new objects were introduced, and did this timescale
change for each new object? Did anyone in the team begin encouraging or helping others
by telling them to just focus on the person tossing the object to them? When we had the
major change of reversing the order the object was tossed, did you expect it? How did
you handle it? Did the group eventually perform well at it and get a constant flow of
objects in the air? You will think of more questions to ask and points to review,
especially when seeing the game played. (Ack. Tori Sarmiento)

team jenga and reverse jenga (team building,

leadership, tactics, planning)
Jenga is the traditional wooden-block tower de-construction game, table-top version or
giant garden outdoors size. In teams of between two and six, play it normally (removing
blocks, each team taking turns to remove a block until it collapses) or in reverse (building
it up, taking it in turns, keeping to a specified pattern or set of rules, again until it
collapses). You can use other suitable building blocks or materials in the absence of
Jenga (snack-size chocolate bars are good). With larger teams (four or more) allow some
planning time for tactics and leadership issues to be developed, and review afterwards
accordingly.

who am i ?
Lots of variations to this one: Can be played individually or in teams. A card on is taped
onto the player's forehead showing everyone the name written on it. The player with the
card on his/her forehead (who does not know the name on the card) must then ask closed
questions (requiring only 'yes' or 'no' answers) to establish his/her identity. The method of
creating name-cards is flexible: the facilitator can prepare in advance, or have the group
think of names and create cards, based on any theme that's appropriate, including work
colleagues, or even the session group members themselves. Using names of work-
colleagues and group members adds a fascinating dimension, (relationships, reputations,
perceptions, emotions), so needs sensitive facilitation and review.

tyre game
A wonderful team building game for teams of ideally 10 to 15 persons, although a
minimum of six people per team will work, and actually there is no upper limit per team -
it depends on space, and how much emphasis is placed on the planning stage. Total group
size is therefore as many 10-15 person teams that the space will accommodate, which
also makes this team building exercise terrific for conferences and warm-ups of very
large groups. You'll need two bicycle tyres, with different tread patterns, for each team.
Organize each team into a circle, with the team members' hands tightly clasped. The tyres
are introduced by the facilitator at opposite points of the circle by unclasping hands of
two members and hanging the tyres on the arms, which should then be joined again by
clasping their hands. The object of the game is for the team to pass each tyre in a
different direction around the circle, involving two crossings of the tyres, and then
finishing with each tyre at its starting position. The team which finishes first wins the
game. Hands must not be unclasped, and thumbs cannot be used to support or move the
tyres. Allow ten minutes planning and thinking time, (or for very large teams where a
warm-up only is required, give instructions so that the game can start immediately).
Obviously the game must start at the same time for each team. The trick is for the tyre to
be moved up the arm, over the head, down the body, at which point the person steps out
of the tyre, one leg after the other, and the tyre continues down the other arm to the next
team member. The stepping manoeuvre when two tyres cross is the most difficult and
requires some agility, so the planning and team selection is potentially very important.
NB As a facilitator you must practice this game before using in a team building or
conference situation, to prepare for questions and to demonstrate, if required.

Here are the typical review points for the tyre game team building exercise, usually based
on the performance of the winning team:

• The team understands the task and aim of the team building game.
• The circle of people develops into a team with a common objective.
• Technique to achieve task is discovered and refined by 'storming' (see the
Tuckman team development model).
• A team leader emerges.
• Practice (essential) develops technique and plan.
• The leader's role becomes stronger as the team develops.
• Difficulties are ironed out.
• Resources (people) are reorganized.
• Right person for the right job (notably for the two crossing points)
• Training and practice are carried out.
• The team becomes increasingly motivated to perform.
• Performance improves, excels, achieves and wins.

(With thanks to Lt Col Ajay Ukidve (retired), Victory Associates, Pune, India)

table quiz
It's very easy to create a simple quiz - base it on a theme or general knowledge - which
can be use for teams or pairs in competition. See the Big Boys Toys table quiz as an
example of a themed quiz, available as a pdf download (Ack. J Hespe). See also the
puzzles section for quiz questions. The Big Boys Toys table quiz can be given as a
competitive exercise between teams lasting 20-30 minutes plus 10 minutes to review, or
as a quiz to be worked on in breaks or overnight as light relief. Prizes always increase
team-building value and enthusiasm.

Here's a free quick trivia quiz in MSWord.

spaghetti and marshmallow towers

For a variation on the newspaper construction theme....... Issue spaghetti (raw uncooked)
and marshmallows to groups of 4-5, and give them 15-30 minutes to build the highest
structure in the room (or a widest bridge or tallest arch, etc - whatever the facilitator
decides). A really different fun exercise for team-building, motivation and illustrating
many management and organizational principles. Exercise duration, amount of materials
allocated, group sizes, and whether to appoint team leaders are all flexible aspects of this
wonderful game. Excellent for jaded business-people, young people and schools. The
review afterwards can focus on a wide range of issues - team-building, motivation, time-
management, organization, systems, planning, communication, resources, research and
development, etc. If you use this exercise to illustrate a particular aspect - eg
communication - it is helpful for the delegates to discuss and highlight some of the
essential points in the pre-exercise brief, which provides a useful framework for the
review. These unusual materials can also be used instead of construction kits for the
organizational modelling exercise below. (Thanks Kathi Bogue)

Look at the newspaper construction games which provide other ideas for using these
materials in construction exercises, although I should point out that marshmallows are not
a particularly good weight-bearing material, and also are not ideal in very hot conditions,
unless getting messy is part of the fun.

See also the ideas for working with aluminium baking foil in the baking foil games on the
other team building page.

delegate introductions
A very easy warm-up to relax everyone - whether the delegates know each other or not
(surprisingly this is often more fun when they do - and if they don't they'll appreciate the
opportunity to meet and get to know each other early on). This will also take the early
pressure off you as the facilitator by having them do some of the work. Ask the delegates
to pair up - you can simply suggest the person sitting next to themselves, or something
more active, like finding someone with the same colour hair, or same height, or same
colour eyes, anything appropriate for the group. Then ask each person briefly to interview
the other person (say three mins each), and then everyone to present the other person to
the audience, again briefly, say a minute each. This is much more dynamic than simply
asking everyone to introduce themselves. If necessary give people pointers as to what
they should be finding out about the other person (eg - job, home-life, likes, dislikes,
hobbies, why they are there, etc). You can also say that after the exercise that everyone
will have achieved useful experiences and developed useful skills, ie, questioning,
listening, interpreting and then (scary for some) speaking to an audience of strangers.
These aspects of communicating are usually consistent with at least one theme of the day,
so is a relevant and helpful way to start any training session.

the golf-ball shaker (for creativity and ice-breaking)

The exercise is great for beginning any creative session as it gets people thinking and
working outside of their known area. It's also a good warm-up for any situation as it gets
people participating, smiling and laughing. It's best done by individuals, although for a
large group it can be done in pairs. Ask the delegates first to design a shoe - any shoe -
making a sketch in 30 seconds. Displaying and reviewing quickly all the ideas is an
important part of the exercise so have the delegates draw on acetate for an overhead
projector, or make a large drawing on a flipchart sheet, using coloured fibre-tip pens.
Quickly review each of the designs. There are no right or wrong answers - the likelihood
is that most people's shoe designs will all be similar and certainly resembling styles
available in the high street, which is because they are thinking about a concept that
already firmly exists - people mostly will be accessing memory and experience rather
than truly creating. Next ask each delegate or pair to design an electric heater, again in 30
seconds. Review each design quickly. This time there will be some quite different
designs - again no right or wrong answers - the purpose is to show that with less well-
defined pre-conceptions the ideas will be slightly fresher and a lot more varied. Finally
ask each of the pairs or delegates to design a 'golf-ball shaker' - give no other explanation
(what the hell is a golf-ball shaker?.....) - again give 30 seconds for the task. Review the
designs and marvel at the range of interpretations and ideas. The ideas necessarily are
more creative and innovative because there are no pre-conceptions or existing products in
the delegates' minds. The exercise is liberating and enjoyable, particularly when the ideas
are reviewed. You can add more intrigue to the exercise by asking the delegates to guess
who is responsible for each design, which highlights the aspect of personal flair and style
in design and creativity. (Ack. Tony Wills).

round tables (for delegation, leadership, team building)

Split the group into three teams of five. Around the room (or building) put five tables and
on each table put three sets of materials and instructions for a task - use things like
newspaper bridge building, newspaper towers, playing card sorting, anything that's
complex enough to create a delegation challenge for a team of four plus leader (lots of
ideas for the tasks appear below).

The game is a contest (or time-based race, depending on the scoring system you prefer to
use) between the three teams to complete all five table tasks in turn, only moving from
one to the next when each task is completed, or when time is elapsed.

Every team member takes it in turn to lead their own team and delegate the task activities
as the team moves from table to table. While leading, the leaders are not permitted to take
part in the task other than speak to their team members.

To prepare, you need three sets of five task materials/instructions. Each exercise should
have a time limit (up to you), and there needs to be a clearly understood scoring system
for each task (easiest would be simply 3pts for winner, 2pts for 2nd and 1pt for 3rd).

As the judge, you reserve the right to deduct penalty points for transgressions (eg leaders
participating, or tasks being incomplete or running over time). There needs to be a clear
way to measure the performance of each team for each task, so there can be a clear result
at the end. The extent to which relative performance is visible to all teams at the time of
doing the tasks is up to you - it's a variable factor that changes the nature of the activity
(the less visible the performance the more test for the leader as to what's required to win)
- some tasks could be clearly visible (eg., tower height), others might only be revealed at
the end of the whole activity (eg playing card sorting). Tasks don't all need to be physical
construction. Tasks can be varied, including mental (eg puzzles) or creative (finding
things out), and they don't necessarily need to be done at the table (teams might be
required to go off in search of things in the building - information, or obscure items, like
a mini-treasure hunt). The tables need only be the base points for each task, where the
leader gets the task instructions.

Prior to the activity you should brainstorm with the whole group the relevant
skills/aspects that will be useful in the whole activity, eg: establishing who's good at
what, timing, resource planning, clear instructions, etc. Use these points as a basis for
review afterwards.

After the activity review with participants how they felt when being delegated to do
things - motivation, consultation, participation, encouragement, clarity of instructions,
style of leadership, etc.

Also review experience of the leaders - what was difficult, what could be improved, why
some things are more difficult to delegate than others.

Refer to the notes on delegation and issue these guidelines before or after exercise.
maslow ads (Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and
motivation)
In pairs or threes, or brainstorm with a whole group, ask for examples of Maslow's
Hierarchy of Needs motivators in advertising. Ask for explanations as well. You can
issue several glossy magazines and/or show videos, or simply ask for examples. Here are
some pointers:

1. Biological and Physiological needs - wife/child-abuse help-lines, social security

benefits, Samaritans, roadside recovery.
2. Safety needs - home security products (alarms, etc), house an contents insurance,
life assurance, schools.
3. Belongingness and Love needs - dating and match-making services, chat-lines,
clubs and membership societies, MacDonald, 'family' themes like the old style
Oxo stock cube ads.
4. Esteem needs - cosmetics, fast cars, home improvements, furniture, fashion
clothes, drinks, lifestyle products and services.
5. Self-Actualization needs - Open University, and that's about it; little else in
mainstream media because only 2% of population are self-actualizes, so they
don't constitute a very big part of the mainstream market.

organizational modelling exercises (to prompt thought

and debate about organizational structure and
communications)
Split the group into threes or fours. Issue each team with a good quantity of components
from a particular toy construction kit (Lego, Stickle Bricks, K'nex, or similar - each team
need not have the same as each other). The task for each team is to create a model which
represents the organization that they work for, including other parts of the organization
relevant to service delivery or product manufacture. The models require thought and
discussion about structure, relationships, departments, co-operation, dependencies,
isolation, etc., which can then be reviewed by the whole group when complete. It's a very
enjoyable exercise, illuminating for all, and an ideal prompt to debate and develop
solutions for improving organizational effectiveness, systems and communications.

You can also use baking foil for this exercise. (The activity is on page two of these
teambuilding exercise ideas)

agenda wall (barriers to team working)

This exercise illustrates the importance of having a clear collective aim for any group,
and how poorly a team or organization functions when individuals (or teams within the
whole) have different aims within it. The parameters of the exercise can easily be
changed according to group numbers. For large groups create pairs or threes to work
together. Issue the group a box of toy building blocks, such as Lego, with various
different bricks (colour, length, features, etc). The group task is to build a wall of certain
dimensions (you as the facilitator state height and width according to time and group
numbers). Issue each group member (or pair or threesome) with their own 'hidden
agenda', which they must keep secret and try to achieve. The hidden agendas can be
anything that conflicts with other hidden agendas, which will create conflict while the
main task of building the wall is under way. Check that each hidden agenda is possible,
albeit at the expense of other agendas. Here are some examples of hidden agendas to
issue. It's easy to think of others when you have all the bricks in front of you.

• ensure there are three red bricks on each row

• ensure no red brick touches a yellow one
• ensure a blue brick touches a yellow brick on each row
• ensure every row contains two yellow bricks
• ensure there is a vertical line of touching white bricks, one block wide, from top
to bottom
• ensure no row contains more than three different coloured bricks
• ensure one row contains only single blocks (no doubles or trebles etc)
• ensure every row contains at least one double-block brick

(Adapted from a suggestion by Ruth Fradenburg)

fun and games with video (for team building and any
other subjects)
Video is a great team building and training medium if you use it creatively - not off-the-
shelf stuff which rarely works for specific situations. Instead use home-recorded video to
provide you with unlimited interesting subject matter for exercises, role-plays and
reviews, it's much more fun.

For instance - record on video some scenes with a suitable number of characters (relative
to your team sizes) from famous TV soaps (especially amusing ones with amusing
characters). Then have two teams recreate the scene(s) incorporating your own key
messages or products. Alternatively have the teams critique the behaviour according to
the theme or message of your session.

Using brainstorming before a review or critique session is a great way to establish a

common approach and understanding towards the points for review and why. This saves
you as the facilitator having to do a lot of detailed preparation on the points to review -
get the team doing it instead as they'll learn more that way. A proforma tool which will
help you and the team establish and then refer to the points for review is available on the
free resources page.

Also, video some TV adverts (good and bad) and have each team critique them,
brainstorm first the points you want to look for and review, eg., the AIDCA format (see
acronyms), image, style, relevance to target audience, likely effectiveness or otherwise,
'feel', etc.

Also, video some scenes from the TV show 'The Office' or another show featuring inept
workplace behaviour (the funnier and worse the better) and have teams critique the
behaviour from different aspects, eg Action Centered Leadership, Tannenbaum and
Schmidt, motivation (eg. XY/Herzberg) leadership, culture, quality, Emotional
Intelligence (EQ), Transactional Analysis, etc.

Make sure you establish the review points and then use a review sheet to focus on, to
manage and get the best out of the review or critique session.

Using video in this way creates a lot of fun and interest for any team building or training
session - there's so much you can do with this approach, and it's simple and very
inexpensive.

variables and values (negotiation game)

Two teams - have each team identify as many tradable variables (concessions - real and
perceived) that exist within your product/service offering. You can extent the exercise by
asking the teams next to give real and perceived values to each concession. Also to
identify actual costs to your organization for each. You can award a prize to the member
of each member of the winning team, and maybe a special prize to whoever thinks up the
best variable with the lowest cost and highest perceived value.

sweet traders (negotiation game)

Teams of three - each given an equal amount (as many as you like) of at least six
different types of sweets and/or chocolate snack bars - wrapped preferable or things get a
bit sticky - each type of sweet has a value (eg 1pt, 2 pts, 3 pts, 4 pts, etc.). Devise a
complicated scoring system - something that really makes people think and has many
different possible winning combinations, Eg., bonus points for sets of all one sort. Bonus
points for collections containing one of each, two of each, three of each, etc., bonus
points for biggest collection compared to other teams, etc. Teams must trade with each
other to collect the highest value collection. The purpose is to illustrate need for planning
and trading, and continual search for new ideas and agreements. See how enthusiastically
people plan and how actively they trade - imagine if this dynamism were applied to
business.... (Eating the sweets during the exercise is strictly forbidden and carries a
penalty of 1 million points)

pit (negotiation game, team building, or for warm-ups,

ice-breakers)
The PIT! trading card game - based on collecting a set of the same sort of cards -
normally based on the commodities exchange - wheat, barley, rye etc., If you can get
hold of the game itself do try it, instead but you can base the game cards on anything,
even your own products. Cards need plain backs so value/type can be hidden during
trading. Individuals or teams of three (better). You need 8-12 cards of as many types as
there are teams or individuals (Eg if you have six teams, you'll need six sets of cards, say
ten of each = 60 cards total). The game needs at least five separate playing individuals or
teams. Shuffle cards and distribute evenly. Players swap cards 'blind' (by shouting how
many they wish to swap - not showing or revealing what type of cards they wish to swap
or acquire) - equal quantities of the same sort of card for each trade, which produces
chaotic and enjoyable trading as players hold cards aloft shouting 'two, two,' or 'three,
three', etc, (being the number of cards they are wishing to swap). Winner is first team to
collect all same cards. Illustrates principle of trading, rather than simply giving away
(concessions, discounts, etc). Also demonstrates enthusiasm and determination, which
hopefully can be applied to business. Large teams will need leaders, and so can be used
as a leadership development exercise, including the need for planning, checking and
communication. Teams will sometimes cheat - swapping cards of mixed varieties - which
is technically not allowed, but the strcitness of this rule is up to the facilitator. Use this
point also to illustrate importance of integrity - teams and players will be reluctant to
trade with people who cheat. Also, cheating in this game can create a cliamte in which
other teams begin to cheat as well, with chaotic results.

bop it (communications, team building, warm-ups, etc)

'Bop-it Extreme' is a terrific hand-held game that was
primarily designed as a children's toy, but it's great
fun and extremely challenging for grown-ups too.

You hold it like a steering wheel and wait for the

robotic voice to shout instructions, to 'flick it', 'twist
it', 'spin it', 'pull it', or 'bop it', while a rhythmic drum
beat marks the time allowed. If you get it wrong or
are late, it tells you how many times you got it right -
it speeds up so the challenge never ends.

Bop-it Extreme is great for team warm-ups, and for

contests between individuals or teams, and for
demonstrating how the brain doesn't always do what
you want it to, especially under pressure. It's
available from any big toystore and various online
suppliers. Cost around £20 or $30. It's utterly
addictive so beware...

bidding game
Announce to two or more people that you will auction a £20 note to the highest bidder.
The only rule is that the unsuccessful lowest bidder will have to pay you their bid. The
bidders will start off low - maybe at just a penny or two. As they progress higher the
awful trap starts to emerge - but there is nothing they can do about it: no-one wants to
lose and have to pay a few pounds and watch someone else get the prize for a lot less
than it's worth. And so it goes. Eventually you see (if they haven't run away) the
ludicrous spectacle of people bidding higher than the face value of the note. Of course,
the only winning first bid (and this is a good lesson on greed in any aspect of life) is
£19.99... (thanks Rupert Stubbs)

silent touch (listening skills, communications)

If you want something a bit different, here's a great quick one for highlighting and
developing non-verbal awareness.

Each delegate does this in turn:

One person (the 'touchee') stands against a wall facing it. The rest of the group, one by
one, walks up to the person, places a hand on their shoulder and says their name (the
toucher's name not the touchee). The person being touched must not look around to see
the toucher. Then repeat the exercise using a different order for the touchers, this time
without saying their names (you may need to point to people to control the order).

The person being touched has to use their various senses more acutely to guess the
identity of each toucher (the 'feel' of the shoulder-touch, maybe smell, the sound of the
approach, etc.)

You must explain to the whole group the whole exercise before it starts. You must
instruct everyone not to disguise the spoken touch or the silent touch. The 'winner' is the
person who guesses most of the silent touches, which means you need to keep a tally of
each 'touchee's' correct silent guesses.

Review and discuss only after everyone has had their turn as the 'touchee', otherwise
clues will surface and benefit the later touchees. When reviewing you can refer people to
brain types and styles, and particularly right-side brain strengths, which generally enable
greater sensitivity and awareness for this type of exercise. See the Benziger theory.
(Thanks Chris Baker)

nail puzzle (team building, problem solving, lateral

thinking)
This fantastic puzzle makes a great quick warm-up or teaser for a whole group or for
teams to solve. Details on the puzzles page. Also a great puzzle for reinforcing any idea
or training that involves a theme of 'nailing' something or 'hitting the nail on the head' - ie
emphasising the need to be very specific.

memory exercises (team building, questioning,

information gathering)
Show a picture for a minute with lots going on in it - big comic book cartoons are ideal -
and then ask different questions about what was in the picture (eg what animal was to the
left of the camel?, what colour was the teacher's tie?, etc). A great variation on this is to
have each team to think of a certain number of questions to ask the other teams. Teams
get points for correct answers and for other teams failing to answer.

Put about 20-30 household items on a tray and let people memorise them for a minute,
then have them jot down all they can remember within a time-limit, say 5 minutes.

Draw some geometric/coloured shapes and do the same as above.

Do the same with long numbers.

speed games (team building, mental ability)

Traditional games 'speed versions' - time-limit draughts (chequers) - points for pieces
captured, speed chess - the winner is one to achieve check-mate or take most pieces
(different pieces are worth different points) within a time limit. 'Connect-4' and
'Mastermind' colour or number versions work well too. These are all great mental
challenge games that can be played by individuals or teams, and against the clock if you
introduce a suitable scoring system. Look at the boxed board games and card games ideas
page for more 'speed games' ideas.

sycamore seed game (creativity, team building, problem

solving)
Design and demonstrate a 'wing' or 'spinner' which stays in the air for the longest time
when dropped from a specified height (a sycamore seed is a great example to show after
the exercise to demonstrate a lateral thinking approach). Issue just a small sheet of paper.
Teams of three or pairs are best.

Alternative version is to make a paper aeroplane which glides the furthest from a
specified height, with or without push start (depends on room size). Time allowed can be
as little as 3 minutes, but it's better with 10-15 so that it brings in a planning element.

the paper girder (team building, planning, organizing,

creativity, problem solving)
Using one sheet of A4 paper and an item issued for a weight (eg a small coin), make the
longest horizontal extension from the edge of the table, to support a paper-clip at its end
(attached or hung within the final ½inch of the end of the girder). The measurement will
be the horizontal distance from the tip of the girder to the table edge. Scissors, knives or
moistening the paper are not allowed. Teams of three are ideal. Again, time allowed can
be as little as 3 minutes, but it's better with 10-15 mins to bring in a planning element.
playing card sorting (team building, planning,
organizing, creativity, problem solving)
Issue one, two or even three packs of cards to each team (teams of three best). Mix up all
the cards in each team's pack(s). Aim is to sort into packs and suits fastest (display face
up on table). Be aware that if packs are of different designs you will need to state whether
these need sorting too, which obviously increases difficulty. Teams of three and upwards.
Great for organization, especially if large team sizes are possible.

more free activities and ideas here

bigger team building games and exercises

clay islands (team-building, team-working, planning,
negotiation inter-personal skills, creativity, problem-
solving and more)
A wonderful hands-on team exercise that takes people way outside their normal work
comfort zones. It's always different, is full of learning and development, and always a lot
of fun. Group sizes of 6-8 people work well, 8 is ideal. Smaller group sizes of 3-5 will
work, but produce less team dynamics and inter-action than with larger groups. It's best
with three or more groups, but possible with two. Issue each team with a football-sized
lump of clay (the type used for making pottery, available from craft and educational
suppliers), and a suitable flat board or tray on which to work. Clay modelling implements
are optional.

The task for each group is to create an island, which the groups themselves are to imagine
they inhabit, which they will model with the clay. Instruct the groups that for the first two
parts of the exercise the members within each group are to not allowed to speak to each
other. Give 10 minutes for the first two 'silent' parts of the exercise:

1. Ask the groups to create the geographical features of the island e.g. cliffs, rivers,
inlets/harbours, mountains etc.
2. Ask them to create shelter for themselves individually eg., a house, a cave, a
mansion, a hut.
After these two activities have been done in silence, allow the members of each group to
speak within their own group while creating their own island 'community', which can be
scheduled to go on for 15-30 minutes. Suggest elements that need to be discussed and
established as to how their island operates and what constitutes the 'community' (some of
which may be modeled, others not) such as health care, education, commerce, defence,
food production, transport, infrastructure, governing structure, decision-making process,
etc - all to be discussed and developed by the group. The group is of course the 'ruling
council' for their own island, and they have the opportunity to define how they will work
together, including issues of leadership and decision-making, etc.

Observing all of this experiential development produces excellent data for review
afterwards with the group, and is particularly useful for training and development
concerning gender, leadership styles, decision-making, personality types, team-working,
etc.

After a further 15-30 minutes tell them there are other islands (they'll probably know of
course, but hitherto will not have given a thought to any islands other than their own).
Tell them that they are not obliged or required to do anything about the other islands - it's
up to each group what they do. Typically the groups will want to take action of some sort,
whether to trade, attack, make friends - whatever.

Again this leads to all kinds of experiences within the group and between groups, which
should be noted by the facilitator(s) for use later in the review.

The exercise needs to be given a finish time or it could go on indefinitely. There is no

winner and no stipulated objectives for individuals, groups, islands - it's meant to be very
open, which enables the relationships, cultures, systems and styles, etc., to develop very
freely.

The review can be conducted in various ways - group presentations, individual

presentations, group discussion, personal experiences 'felt' by people; focus on certain
headings: leadership, decision-making, communications within and outside of the island
groups, good planning, bad planning, issues of morality and integrity, island cultures; the
list obviously is very long, and the extent to which groups are focused on these issues
before and during the exercise is flexible and up to the facilitator.

Using clay is messy, so make sure people have aprons and somewhere to wash. The use
of such an unusual material provides excellent motivation and interest - working with
clay is a very 'earthy' and basic activity and people do not often have the chance to play
with it. It does add another dimension.

This exercise works particularly well as an evening activity on a residential course.

As a guide, allow at least an hour for the exercise and 30 minutes for the review -
obviously longer if it involves presentations. Typically younger people take less time, but
whoever is doing it, if the exercise is providing useful learning experience keep it going.
The facilitator should look especially for the development of relationships in the island
communities, and how these affect the relationships between the islands. Leaders and
styles emerge, which can all be discussed in the review.

The exercise can be used with all ages and in all situations, whether for, business,
organizational, educational, or behavioural development.

(Ack Judith Jenner)

mini-business project game

Games activities with a real ongoing business purpose - like the website challenge below
- are ideal for training and developing people over a period of a few weeks or months.
The focus should be the products/services that the company offers or are within strategic
intention/capability to do so. Using a series of mini-business projects as a basis for the
'games' gives the organization some serious business-related output, as well as
developing the delegates' behaviour and skills (creativity, research, planning, finance,
negotiation, selling, design, contracts, buying, management, etc). This type of project
based activity also develops a strong feeling of involvement and responsibility among the
delegates. As an alternative to creating a new website business , which is an exciting
project for most people (see the website challenge below), delegates can instead be tasked
to establish a new distributor or retail outlet, or a new product line, as a basis for the
'game' activity. The 'game' is essentially to conceptualise and then implement a mini NPD
or new business project. Mentoring, coaching, liaison with other departments are
important support elements during project set-up and as the projects unfold. There are
also potentially big additional benefits for the organization in building bridges between
interested departments - marketing, finance, IT, etc - while parameters are established
and projects develop. Terms of reference need to be clearly agreed, and adequate
consultation and approvals are essential. The business and training benefits can be huge.

website challenge (team building, creativity, commercial

skills, financial skills, planning and organizing,
technology, presentation, communicating, etc)
Needs to run over several weeks or months. Great for inter-departmental or regional
competition. Challenge is for the teams to each set up a real website and achieve the
highest traffic to beat the other teams (need to issue some money or allocate a budget -
not much - you don't need much for this - and need to establish clear parameters). You
can introduce lots of variations and complexities depending on how far you want to take
it. You can stipulate the product/service area or leave as open as you wish.
stranded - the team building survival game
You can use this type of exercise with various scenarios for teams/groups of between 3
and 15 people: desert island, jungle, etc. It's also great to use in group selections for
recruiting staff, when the interviewing panel observe the efforts, abilities and attitudes of
the participants.

Here's a mountain survival scenario exercise. It's a very flexible theme provided you
avoid the requirement to establish a definitive correct list of items - there's no definitive
'right answer'; there are other reasons for this too. It's best not to have a definitive list of
items as recommended by experts - what's important is for the group to see the benefit of
group discussion and collective expertise, experience and input, which produces a
generally accepted better list of items than anyone's individual list.

The risk in referring to a supposed definitive 'right answer' list is that:

• it focuses too much attention on the outcome rather than the process,
• it causes participants to guess what they think the facilitator thinks, as if it's a trick
question, and
• it can undermine the credibility of the exercise and the facilitator when inevitably
someone in the group, or worse still, the entire group disagrees with the 'right
answer', as is likely with any hypothetical scenario.

Position the exercise like this:

After your small light aircraft crashes, your group, wearing business/leisure clothing, is
stranded on a forested mountain in appalling winter weather (snow covered, sub-freezing
conditions), anything between 50 and 200 miles from civilisation (you are not sure of
your whereabouts, and radio contact was lost one hour before you crashed, so the search
operation has no precise idea of your location either). The plane is about to burst into
flames and you have a few moments to gather some items. Aside from the clothes you are
wearing which does not include coats, you have no other items. It is possible that you
may be within mobile phone signal range, but unlikely.

(Other than these facts, he session facilitator may clarify particular questions from the
group(s) as to details of the circumstances and the environment, and these details remain
constant for the duration of the exercise. Other details may simply not be known - it's at
the facilitator's discretion.)

Your (the group's) aim is to survive as a group until rescued. From the following list
choose just ten items that you would take from the plane, after which it and everything
inside is destroyed by fire. First you have five-ten minutes (flexible, this is up to the
facilitator) by yourself to consider and draw up your own individual list of what the team
should have, without consulting with other members of the group. Retain this list after
presenting it briefly to the group. Then you have 30-45 minutes (up to the facilitator) as a
group to discuss and agree a list on behalf of the group. Nominate a spokesperson and
present this new list.

With the facilitator's help, the group(s) afterwards then reviews the benefits of discussion,
teamwork, collective expertise, group communication skills, etc., in the team approach to
compiling the list, compared to each individual working alone to establish a list, and
obviously why the team list is likely to be better than each of the individual lists.

Choose ten from the following - splitting or only taking part of items is not permitted
(again the list and number of permitted items is flexible to suit the facilitators and
situation requirements. This is a long list and will provoke an enormous amount of
debate. To run a quicker exercise definitely reduce the list or delegates will feel rushed.)

• Pack of 6 boxes x 50 matches.

• Roll of polythene sheeting 3m x 2m
• 1 crate of beer (12 litres in total)
• 1 bottle of brandy
• 1 crate of bottled spring water (twelve litres in total)
• Small toolbox containing hammer, screwdriver set, adjustable wrench, hacksaw
and large pen-knife.
• Box of distress signal flares.
• Small basic first-aid kit containing plasters, bandages, antiseptic ointment, small
pair of scissors and pain-killer tablets.
• Tri-band mobile phone with infrared port and battery half-charged.
• Clockwork transistor radio.
• Gallon container full of fresh water.
• Box of 36 x 50gm chocolate bars.
• Shovel.
• Short hand-held axe.
• Hand-gun with magazine of 20 rounds.
• 20m of 200kg nylon rope.
• Box of 24 x 20gm bags of peanuts.
• Bag of 10 mixed daily newspapers.
• Box of tissues.
• Bag of 20 fresh apples.
• Electronic calculator.
• Laptop computer with infrared port, modem, unknown software and data, and
unknown battery life.
• Inflatable 4-person life-raft.
• Compass.
• Large full Aerosol can of insect killer spray.
• Small half-full aerosol can of air freshener spray.
• Notebook and pencil.
• Box of size 8 women's promotional pink 'Barbie' branded fleece-lined track-suits
(quantity is half of each team/group size).
 • Gift hamper containing half-bottle champagne, large tin of luxury biscuits, box of
6 mince pies, 50gm tin of caviar without a ring-pull, a 300gm tin of ham without a
ring-pull, and a 500gm christmas pudding.
• Travelling games compendium containing chess, backgammon and draughts.
• Sewing kit.
• Whistle.
• Torch with a set of spare batteries.
• Box of 50 night-light 6hr candles.
• Bag of 6 large blankets.

cotton reel cars (team building, planning, organizing,

creativity)
Teams need an hour or two to do this justice, so it's great for an evening exercise when
there's an overnight stay. Give each team a set of materials - the more the better within
reason (the exercise becomes more complex and longer lasting with more materials).
Materials could be anything that could be used to make a small car - for example: shoe
box or egg box, wooden kebab skewers, sticky tape, stapler, some wheels - from Lego or
Meccano or cotton reels, plus the basic drive-unit components, (ie at least one cotton reel,
a couple of matchsticks and at least one rubber band - and if you don't know how to make
a cotton-reel 'tank' see the exercise below). The objective is to build a self-propelled
(rubber-band-powered) car that goes fastest, or covers the greatest distance, or both - it's
up to the facilitator. The exercise climaxes with a race/competition in the bar in the
evening. (The exercise has the feel of Robot Wars or Scrapheap Challenge, if you've seen
either on the TV.)

A variation on this theme is simply to issue each team with a box of mixed vegetables -
fresh not frozen please - (eg., cucumber is good for a chassis; sliced carrots make
reasonable wheels) and some cocktail sticks, and there being no obvious vegetable-based
drive-unit, each vegetable car must be launched from a slope. The furthest distance is the
winner.

cotton reel tanks (team building, planning, organizing,

creativity)
You may remember making these as a child. This is a great exercise for teams of three or
pairs, competing against each other.

Materials required per team - 1 cotton reel, any size over about 3 cms diameter and 3 cms
length. 1 rubber band the same length (cut and tied if necessary) as the cotton reel. At
least two match sticks (or cocktail sticks or wooden barbecue skewers). A wax crayon or
candle. Sellotape or stapler.

Construction - Thread the rubber band through the reel and anchor the loop around a
stick, which must be cut so as not to protrude wider than the edge of the reel. Fix the stick
in place to the end of the reel with a staple or Sellotape. Cover the opposite end of the
reel and inside the edge of the hole with plenty of wax for lubrication. Insert a second
stick, which should be at least an inch - better 2-3 inches - longer than the diameter of the
end of the reel, though the loop of the rubber band and then 'wind up' the rubber band
using the stick, until it is pulled flat against the waxed end of the reel. Put the reel on the
floor and watch it go... slowly. Then spend the next twenty years trying to find the perfect
specification!

Some people cut notches in the rims of the reels to create a cog effect for better grip.
Different lengths and thicknesses of rubber bands are an important variable affecting
performance and stability. Wax is essential - it won't work without it. The type and length
of stick - other than the one used at the fixed end - also affects performance.

The challenge can be a race, distance travelled or obstacle course, whatever you like. As
the facilitator, ensure you practice it first and establish clear rules about the aim (what the
tanks have to do when they've been made) and the quantity of materials available.

design a game (creativity, team building)

One of the best activities (and particularly to develop problem-solving/analytical skills) is
to actually set the group the task of designing the activities or games themselves. You can
mix it up any way you want, for example, split group into syndicates of threes and give
them different games or activities to design (communications, team building, problem-
solving etc), which all syndicates will then have to do. Ensure everyone understands the
criteria for designing development activities - brainstorm them to establish clear
understanding of the aims and parameters with the group is a good starting point. These
main criteria can then act as the assessment criteria for each syndicate to assess the
activity designs of their peers. To add extra interest and fun you can give each of the
groups some props and limit their designs to using the props, eg paper, scissors, string,
dice, building bricks, some newspapers and magazines, cotton-reels, a bucket of water or
two, blindfolds, foreign language dictionary, video cameras, anything. Introduce other
rules and constraints - must be outdoors/indoors, must be a ten minute exercise, 20
minutes, whatever.

treasure hunts (team building, determination,

organizing, problem solving)
There's no better activity for team building than a well-planned 'treasure hunt'.
Treasure hunts can be based on solving clues or finding things, or a mixture. Teams have
a set amount of time to collect a list of items from the hotel/office complex/local vicinity
- eg a restaurant menu with a fish dish on it, a box of matches with a phone number with
a seven in it, an acorn, a brochure with a yacht in it, a sports programme with green grass
pictured in it, etc etc. This is fantastic fun and a supreme leveller. Obviously ensure
participants are warned not to do anything illegal or anti-social. Great for evening
exercises for overnight stays.

If you are planning a big event for more than twenty people or so, it's essential that the
facilitator goes to the location in advance, so that you can sort out the clues and the route
and ensure it all works. It's easy when you're there. It's possible to think up a certain
amount remotely, but the best clues will be specific local ones - that you must be able to
rely on - something of this scale must be planned and tested at the location.

Do some basic preparation remotely before you go there (start point, finish venue, rough
area and route) and then spend a day there to find/create the specifics, design the whole
thing, and be sure that it will all work in practice. Logistics (getting people from A to B)
and timings (how long will it take the first and last to complete) are crucial.

Timings are always difficult to predict - be aware that tourist venues are very busy in the
Summer, which will affect how quickly people can complete it and the ease with people
can all meet up along the way and at the finish.

If it's an overnight event, how you design the event will also depend on where you're all
staying and what you want to do before and after the treasure hunt. Ideally you don't want
to have to worry about bussing people to and from the hunt, so ideally people should be
staying where the hunt is and all together. If it's for the evening avoid any necessity for
car-driving - it's too risky - on foot is much more fun, people can walk for miles without
complaining provided there's not too far between stops for clues - the exercise helps too -
maybe have them catch a bus at most, but no driving at night.

The local tourist information office and library are always a useful reference points for
ideas about a basic route, best area, plus contact numbers etc. If you're happy with
drinking and can trust people not to be daft than basing the treasure hunt on pubs works
well - pubs will offer good potential for clues, a route and lots of fun, subject to your
view on alcohol playing a part.

Definitely plan an organized gathering for the end of the treasure hunt where you can
give prizes and relax as a group, particularly if the treasure hunt is in the evening. The
finish venue needs to be reliable and under your control - you don't want everyone to be
finally meeting up amongst hundreds of strangers.

For a large group of people it's best to have a few marshals along the route to help the lost
and tardy.
Teams of four, five, or six at most, work best - the bigger the team the quicker they solve
the clues, although teams of seven would be too big and result in one or two being left
out. Teams of five sounds are good.

Think about your team building priorities - if it's to improve inter-departmental team-
working then create inter-departmental teams; if you want to build stronger relationships
within departments create departmental teams. If you've got gender, race or hierarchy
barriers to break down, mix the teams accordingly.

Try to mix the clues so they require different skills and knowledge, which will enable
everyone in each team to shine - some clues very cryptic, some require observation, some
historical, some technical, some mathematical, some requiring good persuasive or
investigative skills, and always preferably with a local location reference/ingredient.

Whatever you do, remember planning is vital.

mime act (creativity, team building, organizing,

presentation skills, and lots more)
Groups have a set time to get/make costumes and mime a performance of a song,
especially something with theatrical potential like Bohemian Rhapsody, or Stairway To
Heaven - the more extravagant or camp the better - props can be begged borrowed or
otherwise purloined, and the whole thing climaxes with a show when each group
performs their mime act. Fantastic leveller, great fun, normally hilarious. Great to video
and enjoy afterwards. House rules are absolutely necessary to avoid serious
inconvenience to hotel or conference centre.

sports challenge series (team building, organizing,

determination, physical ability, and lots more)
Each team can nominate a sport or game (in local house rules) in which it challenges the
other teams. Agree a common weighted scoring system and run it like a weekly or
monthly league. Be very careful and clear on the rules and scoring. Sports can be
anything from softball on the park to chess and stud poker. League updates and prizes
and trophies increase the buzz.
communication corridor (team building,
communicating, physical activity, problem solving,
listening skills and more)
Here's a great one for a conference warm-up. Great for communications too. Have two
rooms with a corridor separating them - the further away the better. Teams of three. Each
team has a 'builder' with a set of building bricks or a construction kit in each room, and a
runner between the rooms. In only one room do the builders have the instructions for
what they're building. As they build, the runners have to run and explain to the other
builder in the other room what is being built and how. Winning team is first with a
correctly assembled construction in each room.

problem-solving tasks
Get the book on lateral thinking puzzles featured on this website at the businessballs
online bookshop page. In it you'll find loads of really great lateral thinking problems you
can use - ideally for syndicates of three - give them four or five at a time. More puzzles
books also on the board games and card games ideas page.

problem solving treasure hunt

Give teams of three a list of challenges and a timescale - anything from an hour to a week
or two - even a month, depending on complexity and type of problem. Great for
overnight stays, and can be integrated with normal treasure hunt for obscure items.
Examples of challenges: Translate a passage of writing or verse from an obscure foreign
language into English; Negotiate the best possible deal for the whole group to visit
somewhere interesting and maybe a bit exclusive - a sports event, the opera, the zoo, etc.
(Need to clarify house rules on dates timings etc, and that the booking should be
provisional.); give them a real problem from your own organization; give them a real
problem from the local council or from the newspapers.

the 'in-tray' time management exercise (time

management, decision making, delegation)
Issue the teams (or have them bring) a typical in-tray of correspondence. Their task is to
decide how and when to deal with each, and then to present their answers to the group.
Get the group to observe and critique the answers.
Things to look out for:

• First assess all items and prioritise them (most won't do this, they'll just deal with
them in the order they appear)
• Treat urgent items differently from important ones (most think they're the same)
• Only handling each item once (ie procrastination or deferring is a no-no)
• Opportunities to delegate (tips on the businessballs delegation page)
• Decision-making (tips on the businessballs decision-making page)
• Communication method and style in responding to memos, requests, complaints
etc (most spend too long writing too much - hand-written notes often suffice -
email is useful - but recognise potential major hazards and make/agree time to
deal with them properly)
• Avoiding making unnecessary work for oneself (most make mountains out of
molehills)
• Using the phone to deal with sensitive communications/relationships issues (most
are frightened, so write or delay, which costs more time and problems)
• Saying No when called for, and justifying why it's No.

Make sure the sample in-tray material is a good mix of issues, otherwise there's no
challenge and people won't see the need for different responses. If you can't be sure that
people will bring suitable material provide it yourself. Best of all is to get your hands on
copies of someone's in-tray who is forever complaining he/she's got no time.

newspaper towers (team building, planning, organizing,

problem solving, time management, creativity, lateral
thinking)
Lots of variations to this one. Adjust to suit group and time available.

Basic exercise:

Split group into pairs or threes (four or more will create 'passengers', who don't get
involved). Issue each group an equal given of newspaper sheets (the fewer the more
difficult, 20-30 sheets is fine for a 10-15 minute exercise), and a roll of Sellotape (Scotch
tape in the US). Task is to construct the tallest free-standing tower made only of
newspaper and Sellotape in allotted time. Point of the exercise is to demonstrate
importance of planning (time, method of construction, creativity), and the motivational
effect of a team task. Facilitator will need tape measure. Instructions need to be very clear
(for instance does tower have to be free standing at completion of time, or can it be
measured before - it doesn't matter which, it matters only that any issues affecting a clear
result are clarified.
See also the ideas for working with aluminium baking foil in the baking foil games on the
other team building page.

newspaper bridge (team building, planning, organizing,

problem solving, time management, creativity, lateral
thinking)
Again, lots of variations to this, including using mterials other than newspapers - See also
the ideas for working with aluminium baking foil in the baking foil games on the other
team building page. These activities are good for reinforcing communications, support,
interdepartmental co-operation themes. In teams (threes are best; teams of four or five
can create 'passengers' unless you brief clearly for everyone to be involved and/or have
each team appoint a team leader) using only the newspaper and Sellotape (alternatively
known as scotch tape) issued, each team must construct a bridge, including floor-standing
supports at each end and a horizontal span. The winning construction will be the one with
the longest span between two floor-standing supports. If any additional floor-standing
support is created, qualifying span measurement will be the longest length between any
two of the floor-standing supports. There must be at least (say) 20cms clearance between
the span and the floor. Any of the span lower than 20cms clearance will not count
towards the measurement. The span must support certain objects issued (eg apple,
chocolate bar, can of drink - consumable items are more fun) which must be placed (not
fixed with Sellotape) on the span. The objects can be positioned anywhere along the
length of the span, but must not touch the floor-standing supports. The floor-standing
supports must be free-standing, ie not attached to the floor or any other object or surface.
The use of Sellotape as 'guys' from the bridge to the floor or another object or surface is
not allowed. Time allowed for planning and building and placing objects on the span is
say 20 (max 45) minutes.

Variations to tower and bridge games:

Tower must support an object (eg a lemon, book, brick, plastic beaker of water, etc).
Measurement is taken to height of supported object. If you issue an object to be supported
at the top of a tower consider the well-being of the flooring and furniture. Beware safety
and mess implications of certain objects, so avoid cups of coffee, glasses, etc.

Build a newspaper and tape bridge between two tables, to support the greatest weight
(number of given objects).

Build the highest platform to support a person's weight, using only newspaper and tape -
make sure there's plenty of newspaper for this version, ie, three big newspapers for each
team. (Bear in mind that a platform is still a platform if it's only an inch high, although
platforms of a few inches are perfectly feasible.)
Build the longest horizontal pier from a table top, supported with newspaper struts or not.

tips for newspaper constructions exercises

You can allocate as many sheets as you wish, although it really depends chiefly on the
main purpose of the exercise, and then to an extent the duration and how many team
members per team. As a general rule - the fewer the sheets the smaller the teams and the
shorter the exercise. Lots of sheets and big teams require longer. Short timescales, big
teams, lots of sheets = lots of chaos - which is ideal for demonstrating the need for
leadership and management. Unless the purpose is leadership and managing the planning
stage, avoid small numbers of sheets with large teams. Small teams don't need lots of
sheets unless you make a rule to use all materials in order to put pressure on the planning
and design stage. Examples of main purposes and numbers of sheets:

• Very strong emphasis on preparation and design - 1-5 sheets - in pairs or threes.
• Design, planning, preparation, team-working - 5-10 sheets - in threes or fours.
• Team building, time-management, warm up, ice-breaker, with some chaos-
management - 20 sheets - in fours, fives or sixes.
• Managing a lot of chaos - 30 sheets and upwards - teams of six or more.

News paper construction exercises are terrifically flexible and useful. When you decide
the activity purpose and rules, the important thing is to issue the same quantity of
materials to each team.

other tips for newspaper construction activities

• Building tips: It doesn't matter how big the sheets are, but big double pages offer
the greatest scope for the towers.
• Think about how much paper is issued as it changes the type of challenge: lots of
paper makes it much easier and places less emphasis on planning. Very few
sheets, or even just one sheet, increases the requirement for planning.
• The main trick for the bridge and tower exercises (don't tell the delegates before
the exercise) is to make long thin round-section struts, by rolling the sheets and
fixing with sticky tape - Sellotape or scotch tape, or narrow masking tape instead.
The struts can then be connected using various techniques, rather like girders. The
same construction approach works well for the bridge too.
• Round struts (tubes), and any other design of struts or sections, lose virtually all
their strength if flattened or bent.
• Very few newspaper exercise builders understand this fundamental point, and
some fail to realise it even after completing the exercise, so it's worth pointing out
during the review.
• Square sections are not very strong. Triangular or circular sections work best,
although the former are difficult to make.
 • It's possible to make a very tall tower (8-10 feet) using a telescopic design, which
requires many sheets to be stuck together end-to-end, rolling together and then
pulling out from the centre.
• Most people make the mistake of forming big square section lengths or spans,
which are inherently very weak and unstable. This is why the newspaper
constructions are such good exercises - each one needs thinking about and
planning and testing or people fall into traps and make simple mistakes.
• The strongest design for weight-bearing is 'building blocks' of hexagonal tubes
(six sides). This is the shape that naturally results if lots of circular tubes are
compressed sideways together, and it's also the shape found in nature's beehive
construction. Hexagonal tubes are difficult to make though and it's unlikely that
people will think to do it. It's useful to make up a few samples to demonstrate in
the review how strong the hexagonal construction is.
• Less strong, but quicker is to make is lots of short rolled circular tubes, up to six
inches high - make sure there's enough paper for the teams when using the human
weight-bearing platform exercise.
• Grouping the tubes together, stood on their ends and placing sufficient sheets on
top to spread the person's weight usually is the easiest way to complete this
exercise to a winning standard.
• Alternatively, roll up lots of solid cylinders, again a few inches long. Grouped and
fixed together on their ends these make an immensely strong platform.
• The best way of finding answers is to try it - you should be doing that anyway if
you are facilitating and running the session - you'll be amazed at how strong paper
can be if it's folded and/or rolled and assembled with a bit of thought.
• The weight bearing platform will only be a few inches high - we're not expecting
to get someone up to the ceiling.
• If all else fails, if you think about it, at it's simplest a team member could simply
stand on all of their allotted sheets of paper. It'll only be a few millimetres high,
but it's still a platform.
• All of these exercises are generally tackled best by making the 'building block'
elements, whether struts or tubes or any other shapes. And this emphasises one of
the big lessons from the exercises - planning, and testing (time and materials
permitting) are essential.

See also the ideas for working with aluminium baking foil in the baking foil games on the
other team building page.

juggling (right-side brain, warm-up, team building,

physical activity and lots more)
Juggling is a powerful warm-up and training aid. It's extremely flexible for training and
team building, from a 10 minute warm up to a continuous activity over a few days. You'll
need to learn the three-ball cascade first - it's easy - just follow the juggling instructions
on this site.

To use as a ten minute warm-up, give a summary of the instructions, then issue juggling
items. Loosely 5-10% of people can already juggle, and others soon pick it up.
Emphasise that everyone can do it provided they go through the proper learning process.

Short warm ups can also be done in pairs, using three balls or bags (or lemons or potatoes
depending on budget!). Pairs can stand side by side or face to face, but should only use
one hand each. One person holds two and starts. The second person throws their ball
before catching the ball thrown by their partner. And so on..

To use juggling as an activity to inter-weave with a training course or workshop, break

down the juggling instructions and sessions to one ball, then two balls, then three balls.
Link to training themes as appropriate (lots of training naturally breaks down into threes,
so it fits well).

Use any existing jugglers in the group to help coach other delegates, or issue them with
four balls and have them learn to juggle four (basically two balls in each hand, not
crossing hand to hand, thrown alternately), or issue them with clubs. For more
information about juggling four balls and clubs please contact us.

Juggling equipment is expensive in the specialist retail outlets, use trade sources instead.
Typically you'll get 'Tri-its' pyramid bean bags at £1.50 ($2) for three. Proper juggling
balls are more expensive, £3-5 ($4-7) for three, but the extra cost is worth it if you want
to print on them to reinforcing a theme or brand, because people keep them. For details of
corporate juggling products, or specialised juggling support/facilitation please contact us.

plate spinning (right-side brain, warm-up, team

building, physical activity and lots more)
Plate spinning is a great exercise for team building and for warming up delegates for
training sessions and conferences. A plate spinning set comprises a plastic plate and a
'wand' - a plastic rod with a point at one end. You can obtain these from a juggling
equipment trade supplier for about £1-2 ($1.50-3.00) per set - shop around for the best
deal and contact us if you need help. It's easy to teach yourself, which you must do before
you try to teach others! It's possible to pass a spinning plate from one person to another
using the wands, and this gives lots of possibilities for team races. Plates, like juggling
balls, can be branded to support themes, training messages or product launches, etc.
They're also cheap enough to give away without denting the budget. People will ask for
spares for their kids, so make sure you have plenty. Look at the how to spin a plate page
for plate spinning instructions.
diabolo (right-side brain, warm-up, team building,
physical activity and lots more)
The diabolo is another great street performer's skill that you can use for team building
and training activities. The diabolo set comprises a diabolo 'reel' and two sticks,
connected at each end by a length of string. Expect to pay around £5-10 per set
depending on the quality and size of diabolo. The diabolo is easy to get started and then
to do some basic tricks - throwing up in the air and catching again for instance, after
which the diabolo requires quite a demanding level of skill to progress to the more
advanced tricks. For instructions how to use and teach the diabolo look at the diabolo
instructions on this website.

devil stick (right-side brain, warm-up, team building,

physical activity and lots more)
The devil stick is a fantastic piece of equipment, again used by street entertainers the
world over. The devil stick set comprises three parts: the devil stick itself, which is a
rounded wooden stick, about two feet long, two inches wide at each end, with a taper
from each end to a middle 'waist' of about an inch diameter. The other parts are two
wooden dowel controlling rods, each sleeved with rubber for grip, about a half-inch in
diameter. For instructions how to use and teach the devil stick look at the devil stick
instructions on this website.

yoyo (right-side brain, warm-up, team building,

physical activity and lots more)
Yoyos are cheap and easy, and great fun. The new style clutch yoyos are now available
for less than £1 or a dollar due to over-production in the Far East, so shop around. Start
by teaching people how to position the string properly on the yoyo and the finger, then
simply making the yoyo go up and down in a controlled way. Next increase difficulty to
spinning the yoyo on its clutch (the yoyo stays spinning at the bottom of the string given
a fast throw), and then graduate to tricks like 'walking the dog'. Lots more tricks can be
demonstrated and taught if you have time. Most yoyos will have instructions on the
packaging - make sure you learn the basics yourself before you try teaching others or
using yoyos in a warm-up or games activity.
levitron (team building, organizing, lateral thinking,
skills development)
The Levitron is without doubt one of the most
incredible toys ever invented - it's a small precision
spinning-top that with the aid of a repelling magnetic
base and special weights, actually stays spinning
suspended in mid-air, for two or three minutes. And
the Levitron is all the more amazing for the fact that
hardly anyone has ever heard about it. It was launched
about 1995, but has never really achieved wide
distribution. The Levitron is a great product for team
games, training and reinforcing concepts about
quality, accuracy, patience, the brain, all sorts.

The Levitron is available online from several internet

retailers. The basic model if you can still get it was
around £20 or $30. There are now more advanced
'easier' models, which in many cases will be better for
team building activities. See the maker's website
levitron.com, or enter 'levitron' into a decent search
engine to find a suitable supplier. The UK distributor
for trade enquiries is Brainstorm Ltd, tel +44 (0)1200
445113.
The use of levitron for team building games and business exercises is restricted only by
your imagination - here are some ideas to get you started:

• in pairs or teams of 3 - a race to spin first.

• in teams of 4 or more - a race to spin first with each team member only able to
handle a stipulated number of items (eg coloured washers, rubber washer, wedges,
the top itself, the perspex plate, the base, etc) - a leader must be elected who
allocates responsibilities after a stipulated time to assess abilities. Option to
change responsibilities after stipulated periods.
• in pairs or teams of 3 - longest spin time competition (increase team size and add
responsibility requirements as above.)
• teams of 3 - use levitron instead of construction kits with communication corridor
exercise.
• in teams of 3-5 - create the most spectacular levitron tricks and demonstration
using items and materials in the training room.
• in teams 3-5 - write a training plan to teach someone how to use the levitron.
• in teams of 5 - role-play the training plan with an individual from the team who
does not know how to use it (1 trainee, plus all other team members to have a
training duty within the training plan).
• in teams of 3 - play with the levitron then create an advert for the levitron for the
 educational physics market.

De-brief and review according to the exercises selected and the local situation and
people, abilities, training or team-building purpose, etc. The best way to create a
framework for de-brief is to brainstorm the headings before the exercise with the whole
group - this also helps people get the best out of the exercise, because they are aware of
the pointers.

free team building activities ideas (2) (1)

free ideas for team exercises and activities - for team-
building, training, employee motivation, learning and
development, recruitment, and other group activities
Free team building games, activities and exercises for team development employee
motivation. See also the other team building games and activities on this website.

See also the tips for planning and running team building activities and the free tips on
planning and running workshops for team building and organisational development.

Use and adapt these free team building games and exercises ideas to warm up meetings,
training, and conferences.

These free team building activities, games and exercises are also great ice breakers for
training sessions, recruitment group selections, meetings, workshops, seminars,
conferences, organisational development, teaching and lecturing for young people and
students. Team building games and activities are useful also in serious business project
meetings, where games and activities help delegates to see things differently and use
different thinking styles. Games and exercises help with stimulating the brain, improving
retention of ideas, and increasing fun and enjoyment. Many activities and games can be
used or adapted for children's development and education, or for kids party games. We
cannot accept responsibility for any liability which arises from the use of any of these
free team building exercises ideas or games - please see the disclaimer notice below.
Always ensure that you have proper insurance in place for all team building games
activities, and take extra care when working with younger people, children and if
organising children's party games.

See the other team building games and activities (page 1) on this website.

team building games - are the exercises or games

appropriate?
Before you decide to use any team building games with a group of people, think about
whether the activities are appropriate for the team members and the situation. See the
notes on checking that games or team activities are appropriate for your situation.

The subjects on this website increasingly feature ideas for developing the whole person.

Think beyond providing traditional work skills development. Explore everything, and
show your people that you have a broader view about development - they'll have lots of
ideas of their own if you let them see it's okay to think that way. Team building games
are just a part of a very wide mix of learning and and development experiences that you
can explore and facilitate for your people - try anything. If it helps your people to feel
good and be good, then it will help your organisation be good too.

See the guidelines and tips for planning and running team building activities and the free
tips on running team building workshops.

Ensure that team-building activities comply with equality policy and law in respect of
gender, race, disability, age, etc. Notably, (because the legislation is relatively new) team-
building facilitators should be familiar with the Employment Equality Age Regulations,
effective 1st October 2006, (UK and Europe). For example, a demanding physical
activity might be great fun for fit young men, but if one of the team members is old
enough to be a grandfather then think again, because it wouldn't be fair, and it might even
be unlawful. The same applies to any activities that discriminate against people on
grounds of gender, race, disability, etc.

Team-building games and activities have to agreeable and acceptable to team members,
and the exercises have to be fair.

free team building games (2)

free team building games - warm-ups, quick games and
exercises, ice-breakers, exercises and activities
These free team building games and exercises generally last less than one hour, and can
be adjusted to create longer team building activities, depending on the sort of team
building, ice-breakers, training development activities required. Review and discussion
are often useful and helpful after exercises which have raised relationship issues, or
changed people's perceptions. Plan and practise all unknown aspects of the activities
before using them. Logistics, facilitation and especially how you split the group into the
numbers of team members per team are factors which have a big effect on how the
exercises work and the experience for all. See the team building activities guidelines for
tips and techniques.

See also the activities and exercises on the team building ideas page 1 on this website,
and the quizballs quizzes, especially the management and business quiz for aspiring
managers and trainers, and anyone interested in managing people and organisations.

free games, exercises and activities (2) (1 - more

activities and exercises here)

questioning games (to demonstrate, teach and practise

the difference between open and closed questions)
Many people habitually ask closed questions when they want to gather information and
encourage the other person to talk, instead of using open questions.

Here are some scenarios to use with groups in demonstrating the effectiveness of open
questions, and the ineffectiveness of closed questions, for gathering information
efficiently. Use your own alternative scenarios if more appropriate to your situation.

In each case state the scenario to the group, and then role-play or ask for closed
questions by which the group must gather all the facts or solve the puzzle. This is neither
easy nor efficient of course. Then ask for suggestions of open questions which will
reveal the information or answer most efficiently.

Scenarios (numbers 2 and 3 are lateral thinking puzzles suitable for questioning
exercises):

1. You are seeking to rent a holiday cottage in a particular area (say Cornwall, or
whatever). The newspaper has one advert in the Cornwall section, stating merely:
'Holiday Cottage For Rent' and a phone number. Role-play your phone call to discover if
the cottage is what you want, using closed questions only. (If helpful, brainstorm a long
list of typical requirements beforehand.) Similar exercises are possible using other
sale/hire/services scenarios, e.g., cars, houses, party/wedding venues, coaching, clubs,
etc.

2. A class of twenty-five children is invited by their teacher to share a bag of exactly

twenty-five sweets. After the share-out all the children have a sweet but one sweet
remains in the bag. How is this? Instruct the group to ask closed questions to solve the
puzzle. (The answer is that last sweet was taken away in the bag.)

3. Two electric trains were mistakenly routed onto the same track in opposite directions
into a tunnel. One travelling at 200 mph, the other at 220 mph. Each train passed
successfully through the tunnel and was able to continue its journey without stopping or
colliding. How so? Instruct the group to ask closed questions to solve the puzzle. (The
answer is that the second train entered the tunnel several minutes after the first one had
left it.)

Use or adapt your own puzzles and scenarios as appropriate for the audience.

You can also vary the way that the group asks questions - in turn, one-to-one with
observers, in pairs, etc.

Here is some explanation of the use of questioning in a sales training context, as typically
found in a traditional selling process. Questioning of course features importantly within
coaching, counselling, interviewing, investigating, and many other disciplines, so adapt
the explanation to suit your needs.

Use the poster of Rudyard Kipling's 'six serving men' verse to help explain and reinforce
the best way to ask open questions.

You can also extend this activity to develop the way that questions are structured and
asked (style, emotion, tone, body language, use of words, etc), in which the Mehrabian
theory is a helpful reference.

For help with enabling powerful facilitative questioning see Sharon Drew Morgen's
Facilitative Methodology.

(My thanks to Sarah Phillips for this activity idea.)

diversity quiz game (for diverse groups, mutual

understanding, empathy, diversity training)
Here is an easy exercise which makes use of the quiz format to teach and improve
people's response to diversity issues.

The activity is for diverse groups (mixed age, race, gender, religion, and/or other types of
people), but the exercise will be useful for groups of apparently less diverse nature too.
Diversity is not just about race and religion - diversity entails all aspects of what makes
people different, which can be found in any group of people, even if initially the group
seems not very diverse at all.
The exercise is basically for the group members to create a diversity quiz by contributing
questions individually (or working in pairs or threes depending on overall group size),
and then for the group as a whole to take the quiz (or in the same teams).

This process enables discovery of real practical local diversity issues, instead of assuming
and announcing what they might be.

If appropriate first brainstorm and/or discuss and agree/explain what diversity means.

Here is a suggested description. Adapt it or use your own explanation to suit the situation.

"In a social or work context diversity means difference and variation among people.
This difference and variation can be characterised by race, gender, age, religion, physical
shape and ability, social class and background, personality and ability: any, some, or all
of these. Organizations which make the most of the natural diversity in their staff,
customers, suppliers and other partners, have a huge advantage over organizations which
fail to do so. Making the most of diversity in staff and other people - often called
inclusiveness - increases the depth and range of behaviours and capabilities (also skills,
knowledge and styles) that the organization can call upon in meeting the needs of the
increasingly diverse market place. Recognising diversity in the market place effectively
increases the size of the market. Failing to acknowledge diversity within and outside the
organization reduces capabilities, causing the organization to be less appealing, and to
fewer people, and in some cases creates organizational liabilities for litigation under
discrimination laws. Failure to recognise and respond to diversity often equates to
discrimination and is regarded by fair-minded people as unethical."

Here is the instruction to group members to create the quiz:

1. You have five (or 10 or 15) minutes to formulate one (or two or three) quiz question(s)
and answer(s) for a diversity quiz. You must do this individually/in pairs/in threes.

N.B. Timings, numbers of questions and team size depends on the size of the group, for
example: work as individuals for group sizes up to 9 people; in pairs for groups of 8-24
people; or in threes for groups of 15 and above. Very parge groups should be spilt into
sub-groups with appointed facilitators. Consider time availavle and number of questions
needed when deciding your parameters for the activity.

2. Tell the group: when formulating your questions and answers think about subjects that
are significant in reflecting or influencing how you, and people like you act, think,
behave, decide, etc. Questions can be about anything - history, lifestyle, culture, media,
travel, geography, finance, food and drink, language, politics, leasure and entertainment.

3. For the effective running of the quiz, questions must be clear and easy to understand,
and have clear short answers - facts, figures, etc., not subjective personal opinions that
might be subject to wide interpretation.
4. One of the ironies of diversity is that we all tend to assume that people who are
different to us understand how and why we think and behave the way we do. We take for
granted the way we are, and expect others to sympathise with us, and to see things from
our viewpoint. This starts with the simplest aspects of our lives. Therefore in formulating
helpful diversity quiz questions and answers do not strive for complex concepts. Keep it
simple, and you will be surprised how revealing and helpful this can be.

5. Hand the formulated questions and answers to the facilitator, who can then run the quiz
for the whole group using all questions. The quiz can be run for people competing as
individuals or in the same pairs or threes which formulated the questions.

A useful reference model for this activity is the Johari Window. The diversity quiz
exercise seeks to enable people to increase what others know about each other, which is
at the root of inclusiveness and making the most of diversity.

The Multiple Intelligence model is also a useful reference model for considering people's
different strengths (to avoid assuming that there is only one type of intellectual
capability), and the Erikson life stages model is also helpful in considering age and
upbringing issues.

Please send me quizzes created using the above exercise to share with others, or post
them onto the Businessballs free publishing Space.

causes and solutions exercises (discussion or illustration

of problem-solving, dispute resolution, crisis
management and avoidance, solutions-focused thinking)
Quick and easy to set up, and very adaptable for all sorts of training and development
purposes, this exercise is based on the following simple principle:

Ask individuals or pairs or threes (or a larger team with guidance as to team for
leadership) to identify an example in a newspaper of some sort of dispute or conflict, and
then to analyse the causes and solutions.

Ask people to adopt the view of a mediator. Suggest or brainstorm some pointers to help
people approach the task, for example:

• What helpful facilitative questions could be asked of the parties involved to work
towards a solution?
• What might be changed in the methods or attitudes or structures of the situations
 in order to prevent a recurrence of the problems?
• How does each side feel and what are their main complaints, feelings, needs and
motivators?
• To what extent could the problem have been averted or predicted, and if so how?
• How can others learn from the situation?

Discussion and presentation format and timings are flexible and at the discretion of the
facilitator.

Save time if needs be by highlighting suggested articles in the newspapers.

Refer delegates to relevant management or behavioural theories and models, and/or ask
that delegates do this when they present/discuss their views/analysis.

quiz public survey game (research, communications

skills, appreciating the knowledge other people possess,
human engagement, fun)
This is a simple twist to bring any quiz or question to life, and add a wonderful dimension
for developing and demonstrating the power of successfully communicating and
engaging with other people.

Split the group to suit you (teams, pairs, or threes probably best). Decide rules, timing,
presentation, discussion, review, etc., to fit your situation. All this is flexible.

Take any quiz or series of questions, or one big difficult question. Issue it to the teams (or
pairs, or individuals, etc).

The task is to go out and engage with the general public to find the answers.

Introduce variations to suit your situation.

For example if working with competing teams you can arrange that each team has a
'shadow' or observer from another team to ensure no cheating, and also to give observer
feedback in any reviews that happen afterwards. (If appropriate brainstorm the review
points prior to the exercise with the group - it's easier and better than you doing this by
yourself.)

You can also define certain areas or places for the teams to go (shopping centre, pubs,
library, old folks home for example), although take care to ensure no nuisance is caused.

State clear rules for the use of phones. Purists might argue that they are not allowed at all,
which is fine, but there is no problem allowing an element of phone research if it fits the
group roles/preferences and development situation.

There are lots of quizzes in the quizballs section, including many with interesting varied
content that would suit this exercise.

Or make up your own questions or subjects for the teams to research among the general
public, for example:

• List the last 20 prime ministers/presidents in correct order.

• List all the county towns/state capitals.
• Name all the Big Brother winners in order.
• What's the history of the local town?
• Who are the most famous people born locally?
• What are the five most liked corporations, and what are the five least liked
corporations?
• Who would win an election if one were called now?

You'll think of lots more ideas.

bin toss game (warm-up, tea-break activity, competitive

exercise, exploring competitiveness and motivation)
Adapt this simple idea any way you want. There are lots of potential variations. A horse-
shoe table layout (U-shape) or a ring of tables or a square with a gap in the centre are
well-suited to this idea. 'Cabaret'-style layout will also work provided the position of the
waste bin target(s) is arranged fairly.

You can probably guess already...

Position a waste bin or basket on the floor or on a table centrally between the delegates.

The winner or winning team is the one to throw the most balls of paper (or any other
suitable objects that the facilitator decides) into the bin.

Obviously specify a method of identifying who threw what.

Variations on the theme are for example:

• Design a personalised or team brand or logo for each sheet rolled and tossed.
• Different coloured paper.
• Paper rockets.
• Only one sheet allowed - how many tiny balls can you get in the bin.
• Time limits. Limits on amount of projectile materials.
 • All throw at once, or take it in turns.
• Business cards - float or spin.
• Coins, coloured rubber bands.
• Pairs, threes, teams.
• More than one bin with different point values.
• Ice buckets and dustbins.
• One bin per team with point deductions for opposing team missiles successfully
deposited.
• Write a letter on each sheet before tossing - words must be spelled from bin
contents.
• Pairs, or threes or teams to devise a party game based around the bin toss idea -
then demonstrate and sell it to the group.

You'll think of lots more..

When you have why not publish them on the new Businessballs Space?...

bricks in the wall exercise (aims, goals, objectives, steps

- for new years, new beginnings, changes and planning,
making dreams into reality)
This is a simple exercise for goal-setting and making changes. The ideas are relevant for
calendar new years, new trading years, new roles, teams and projects, and for personal
development.

The activity is based on the simple concept that even small aims actually comprise a
series of elements which need to be identified, planned, and implemented in correct
order.

Achieving aims, goals and changes is like building houses - they need to be understood
and assembled bit by bit - like bricks in a wall.

You might start with a vision or dream or objective, but this cannot be achieved in one
single move.

A house is not built from the top down or all at once. It starts with a plan - or maybe a
vision if the type of house has never been built before - and is then constructed from the
foundations upwards, section by section, brick by brick.

Like building a house, any aim or change or objective must be analysed and planned, and
then built in a sensible order:

• what will it look like? - describe the vision or end-aim so we will recognise it and
 be sure it has been achieved correctly
• what are the components? - the causal factors and circumstances? - what needs to
be put in place? - physical resources and materials, maybe people too, and
intangibles like agreements, permissions, understanding, etc.
• and what is the process for assembling it all? - the steps, sequence, timings, etc.

Using this concept, ask the group, split into whatever teams or individuals that makes
sense for your situation, to visualise and then map out - in very simple terms - one of
their own main aims for the coming year/period, quarter/lifetime, whatever.

Keep it simple. Resist getting into a lot of detail. Merely seek to explain/reinforce the
need for basic structure and sequence and the relationship between cause and effect. This
is the extent of the exercise.

The framework is:

1. Describe the end-aim - what does the completed change/objective/aim/dream look

like? What will it/you be like, feel like, behave like, and what difference will the
change make? Is the end aim worth the investment? Is the end aim actually a good
and right one? How will you know when it's been achieved, and everyone else
too?
2. What are the components of this change? The physical things you can see and
touch and put a cost to, and the other factors that are less easy to see and to
measure? What are the cause-and-effect relationships - start at the end and work
backwards - what needs to happen before this, and this, and this, etc.
3. What is the sequence and timings of assembling the components, and for more
complex changes, what is the inter-relatedness (and inter-dependence) of the
components? Certain elements are part of sub-sets or sub-structures that need to
be built at the same time alongside eachother, converging at a suitable point.
Understanding these connections is very important where a project comprises a
number of separate inter-dependent structures. (Imagine how long it would take to
build a house if only one trade or activity could be on site at any one time, and
imagine how chaotic things would be if these different activities were not planned
and joined together at the right time.)
4. Finally, having identified the above - in outline terms only - ask people to bring
them together as a rough plan for their own particular aim/objective/change, in
whatever format people find easiest. (Some people prefer to map out a flow
diagram, others prefer a pictorial representation like a house; other people prefer a
list; any format is fine as long as it's clear and structured.)

The purpose of this exercise is not to produce a heavily detailed project management plan
- that can happen afterwards if required (see the notes on project management for
examples of traditional planning formats) - the aim of this activity is to explain the
importance of cause and effect, and compenents and process, in achieving aims.
the ampersand game (ice-breakers, warm-ups,
demonstrations of learning, thinking, and brain-types,
knowledge versus skill)
This simple exercise is a quick icebreaker, or can be extended into something more
meaningful. Fundamentally the activity demonstrates that knowing something is very
different to doing something. Knowledge is different to skill. The exercise also illustrates
certain learning and brain processes, notably relating to retention, practise and repetition,
as steps to perfection. Useful reference models would include Bloom's Taxonomy and the
Conscious Competence model.

The basic activity idea is very simple: It's basically to draw the ampersand symbol (the
'and sign'). The exercise however can be adapted and developed significantly.

Everyone has seen the ampersand symbol. Most people call it the 'and sign'. It looks like
this, in two common fonts, (Tahoma and Times New Roman):

& &
In fact the ampersand appears in a wide variety of wonderful designs; it has provided
designers through the centuries with more scope for artistic interpretation than any other
character.

The activity is simply to ask people to draw the ampersand symbol - serif or sans serif -
or a more stylised version - at the discretion of the facilitator. (Interesting background
about sans serif and serif fonts is on the presentations page.)

It's actually not at all easy to draw a good-looking ampersand, especially if team
members are not able to see the symbol to copy it.

Knowing and recognising the ampersand equates to 'knowledge'. Being able to draw it -
to reliably produce one - equates to 'skill'. Different things. Knowledge we can learn by
observation and other sensory input. Skill is generally only acquired from experience,
practice, trial and error. This is the heart of the activity.

Where people should draw and present their artwork attempts - and how large and how
long is permitted for the effort - is all flexible and at the discretion of the facilitator.
People can use a blank sheet of paper where they sit, or alternatively can practise (or not),
and then take turns to draw the symbol on a flip chart. Or ask people to work in pairs or
threes or even teams, to design their definitive ampersand. Or encourage branding and
styling of people's artwork according to a particular theme, which extends the activity
beyond the basic purpose described here.
At its simplest the exercise is a two-minute icebreaker. With a bit of imagination it can be
adapted into a much bigger activity, if the idea appeals and fits the situation.

The exercise emphasises that we can know something very simply intimately but be
incapable of reproducing it properly and expertly - whether a printed symbol, or
something more significant. The principle extends to behaviour, style, techniques, etc.

The activity also demonstrates the significance of practice in becoming good at

something. The brain must learn how to do it, which is very different from the brain
simply recognising and being able to describe it.

Incidentally while the symbol is about 2,000 years old, the word ampersand first
appeared in the English language in around 1835. It is a corrupted (confused) derivation
of the term 'And per se', which was the original formal name of the & symbol in
glossaries and official reference works. More about the origins of the ampersand.
Explaining the history can help position the exercise - it took 2,000 years to arrive at
today's ampersand designs - hence why it takes a bit of practice to reproduce a good one
by hand.

seasonal team games (exercises and activities linked to

christmas and other celebrations)
These activities ideas are not only for Christmas. They'll adapt for other seasons and
celebrations. Use these activities sensitively. If there's a risk of causing offence then
adapt them or avoid them. The ideas are meant to be fun, underpinned by some useful
questions and learning. Split the group however suits you (teams, pairs, or threes
probably best). Arrange presentation, discussion, review, etc., to fit your situation. The
Roman/Greek god theme below has absolutely nothing to do with the activities, but if it
helps add an additional creative perspective by all means go with it.

1. Christmas Community Party - You are a think-tank appointed by Bacchus, god of

wine, merriment and debauchery. Bacchus has tasked you to devise a plan for staging a
free local community Christmas party or event, to include ideas for the type of event,
target audience and guests, funding, staffing, venue, marketing, publicity and ideally on-
going benefit for the community, and reasons for the funders and event managers to stay
involved and supportive. (Specify a community as appropriate, or leave the teams to
decide this themselves.)

2. Brussel Sprout Relaunch - You are marketing advisor to Saturn, not only Roman god
of the sky, but also with a secondary portfolio responsibility for agriculture (never knew
that did you..) Anyway Saturn is very concerned that one of the greatest vegetables ever -
the brussel sprout - has struggled to achieve the popularity it deserves, especially among
children, most of whom would apparently prefer to eat a bogie or a big mac instead of a
good helping of brussels. Your task, should you decide to accept it, is to devise a product
relaunch plan for the brussel sprout, including whatever you think would elevate the
vegetable to its rightful place as king/queen of all vegetables. Consider the marketing
staples: Product, Price, Promotion, Place, and anything else you can bring into play, e.g.,
endorsement by Ramsos and Olivos, the two-headed god of culinary evangualisation. The
world is no longer your oyster, it's your sprout. (Incidentally sprouts smell bad when they
are cooked for too long, so education is worth including in your ideas.)

3. 2020 Retail Visioning - You sit on the advisory panel in the service of Argos, Asdos,
Morros, Sainsbos, Tescos, and Waitros, the six musketeer gods of retailing, who have
been assembled by Zeus and tasked to redefine the developed world's retail distribution
model for the year 2020. Consider how, where, what, when and why consumers will be
buying, and from whom. Your 2020 vision for retailing does not necessarily have to
include the six musketeers, and in some ways it might be more fun if it does not. For
instance, Co-opos, god of mutuality has some interesting ideas, as do Amazos, Ebos and
Googlos, the gods of change and basically ripping up the rule book.

4. Seasonal Rebrands - You are marketing assistant to Richus Bransos, the emperor of
branding, and he's hungry for a sleeping giant of a product to rebrand and relaunch. Your
task is to identify a product or service or a proposition of some sort - anything from a
chocolate bar to a whole country - which can be rebranded and relaunched for the
Christmas season (or any other season as appropriate) to generate bucketloads of wonga
for the Bransos Empire and its shareholders. Consider product/service, price, promotion,
place, uniqueness and differentiation, distribution, plenty of photo-opportunities for
Richus Bransos to dress up as a banana or a silly girl. (Forget brussel sprouts because
Saturn is already working on it, and forget ITV because that other lesser god of the sky
Rupertos Murderos has already bollocksed that one up right good and proper).

5. Christmas Diversity Project - You are doing a spot of work-experience for Gallupos,
god of questioning. Zeus has raised the matter of the Christmas tree in the foyer and the
'Secret Santa' planned for next Friday lunchtime. Gallupos wants you to go forth into the
local high street and canvass the populace (or look on the internet) to discover all the
different ways that people celebrate Christmas around the world, and for those who don't
celebrate Christmas find out what they do instead and when and how and why. Then
(optionally) if you've time, try to roll them all together to conceptualise some sort of
celebratory extravaganza for all of humanity that will please everyone, and that we might
be able to fit into the foyer.

6. Monetary Exchange project - You are special advisor to Soros, god of money, who
has been tasked to devise an improved design of coinage and banknotes, which better
reflects people's preferences and practical needs. Your responsibility is to suggest design,
size, shape, material, monetary values, and any other innovative ideas for a new system
of coins and banknotes.
christmas quiz
See Quizballs 29 - twenty questions and answers for parties and team games.

cartoon and celebrity role-plays (case-studies, character

profiles and scenarios for role-playing appraisals,
interviews, counselling, disciplinary meetings, and
coaching reviews, etc)
Creating or compiling case-studies, character profiles, and scenarios for role-play training
exercises can be time-consuming and difficult for trainers.

This is especially applicable when planning role-plays in training for appraisals, job
interviewing, counselling, disciplinary meetings, coaching, etc., when it's important to get
people practising and observing techniques and learned skills.

Role-plays produce significant benefits for the participants and observers - and provide
evidence of learning retention and comprehension - but giving people suitably interesting
parts to play usually requires a lot of preparation. Even given good preparation, case-
studies which are too mundane or too close to real work situations can hinder enjoyment
and the necessary detachment and focus on techniques.

Here's a way to generate easily and quickly lots of interesting case-study character
profiles and scenarios for role-play exercises, which will also be great fun and very
enjoyable to use.

Instead of spending ages searching for and developing work-based case-studies, consider
using well known characters and situations from the world of news, entertainment and
celebrity.

You can also get the group involved in thinking of suitable characters or situations they'd
like to incorporate into their role-plays, for whatever work skills you are teaching or
seeking to demonstrate.

Certain characters are useful for different sorts of skills development role-plays. Where
helpful or necessary also stipulate a situation that relates to the character. Situations
related to characters are especially useful in roles-plays for disciplinary or counselling
meetings, and for performance reviews, etc. Here are some character examples. You'll be
able to think of many more:

• Superman, Lex Luthor, Batman, Catwoman, other comic book heroes and anti-
 heroes (for mediation roles-plays too..)
• George Bush, Tony Blair, Nelson Mandela, Hillary and Bill Clinton, other
politicians
• Characters from Thunderbirds, Wacky Races, X-Men, Star Trek, etc
• Characters from TV Soaps; Eastenders, Coronation Street, Friends, Sex in the
City, etc
• Characters from Sci-Fi and fantasy adventure: Dr Who, James Bond, Harry
Potter, Bilbo Baggins, etc
• Rupert Murdoch, Clive Thompson, Richard Branson, and other notable corporate
leaders in the news
• Cruella Deville, Snow White, Homer Simpson, other cartoon characters
• Tom and Jerry, Roadrunner and Wile E Coyote, (for arbitration role-plays..)
• Madonna, Naomi Campbell, Paul Gascoigne, OJ Simpson, and other controversial
celebrity figures

The world of news and entertainment is full of well-known characters and interesting
situations that provide unlimited fascinating raw material for role-plays.

Using iconic and famous characters enables participants to relate quickly to the
personalities and broad issues. Characters and situations are instantly recognisable and
instantly available for all sorts of role-play situations.

Importantly, not having extensive case-study details encourages people to focus on

helpful facilitative questioning and listening, and on clear expression and presentation, all
of which is central to successful one-to-one communications. Using very broad and
powerful characters and situations enables a strong focus on the development of
communications style and techniques for both/all participants, rather than getting bogged
down in technical work-based content. (If you want to work with bit more detail you can
always use biographies or obituaries of famous people, which are readily available on the
web.)

It's also a lot more fun role-playing larger-than-life iconic characters than using detailed
(and for many, boring) management case-studies.

Fully detailed work-based role-plays of course have a place in the learning and
development spectrum, but there are times when something quicker and more stimulating
will work better. Not forgetting also the benefit for the facilitator, for whom these ideas
enable role-playing activities to be organised without having to spend ages compiling and
writing case-study profiles.

obituaries (personal goals, visualising personal aims and

potential, identifying personal potential, life values,
purpose and meaning)
A simple exercise to lift people out of habitual thought patterns, and to encourage deep
evaluation of personal aims, values, purpose and meaning.

For groups of any size. Encourage post-activity feedback, review, sharing and discussion
(or not), as appropriate, depending group/teams size, facilitators and time available.
Encourage and enable follow-up actions as appropriate, dependent also on the situation
and people's needs.

The activity is based simply on posing the question(s) to team members:

"Imagine you are dead - you've lived a long and happy life - what would your
obituary say?"

Alternatively/additionally ask the question:

"How will you want people - your family and other good folk particularly - to
remember you when you've gone?"

Modern day-to-day life and work for many people becomes a chaotic fog, in which
personal destiny is commonly left in the hands of employers and other external factors.

It is all too easy to forget that we are only on this earth once. We do not have our time
again.

So it is worth thinking about making the most of ourselves and what we can do, while we
have the chance.

Focusing on how we would want to be remembered (who and what we want to be, and
what difference we have made) helps develop a fundamental aim or idea from which
people can then 'work back' and begin to think about how they will get there and what
needs to change in order for them to do so.

Follow-up exercises can therefore focus on 'in-filling' the changes and decisions steps
necessary to achieve one's ultimate personal aims.

Most things are possible if we know where we want to be and then plan and do the things
necessary to get there.

See the various quotes posters related to life purpose and values, which can be used in
support of this activity, for example:

"He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless dead" (Anon), and

"The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it." (William James,
1842-1910, US psychologist and philosopher)

telephone chatting activities (team-building for home-

based staff, telephone skills exercises, remote teams
relationships)
Home-based staff and remote teams miss out on the valuable social contact normally
available to office-based teams.

Personal interaction between staff (typically chatting and engaging in the canteen,
elevator, lounge areas, etc) is crucial for developing relationships and mutual awareness
among teams, so if teams do not meet frequently then the leader must devise ways to
enable this personal interaction to happen.

Traditional autocratic management discourages chatting between workers because it

considers chatting to be a waste of time, but this misses the point.

"You are paid to work not to chat or socialise in the corridor - get back to work.." is
actually a very unhelpful management tactic.

The truth is the better team members know each other the better the team performs.

See the Johari Window model - it is a powerful explanation of the value of increasing
mutual awareness, and why mutual awareness is central to effective teams and team
building.

Within reason, people need to be given every opportunity to get to know each other, and
chatting achieves this very well. Chatting develops mutual awareness, and it also helps
people feel included and valued. Conversely, if you deny people the chance to engage
personally with their colleagues you starve them of interaction that is essential for well-
being and life balance.

The internet increasingly enables people to connect through 'groups' and 'social
networking' websites, but for many remote or home-based work teams a simple
telephone-based alternative can provide an easier more natural process, moreover using
the telephone - even for chatting - helps improve telephone skills, especially listening.

A simple way to achieve this double benefit of team development and skills improvement
among remote teams is to encourage telephone chatting (within reason of course)
between team members.

Here are some ideas for doing this:

 • Introduce a compulsory 15 minutes telephone chat-time which each team member
must have with every other team member every week. Give no subject or aim
other than having a good chat and getting to know the other person.
• Introduce a rota or matrix for inter-team chat telephone appointments - timings to
suit workloads - again with no aims other than to have a chat and learn something
about each other.
• Introduce a virtual team tea-break or virtual visit to the pub - everyone is in fact
by their phone in their own homes or offices (with a cup of tea or a tumbler of
what does you good) connected a suitable via telephone conference call - and the
tone and spirit of the discussion must be as if the team were gathered around a
table in the canteen or at the local pub. There are no aims or intended outcomes
aside from having a good chat and getting to know each other better.
• When people are connecting more regularly and the telephone chats are up and
running, maybe try introducing a few discussion subjects - not necessarily about
work - anything to get people talking and understanding each other better. Maybe
ask the team to suggest topics too, and then see where the team wants to take
things.

Encouraging and enabling chatting between team members improves telephone

communications skills since it involves using the telephone to develop understanding,
mutual awareness, empathy and relationships between people. Skills development
becomes sharper still if activities are adapted for 'conference' calls connecting several
people. Communications skills are placed under greater pressure when the voice is the
only medium, which obviously tends to develop people's listening abilities.

businessballs quickies (ice-breakers, thought-provokers,

ideas you can develop into all sorts of activities)
These are quickies in the sense that they are quick for me to explain and for you to
understand the basic ideas. What you do with them is up to you. Of course the
development of these ideas could also be team exercises in their own right. Have fun.

quickie 1 - marbles

Take a few bags of marbles into the session. They are inexpensive, extremely evocative
and nostalgic, beautiful and can be used for all sorts of exercises, aside from simply
organising a quick knock-out competition (in which case be sure to brainstorm and agree
the rules first with everyone..)

quickie 2 - ultimate sandwiches

Provide various loaves of bread, butter, margarine, and various (adventurous) fillings,
plus bread-knives and wipes. Competition to make the ultimate sandwich. Variations
extend to sending delegates out at lunchtime to buy their own ingredients for the ultimate
sandwich challenge. Group tasting and voting as appropriate. Be adventurous with
fillings and if appropriate enforce penalties and forfeits for anything you could buy in a
sandwich bar. Bonus points for anything including anchovies, capers, etc. Could you
patent a sandwich? What sandwich would be most or least profitable? Consider
production, packaging and distribution too. Correlations between sandwiches and types
of people (makers and eaters)? Brand your ultimate sandwich. How would you market
and promote your sandwich? How would you extend your successful sandwich
business?.. Fancy rolls/cobs/batches/baps? (any other names incidentally for a bread
roll?), pot noodles? restaurants, delivery? Market sectors? Range diversification? Pies,
pasties, soup in the basket?..

quickie 3 - papier mache

Papier mache, for those who never paid attention at infant school, is newspaper strips and
flour paste glue, which is a wonderful modelling material, for small and large
constructions, especially with a few tubs of Vaseline (petroleum jelly) as a release agent
(if using moulds) and maybe some chicken wire from the local DIY store for making
base structures. Painting is optional if you have time for constructions to dry and work on
another day. For ideas see papiermache.co.uk. Revisit all the construction exercises you
know and consider how they might work with papier mache. Aprons are advisable.

quickie 4 - conkers

Still a few around (October 2006) and amazingly the kids aren't interested in them any
more, which means there's plenty for grown-ups. A knock-out championship is the
obvious activity, but like marbles they are beautiful and will prompt lots of thoughts,
memories, feelings etc., which can be used to address all sorts of issues - environment,
cultural diversity, technique, quality, ageism, etc.( Conkers of course get better with age,
not vinegar, which just makes them smelly and soggy..)

quickie 5 - sweeties

Buy a few chocolate bars and tubes of sweets - one or two of the main varieties - and see
how the groups responds to them. Why do we each have our favourites? What correlation
is there between favourite chocolate bar and personality? Is there a class thing going on?
Is there a gender thing? Cultural diversity and team correlations or analogies? What are
the brilliant marketing and packaging successes and abject failures? Does anyone in the
world like the new Smarties packaging? Bring back the tube I say. The possibilities are
endless.

quickie 6 - breakfast cereals

Another visit to the supermarket, or task the delegates to go shopping at lunch-time for
the cereals (according to whatever rules you state) and report back on their service and
marketing experiences and observations. Same sort of activities and discussions as above
basically. Milk, sugar, spoons and bowls are optional. Who prefers it straight out of the
box dry? Anyone prefer water on their cornflakes? Salt and sugar debate, linked to
marketing and social responsibility issues? How old is Tony the Tiger? What's the best
thing you ever had free from a cereal box? What's the greatest example of added value?
Which actually tastes the best and can we predict what your team members will like and
dislike? Are the adverts grreeeeaaat or are they a load of rubbish? Can we see similarities
in the style and feel of products from the same organisation? Which brands are more
likely to succeed globally and which will need re-branding?

quickie 7 - groups

Essentially this is an activity for the group to organise itself into sub-groups according to
the categories you state. People should have space to move around, and materials to
create simple signs (for sub-group names). It's up to the group to establish the sub-group
sections, which many people will find very challenging - they have to create the structure
from nothing and then fit themselves into it. The facilitator can stipulate minimum and
maximum sub-group sizes, which obviously increases or reduces challenge of deciding
the sub-group structures. Here are some examples of subject categories. These are daft,
but daft is thought-provoking, fun, and a great leveller, which makes the topics helpful
for relating to each other in ways that are completely removed from usual work or social
groupings:

• preferred washing-up or vacuuming or decorating or gardening methods

• favourite type of TV or show or entertainment
• leader role model
• random words, eg., 'pets/money/sport/wow', or 'table/tree/nut/leave' (obviously
the random words are effectively the sub-group structure)
• holiday destinations
• favourite music
• dream car
• preferred retirement age

Points to review after several group organisation phases would be for example: what did
you think when you saw different people in different sub-groups? Who surprised you in
their choices? Who was predictable and unpredictable? How did people's behaviour
change in according to the different group categories? Who has knowledge or expertise
or passion about something that we didn't realise before?

quickie 8 - playground visit

Take people to a local kids playground and mess around on the swings and roundabouts,
etc. Try not to get into trouble with the local authority. Find a location without an upper
age limit ideally. Preferable go when the kids are at school. Playgrounds help people get
in touch with feelings and imagination that gets buried and hidden at work. And it's fun.
visualisation exercises (identifying unique personal
potential, careers and direction, lifting limits)
A simple exercise with deep meaning, for any group size subject to appointing discussion
leaders if appropriate. Review is optional. Thoughts can be shared and discussed or kept
private; the type of review and follow-up depends on the situation.

The purpose of the exercise is to encourage and enable people to think creatively and
imaginatively about their direction and potential. As such it is particularly appropriate for
people who are in a routine that is not of their choosing, or who lack confidence, or who
need help visualising who they can be and what they can do.

Ask people to imagine they are 18 years old and have just received a great set of exam
results that gives them a free choice to study for a degree or qualification at any
university or college, anywhere in the world. They also have a grant which will pay for
all their fees. No loans, no debts, no pre-conditions.

So the question is, given such a free choice, what would you study?

Put another way, what would you love to spend a year or two or three years
becoming brilliant at?

For older people emphasise that they can keep all the benefit of all their accumulated
knowledge and experience.

They can even create their own degree course to fit exactly what they want to do.

The important thing is for people to visualise and consider what they would do if they
have a free choice.

And then either during the review discussion and sharing of ideas, or in closing the
exercise, make the following point:

You have just visualised something that is hugely important to you.

You are (depending on your religious standpoint) only here on this earth once. You will
not come back again and have another go.

So what's actually stopping you from pursuing your dreams?

In almost all cases the obstacles will be self-imposed.

Of course it's not always easy to do the things we want to do. But most things are
possible - and you don't need to go to university for three years to start to become who
you want to be and to follow a new direction. It starts with a realisation that our future is
in our own hands.

We ourselves - not anyone or anything else - determine whether we follow and achieve
our passions and potential, or instead regret never trying.

(Additional stimulus and ideas can be provided for the group in the form of university
and college course listings or examples, although people should be encouraged to
imagine their own subjects. Anything is possible. See also the Fantasticat concept.)

team skipping (teamwork, team-building, warm-ups,

outdoor activities)
These team skipping activities are for groups of ten people or more, ideally twenty or
larger, up to very large groups of a hundred or two hundred people.

Split the group into teams of five to ten team members - 8-10 is ideal - or bigger teams if
you fancy being more adventurous.

Issue each team with a length of rope six metres long, or longer if you want to work with
larger teams. The rope should be suitable for skipping, about 1cm wide, typically
available from DIY and hardware stores. As ever practise and test any untried elements
before selecting activities and materials for the actual event or session.

The task for the teams is to perform a routine or series of skipping exercises in teams
(like children's playground games, with two team members holding the rope, one at each
end obviously).

Instruct and demonstrate the rope twirling correctly, so that the skipping rope just touches
the floor on each downward part of the twirl. Twirling too fast or too high can be
dangerous and is punishable by detention or a visit to the head-teacher's office..

The rope holders will create a safer wider higher area of clearance for their team's
jumpers by using their arms, not just wrists, to create big circles when twirling the rope.

Ensure everyone in the teams has a chance to practise the rope twirling if the intention is
to rotate this responsibility during the routines, which will add useful variety and change.

Teams can perform simultaneously or one after the other depending on the situation, as
planned by the session facilitator, although activities like this are far more dynamic and
exciting if everyone is involved at the same time. If you wish you can arrange individual
team displays or 'jump-offs' at the end of the activity, which will enable voting and
judging by all participants.

As implied, voting or judging the best teams and team members can be included in the
activity depending on the situation. You can create different prize categories to ensure
there are a number of different opportunities for teams and participants to excel in their
own way (style, technique, duration, most spectacular rope tangle, most awkward
director, overall best skipper, most reliable steady twirlers, best team rhythm, etc, etc.)

Music can also be used to add to the atmosphere, in which case be aware of the effect of
the music beat on the skipping speed.

Encourage team members when not skipping themselves to coach and support those
skipping at the time.

It is the responsibility of the facilitator(s) to oversee the skipping speeds to ensure teams
keep to sensible and safe rhythms.

Be mindful of age and health issues, and structure the activities accordingly, for example
allowing those who prefer not to skip to be twirlers or coaches or judges.

Be mindful also of general health and safety and insurance issues, and where appropriate
(especially if you are external provider) ask participants to sign a disclaimer. If using the
activities indoors ensure the floor is carpeted or that sponge gym mats are used to cover
the skipping areas. If using the exercise outside use a grassed area rather than a car-park.

Under no circumstances force anyone to take part. This sort of physical activity must
always be voluntary, and also must be appropriate for the group.

Warn participants not to jump in high heels (not just the men, the ladies too..)

If you really want to use this exercise but are unable or unwilling to risk the rope
then consider running the exercise without the rope. Instruct the teams to use an
imaginary rope. It might sound a daft idea, but it will get people thinking, moving
and jumping about, and working in teams. And it's completely safe.

Here are some examples of skipping instructions, which can be issued in advance, or
called out during the activity by the facilitator. Plan instructions that are appropriate for
the type of group. Variation to instructions can be increased by asking the teams to give a
number to each team member. You should clarify the instruction terminology before the
exercise begins.

Terminology suggestions (adapt according to preferences):

• skipping zone = the floor area above which the rope is twirling, between the two
rope holders
• step in = enter the skipping zone and start jumping, preferably over the rope at
 each revolution
• step out = exit the skipping zone, preferably without getting caught by the rope
• twirler = a rope-holding team member responsible for twirling the skipping rope

These skipping instructions examples are based on a team size of 8-10 people but in
principle they'll work with larger or smaller teams. Be creative and imaginative. There
are no bounds to the silliness, subject to safety and the group's sense of humour and fun:

• step in/out boys/girls/all/bosses/directors/team-member1/2/3/whatever

• change one/both twirlers (while skipping continues)
• clap/chant/count/sing along to the music/whatever in time with skipping rhythm
• boys remove ties while skipping
• girls put make-up on the boys while all skipping
• make a mobile phone call to a loved one/colleague while skipping
• you get the idea..

More chaotically challenging variation and team inter-action can be introduced by

instructing team members to join or swap team members with other teams. This
obviously changes the competitive team dynamic into one of whole group interaction and
cooperation. To do this you will need to clearly identify each team. Again, using humour
and imagination makes more fun.

Examples of a 'whole group' instructions:

• All teams to synchronise their skipping rhythm so the whole group is skipping 'as
one'.
• All teams maintain at least one/two/three jumpers, while the whole group re-
organises into (balanced) teams according to categories specified by the
facilitator, for example: boys/girls; job type; length of service; personality type;
favourite food; etc, etc. (The facilitator must prepare and list the categories within
these broad category headings, for example personality type could offer the
categories of reliable-dependable, intuitive-creative, critical-thinking, warm-
friendly.)
• Each team develop into their own actual or virtual team by swapping team
members with other teams and then develop their own distinct skipping
pattern/sequence/style/performance which reflects their actual or virtual team role
in the whole group/organisation (which can be performed and judged at the end of
the activity).

isolation and intuition team exercises (relationships,

bullying and harassment, diversity, intuitive
demonstrations)
Here are two simple ideas for groups which can each be developed and adapted to suit
local situations.

Split very large groups into teams of ten to twenty people.

exercise 1 - isolation

The task demonstrates the feelings that a person experiences when isolated or subject to
victimisation, group rejection, etc. As such it supports the teaching of positive human
interaction principles, and laws relating to equality, diversity and harassment.

Ask the team(s) to nominate a person among each team to be the 'victim', who must then
stand away from the rest of the team, while the team members stare and sneer at the
unfortunate isolated 'victim'. For very grown-up people you can allow mild criticism
directed at the 'victim' (nothing too upsetting or personal please). In any event be careful,
and do you best to ensure that the first 'victim' is not the most vulnerable member of the
team. Preferably it should be the most confident or senior member, and better still the
team's boss. Ensure every team member that wishes to is able to experience being the
victim. The review should focus on how 'victims' felt while isolated and being subjected
to the staring or worse by the rest of the team. The exercise demonstrates the power of
group animosity towards isolated individuals. If appropriate and helpful you can of
course end the activity with a big group hug to show that everyone is actually still
friends. (Hugging incidentally demonstrates well the power of relationships at the
positive end of the scale of human interaction and behaviour. See the Love and
Spirituality at Work section for more supporting background to this subject.)

exercise 2 - intuition

Aside from the lessons from exercise 1 relating to victimisation, the above activity also
highlights the significance of intuitive feelings, which although difficult to measure and
articulate, are extremely significant in relationships, teams and organisations. This next
exercise augments the first one to further illustrate the power of intuition and feelings that
resides in each of us.

Using the same or similar team(s) in terms of size, then split the team(s) into two halves.
One half of the team (called 'the watched') should stand facing a wall unable to see the
other half of the team (called 'the watchers') which should stand together, several or many
yards away from 'the watched'.

The watchers then decide among themselves which person to stare at in 'the watched' half
of the team (for say 30 seconds per 'target' person). The watchers can change whom they
stare at and if so should make rough notes about timings for the review. After an initial
review you can change the sides to ensure everyone experiences watching and being
watched.

Of course 'the watched' half of the team won't know which one is being stared at... or will
they?

In the reviews you will find out if any of 'the watched' people were able to tell intuitively
who was being stared at, even though 'the watchers' were out of sight. Also discuss
generally how 'the watched' and 'the watchers' felt, such as sensations of discomfort or
disadvantage among 'the watched', and perhaps opposite feelings among the watchers, all
of which can support learning about relationships and human interaction. For review also
is the possibility that some people in the teams are more receptive and interested in the
activity than others, which invites debate about whether some people are more naturally
intuitive than others, which is generally believed to be so, and the implications of
preferences either way.

Experiments (and many people's own experience) indicate that many people have an
instinctive or intuitive sense of being watched, and although there is no guarantee that
your own activities will produce clear and remarkable scientific results, the exercise will
prompt interesting feelings, discussion and an unusual diversion into the subject of
intuitive powers.

age diversity exercises for teams (age discrimination

training, ageism awareness, diversity development)
With the introduction of Age Discrimination legislation (UK October 2006, and
consistent with European law), there is an increased need to raise awareness and to train
people about ageism and age discrimination. Here are some ideas for activities and
exercises which will highlight the issues. See the related notes about Age Discrimination
and Diversity, including the 'objective justification' rules explaining certain allowable age
discrimination subject to robust evidence that it is proportionate and legitimate.

Organise teams and discussions according to your situation. Here are four separate ideas
which can be used for exercises and team games.

1. Under age discrimination legislation many customary expressions in written and

spoken communications are potentially unlawful if they refer to a person's age (any age
- not only older people) in a negative way, and/or which could cause a person to feel they
are being harassed or discriminated against. Under the law, individuals are liable (for
harassment claims) as well as employers' wider responsibilities regarding discrimination,
harassment and retirement. Some very common expressions are potentially
discriminatory or harassing if directed at someone at work. Ask people to think of
examples - there are lots of them, such as:

• Teach an old dog new tricks

• An old head on young shoulders
• Mature beyond his/her years
 • Respect your elders
• It's a young man's game
• Too old
• Past it
• Over the hill
• Put out to grass or pasture
• Dead man's shoes
• Too young/Not old enough/Not mature enough

2. Direct age discrimination means treating a person at work less favourably because of
their age. Indirect discrimination is more difficult to identify and guard against than
direct discrimination, and it is equally unlawful. Indirect discrimination is where policies,
criteria, processes, activities, practices, rules or systems create a disadvantage for
someone because of their age. These pitfalls can be less easy to identify and eliminate
than directly discriminatory behaviour.

Ask delegates to think of examples of potential indirect discrimination with your own
organisation or within other (real or hypothetical) organisations, and/or based on past
experience. Here are some examples - there are lots more:

• job or person profiles or adverts (and advertising media) which stipulate or imply
an age requirement
• application or assessment documentation which includes reference to age or date
of birth
• training or job selection criteria, attitudes, expectations which differentiate
according to age
• job promotion decisions and attitudes
• pay and grades and benefits policies
• holiday entitlement and freedoms
• social activities and clubs which have or imply age restrictions
• office and work-place traditions of who should do the tea-making, errands and
menial tasks
• organisational and departmental culture, extending to jokes and banter

3. Age diversity (as other sorts of diversity) offers advantages and benefits to all
organisations and employers, especially where a diverse range of people-related
capabilities is a clear organisational and/or competitive strength. This is particularly so in
all service businesses. In all organisations, age diversity (as other sorts of diversity) is
very helpful for management teams, which benefit from having a range and depth of
skills, and a broad mix of experience, maturity, and different perspectives, from youngest
to oldest. Diversity in organisations relates strongly to the immensely powerful 1st Law
of Cybernetics.

Ask people to suggest specific benefits which age (or any other) diversity brings to
organisations. This helps focus on the advantages of encouraging diversity, aside from
simply complying with the legislation. Here are some examples - there are lots more:

• Diverse organisations can engage well with diverse customer groups, markets,
suppliers, etc
• Diversity in management teams can more easily engage with a diverse workforce
• A diverse workforce has a fuller appreciation of market needs and trends
• Diverse organisations have more answers to more questions than those which lack
diversity
• Diversity enables flexibility and adaptability - diversity has more responses
available to it than narrowly defined systems (Cybernetics again..)
• Age Diversity in an organisation collectively understands the past, the present and
the future
• Age diversity naturally enables succession and mentoring
• Age diversity in management helps executives stay in touch with the whole
organisation; helps keep feet on the ground (as opposed to heads in the clouds or
up somewhere unmentionable)
• Full diversity in an organisation collectively understands the world, whereas a
non-diverse system by its own nature only has a limited view.

N.B. Beware of promoting age diversity by suggesting particular correlations between

age and capability, which can in itself be discriminatory. For example it is not right to say
that only older people have maturity and wisdom, nor that only younger people have
energy and vitality. Instead make the point that by having a mixture of people and ages,
an organisation is far more likely to be able to meet the diverse demands of managing
itself, and engaging successfully with the outside world, compared to an organisation
which lacks diversity.

4. If you do not already have an equality policy (stating the organisation's position
relating to all aspects of equality and discrimination) why not start the creative process
with a brainstorm session about what it should contain. Incidentally the term
'brainstorming' is not normally considered to be a discriminatory or disrespectful term,
just in case anyone asks...

Ask the team(s) or group to list your own or other typical major organisational processes
(inwardly and outwardly directed, for instance recruitment, training and development,
customer and supplier relationships, etc) and how each might be described so as to ensure
equality and to avoid wrongful discrimination.

Alternatively ask people individually or the team(s) to prepare or research (in advance of
the session, or during it if you have sufficient internet connections) examples of other
organisations' equality policies, with a view then to suggesting and discussing as a group
all of the relevant aspects which could for used for your own situation.
We all, irrespective of age, race, religion, gender, disability, etc., have our own special
capabilities and strengths, and it is these capabilities and strengths that good
organisations must seek to identify, assess, encourage and utilise, regardless of age or
other potentially discriminatory factors.

shot at dawn discussion (organisational morality,

leadership styles and integrity, decision-making,
humanity versus efficiency)
This is a big emotional subject which enables a variety of discussions about morality,
ethics, integrity, leadership styles, policies and decision-making in institutions and
organisations, and the wider world. It also provides a stimulating basis for exploring
ethics versus autocracy, and for examining the balance in organisations and cultures
between humanity and efficiency.

Organise the team(s) and debating activities to suit the audience and context. This can
include debating, presenting, role-playing, brainstorming, listing and mapping key factors
- anything that fits your aims and will be of interest and value to people. The subject also
provides a thought-provoking warm-up discussion for any session dealing with ethics,
morality, compassion, leadership, decision-making, and organisational culture, etc.

Read and/or issue the notes about the Shot At Dawn pardons, which were announced by
the British government on 16 August 2006, relating to British soldiers shot by firing
squad for 'cowardice' and 'desertion' in the 1st World War.

The 'Shot At Dawn' story represents a 90 year campaign to secure posthumous pardons
for over 300 soldiers shot by firing squad in 1914-18 when it was known then, and
certainly in recent decades, that most of these men were suffering from shell-shock and
mental illness. The human perspective is obviously considerable, including the
institutional position up to the August 2006 announcement.

The story of the Shot At Dawn campaign and its historical background prompts
discussion about some fundamental modern issues relating to organisational
management, ethical leadership, and wider issues of cultural behaviour, for example (see
the organisational perspectives below too):

• leadership styles - morality-centred versus results-centred (and any other

leadership styles models people care to explore)
• leadership integrity and ethics
• policy-making methods, purposes and reviews
• decision-making influences and reference points
• decision-making pressures which cloud judgement
 • morality and compassion in institutions and organisations - versus the need to
maintain controls and systems
• the growing responsibility and opportunity for ordinary people to hold leaders to
account for humanitarian and ethical conduct
• why did it take successive UK governments much longer than any other nation to
begin to reconcile this issue?
• why is this issue being resolved now and not twenty or fifty years ago?

The different organisational perspectives together provide a stimulating way to look at

organisational dynamics, systems, and relationships, etc:

• the army and leaders of the time who saw the need to implement the policy to
execute soldiers
• the politicians and institutional system which until recently refused to
acknowledge the injustice of the executions and the avoidance of the truth
• the campaign dimensions, and how the modern world enables increasing
transparency of ethical issues

When looking at the issues people will also see meanings and relevance in their own
terms, and as such discussion can help personal and mutual discovery and awareness.
There are also many parallels with modern issues of organisational ethics and social
responsibility, because at the heart of the issue lie the forces of humanity and efficiency,
which to a lesser or greater extent we all constantly strive to reconcile.

N.B. People will not necessarily all agree a similar interpretation of the First World
War pardons. This makes it a particularly interesting subject for debate, especially
in transferring the issues and principles and lessons to modern challenges in
organisations, and the world beyond.

corporate globalization debate exercise ideas

(exploring: corporate globalization issues, corporate
response to the debate, and the internet as a powerful
force for awareness, challenge and change)
Whether you agree with the sentiments or not, this performance by Lizzie West is an
immensely powerful comment about corporate globalisation. The nature of its availability
and potential 'reach' (an advertising expression for exposure) also illustrates the awesome
potency of the internet. Maybe start your next meeting or training session with this and
discuss or arrange an organised debate about the issues involved, whatever your
perspective.

Free live music download: - Lizzie West performing 'Little Boxes' at The Cutting Room
in NYC 27 July 2006

Please ensure that when you use this you credit Lizzie West and mention her website as
the source: www.lizziewestlife.com.

Here are some ideas for exercises to use with this for developing good awareness and
outcomes related to globalisation, and particularly corporate globlisation issues:

• Define 'globalisation' (or 'globalization' - either is correct) - there is no single

answer, eg: www.globalisationguide.org
• What is corporate globalisation? Is it a feature of globalisation or a driver of it?
• What are the other drivers of globalisation and/or corporate globalisation?
• Is globalisation and/or corporate globalisation a good thing or a bad thing? Give
examples of each.
• Is our company or organisation an example of good globalisation or not so good
globalisation?
• Name some examples of good organisations on the context of globalisation, and
some not so good ones, and say why.
• What can individual employees and teams do to ensure that the organisation is
regarded as a positive effect on globalisation and not a negative one?
• How does globalisation relate to ethical business, the 'Triple Bottom Line',
Fairtrade, etc?
• How do customers perceive globalisation - what's good about it and what's not
good about it?
• How does globalisation relate to customer service and retention?
• What are the environmental impacts and potential advantages in globalisation?
• Which are the subjective (matter of opinion) aspects of globalisation, and which
are the clear indisputable good and bad points?
• What would be a good three or five-point plan for an organisation to use
globalisation for good, rather than risk damage and harm?

inspirational speech exercises (public speaking,

presentation skills, motivation, inspirational leadership)
This is a simple idea for a group of between five and around a dozen delegates. Split
larger groups into teams and appoint team-leaders.

Ask people to select in advance a great speech, verse, piece of poetry, news report, etc.,
to deliver to the team or group. The chosen piece can be anything that each delegate finds
inspiring and powerful, for example Nelson Mandela's inauguration speech, Martin
Luther King's speeches about civil rights, The St Crispin's speech from Shakespeare's
Henry V, or maybe lyrics from a pop song - really anything that the delegates find
personally exciting and interesting.

Ask the team members to give their speeches in turn to the group, injecting as much
personal style and passion as they can.

Then review with the team the notable aspects of each performance, the effect on the
speaker, the audience, etc.

Preparation in advance by the delegates is optional and in some situations recommended

for presentation skills and public speaking courses. Facilitate accordingly. Obviously
where delegates are not able to prepare then the facilitator instead needs to prepare
several suitable pieces for team members to choose from or select at random. Or to keep
matters very simple the facilitator can select just one speech or other literary work for all
of the delegates to deliver, in which case encourage and review the different
interpretations.

A different twist to the exercise is to select a piece or pieces that would not normally be
delivered passionately to an audience, such as the instructions from the packaging of a
household cleaner or a boil-in-the-bag meal.

Encourage people to team members to stretch and project themselves through their
performances.

If helpful, brainstorm with the group before hand the various elements of an effective
speech.

If appropriate and helpful organise lectern or suitable stand for the speaker to place their
notes on while speaking.

Interestingly this exercise works well with several speeches being given to their
respective teams in the same room at the same time, which actually adds to general
atmosphere and the need for speakers to concentrate and take command of their
performance and their own audience.

This is a flexible activity - adapt it to suit your situation.

For young people particularly give a lot of freedom as to their chosen pieces - the point of
the exercise is the speaking and the passion; the actual content in most cases is a
secondary issue.

See also the presentations page, and bear in mind that many people will find this activity
quite challenging. A way to introduce a nervous group to the activity is to have them
practise their speeches in pairs (all at the same time - it aids concentration and focus and
relieves the pressure) before exposing delegates to the challenge of speaking to the whole
team or group.
corporation life-cycle exercise (understanding
organisational dynamics, corporate maturity and
development; market development, organisational
systems)
This is a simple and flexible activity for groups and teams of any size. Split the group
into working teams or pairs and decide the presentation or discussion format, which can
be anything to suit your situation. Alternatively run the exercise as one big brainstorming
session.

First introduce to the delegates the Adizes Corporate Life Cycle model.

Then ask the delegates or teams for real company examples of each stage, from team
members' own experiences, or their knowledge of their market place, or the general
economic landscape, or from a few business pages of newspapers or trade journals
(which you can provide as reference materials for the activity).

This exercise prompts a lot of thinking and useful debate about the differing
'organisational maturity' found across different types of organisations. This is helpful for
understanding how to deal with corporations from a selling viewpoint, and is also useful
in providing a perspective of organisational culture for management and supervisory
training.

The exercise can be extended into (for example):

• exploring different selling strategies required for different life-cycle stage

corporate prospects, or
• examining different management styles and behavioural issues and challenges
within corporations of different life-cycle stage
• interpreting the delegates' own organisation and divisions in terms of the life-
cycle stages, and discussing the implications for working styles, attitudes, need
for change, etc.

The theme overlaps with the Tuckman model of team and group development, which is a
further useful reference point, especially for management development and training, and
particularly if extending the discussion to the maturity of departments and teams.

world cup/major event 'learning parallels' exercises

(strategy skills and understanding global marketing,
debating, presentation, and for ice-breakers and warm-
up sessions)
This sort of activity is handy following any major popular event, such as a sport
tournament of entertainment. When people are preoccupied and discussing a popular
news story of the moment, harness the interest for development ideas. 'Learning parallels'
exist everywhere - use them for explaining and developing understanding about work and
organisations.

For example, many people will probably be fed up with the World Cup by now, but for
delegates at meetings and training sessions who still want to pick over the bones of what
happened in Germany, and/or the wider effects of football on life in general, here are
some suggested activities which might reap a few positive learning outcomes. There are
many parallels between football and business, management, strategy, life, etc., after all
football is arguably more of a business than a sport (which might be the subject of a team
debate, aside from these other ideas):

Activity 1 - Split the group into pairs and give each pair five minutes to prepare a list of
five strategic changes for the improvement of football as a sport and business, as if it
were a product development or business development project. For example how about
changing the rules, because they've essentially not been altered since the game was
invented. What about increasing the size of the goal, or reducing the number of players
on the pitch? You'll get no agreement of course, but it will get people talking.

Activity 2 - Split the group into teams of three and ask each team to prepare and present a
critique of the management style and methods of the FA and head coach (Sven) in the last
four years, with suggestions as to how things might have been done differently and better
by the FA and the head coach. What lessons of management and strategy might we draw
from this?

Activity 3 - For an open debate or as a team presentation exercise, ask the question: What
cultural/social/economic factors influence the success of a nation's football team, and
what do these things tell us about fundamental trends of national economic and business
performance on a global level?

Activity 4 - Split the group into two teams. One side must prepare and argue the motion
for and the other the motion against. The facilitator must chair proceedings or appoint a
responsible person. Each side has five minutes to prepare, and five minutes to present its
case. Then allow five minutes for debate, and then have a vote. The motion is: "Football
would be a better game and globally would be more sustainable and appealing if FIFA
were run by women rather than men." (Alternative motion: "England would have done
better at the World Cup if the FA was run by women rather than men.")

See also the football quiz questions and answers.

The concepts above are not restricted to football - they are transferable to any popular
events that enthuse and interest people - it just takes a little imagination to translate the
themes and names for the event concerned and relate them to 'learning parallels' found in
work and organisations.

newsdesk broadcast exercise (team building, global

team building, inter-departmental development,
cultural diversity and understanding, video
conferencing)
This is a simple activity for developing global teams. The activity requires video
conferencing facilities. For groups of any size, and any number of teams, although the
more teams, the less time should be allowed for broadcasts, so as to avoid people having
to sit watching for long periods.

The exercise simply requires the teams to use the video conferencing equipment to create
and 'broadcast' their own 'newsdesk report/magazine TV program, to be 'broadcast' to the
other office(s). The teams' newsdesk broadcasts can be given to each other in rotation
during the same session, or at different times, depending on staff availability and logistics
issues.

Broadcasts can include guest interviews, update reports, personalities and highlights,
plans and forecasts, profiles, etc, even adverts and sponsor slots - anything that might be
included in a newsletter/company magazine.

Teams need to be given suitable time for planning and preparation and rehearsal. The
teams' aims are to impress the other viewing departments or locations with the quality,
content, professionalism and entertainment contained in the newsdesk broadcast. The
them can be decided by the teams or facilitator(s) as appropriate. Timings for preparation
and delivery are also flexible.

Each team can appoint presenters, producer, directors, make-up staff, technical staff
(camera, props, etc), researchers, special correspondents, advertisers and sponsors, etc.

Broadcasts can also be recorded for other staff to enjoy at later times. Consideration can
also be given to broadcasting to other staff via personal computers using more advanced
communications technology if available.

In some respects this concept extends the traditional ideas of team-briefing, and can
easily be tailored to incorporate team-briefing principles.

The 'Newsdesk Exercise' also adapts easily for conferences, particularly for international
and global teams who seek to develop mutual understanding and awareness of each
others issues, aims, personalities, etc.

baking foil modelling games (team-building, warm-ups,

mutual understanding, expression of ideas, johari
window development, and fun for kids activities)
This is not so much a game but a concept that can be used and adapted for all sorts of
activities and exercises, ice-breakers, warm-ups. the ideas are also great for young people
and school children.

Aluminium baking foil is a wonderful material for model-making. It's clean, looks great
when put on display, and is very easy to clear up. Most people will never have tried using
it before, so it's very new and interesting and stimulating.

Aside from the ideas below, you can use baking foil for any exercise that you might use
newspapers for, especially construction exercise like towers and bridges, etc. Baking foil
is also very inexpensive and easy to prepare in advance and to issue to teams and groups.
A 10-metre roll of the stuff only costs less than 50p (say 30 cents), a lot less than a big
newspaper, and it provides a lot of material for table-top modelling and construction
exercises.

People of all ages have fantastic fun making models - it's a chance for people to discover
talents they never knew they had, and for lots of laughter from one's own efforts and
seeing other people's efforts too.

Today people in organisations need to be more aware and expressive about concepts that
are intangible and not easy to write down or talk about. Culture, diversity, attitude, belief,
integrity, relationships, etc - these are all quite tricky things to articulate and discuss
using conventional media and communications tools. Making models helps the process of
expression and realisation, because these less tangible concepts are more related to 'feel'
and 'intuition' than logic and typical left-side-brain business and organisational processes.

Here are some simple ideas for baking foil exercises. Structure the group to suit the
situation and the timings and the outcomes you'd like to prompt and discuss. Obviously
not all individuals or teams need to be given the same task. You can determine who does
what by any method that suits your aims and the preferences of the group. Some of these
ideas are mainly for fun; others are more potent in terms of addressing and visualising
people's own selves, and organisational challenges and solutions:

• make a baking foil horse

• make an animal that represents yourself
• make a tree
 • make a tree with fruit and things hanging from the branches that represent you as
a person
• make a garden with plants and tools that represent your family or work-group
• build a set of farmyard animals
• build a farmyard
• build a farmyard that represents your family or your work-group, or the
department or the organisation
• create a set of African safari animals
• build a famous bridge or building
• build a village
• build a village that represents the organisation, in whatever way the organisation
is defined
• build models of vehicles, tools, company products, new product ideas
• build anything that represents you
• build the highest tower or strongest bridge (see the various newspaper
construction exercises and tips on the other teambuilding page for more ideas)
• make a baking foil plane - one that flies for a few feet when you launch it from
standing on a chair
• design a range of cars that represent the company car policy as it is and as it
should be
• create a model to represent the organisation's communications system - how it is
and how it should be
• design a new workplace layout model
• design a new reception area model
• design a new production layout
• create a model to represent the organisation - whatever parts of it that are relevant
to the session
• a model to represent the CRM process
• a representation of a particular management concept, eg., Tuckman, Maslow,
'conscious-competence', etc
• an inter-departmental communications model
• a (or your organisation's) management hierarchy model - how it is and/or what it
could be
• a global teams model
• a virtual teams model
• a cultural diversity model
• a symbolic model representing the organisation and its values and aims - how it is
and/or how it could or should be
• a symbolic interpretation of a SWOT analysis or PEST analysis

Using a clean flexible new material like baking foil to express ideas is extremely
liberating in today's world when people are so restricted and confined by PC's and
computer screens. God help us all when flip-charts disappear, or when we have to work
on tiny little hand-held devices to create and express new ideas and solutions.

The world is becoming more complex and more challenging. The concepts that people
need to grasp and address are multi-faceted and multi-dimensional. It helps therefore to
work sometimes with an exciting medium, daft as it sounds, like baking foil, to free-up
people's thinking and imagination.

See also the organisational modelling exercise on the other team-building page for more
ideas about using models to express ideas about organisational shape and structure and
culture, etc.

triple bottom line game (understanding TBL - profit

people planet - implications, developing ethical teams
and organisations)
With the obvious rising interest in and awareness of modern 'ethical' organisations issues
(at last), it's helpful for all organisations to bring TBL-type thinking to life in team
activities. Here's a simple exercise to do it:

The activity (which can also be used for more structured workshops) is for groups of any
size although large groups of more than twenty people will need splitting into several
teams with facilitators/spokes-people/presenters appointed, and extra thought needs to be
given to the review/presentation stage to review and collect all the ideas and agree
follow-up actions.

Split the group into debating teams of 3-7 people. (The larger the whole group, the larger
the debating teams should be.) Each team's task is to identify three great new team or
department initiatives - one for each of the Triple Bottom Line areas, namely,
Profit, People, Planet. Give some thought to team mix - if helpful refer to the Belbin
model or Gardner's Multiple Intelligences inventory - it's useful for all teams to have a
balance of people who collectively can reconcile ideals with practicalities.

If necessary set the scene with a brainstorm or group discussion about what ethics and the
Triple Bottom Line (profit people planet) actually means to people, staff, customers, and
its significance for the organisation/industry sector concerned.

Initiatives must be SMART (in this case SMART stands for Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound). Each of the initiatives must focus on one of
the Triple Bottom Line areas (profit, people, planet), and at the same time must
support the other two TBL areas.

For example, a profit initiative must not undermine people or planet. A planet initiative
must not undermine profit or people. And most certainly a profit initiative must not
undermine people or planet.

When we say 'not undermine profit', let's be clear that many ethical intitiatves can reduce
profit, especially if the profit was being achieved by doing harm or damage somewhere,
and the initiative seeks to correct this. The extent to which profit is affected by ethical
initiatives is a matter for discussion and consideration of the wider and long-term view.
Within this view are the wider benefits achieved by improving the ethical behaviour of
the organisation, which ultimately will improve profits far more than ignoring ethical
issues.

Instead of looking at loss of profit, think about the risks associated with ignoring the
ethical issues, which generally dwarf short-term costs of ethical initiatives. For example,
what's the point in sticking with exploitative third-world manufacturing if the
consequence of doing so means in the future there'll be no customers prepared to buy the
manufactured product?

Teams have between 20 and 40 minutes (facilitator decides beforehand) to develop their
ideas, and presentations, depending on time available. Presentations can be in any format
to suit the timescales, numbers of teams and delegates, and the emphasis given to the
TBL theme. Allocate time for presentations to suit the situation, numbers and timescales.

David Cameron is entirely correct (and very clever) in identifying that the 'zeitgeist'
(feeling of the times) is for more meaning, humanity and corporate responsibility in work
and organisations; the question is how to make it happen. This exercise begins to address
the practicalities. Otherwise it's all talk.

As with any ideas session or activities always ensure that there is follow-up, and seek
agreement for this with the relevant powers before raising hopes and seeking input of
people and teams. Follow-up can be for a limited number of initiatives that all delegates
vote on at the end of the presentations, or you can agree follow-up actions on a team-by-
team basis, depending on levels of enthusiasm, quality of ideas, workload, and perceived
organisational benefit.

This activity links with the spirit of the development forum gameshow activity, which
particularly addresses the people and well-being aspect of the triple bottom line
philosophy.

jigsaw puzzle game/team puzzle race exercises (team-

building, illustrating teamwork, team problem-solving,
lateral thinking, etc)
For groups of 8-100 people, even more with suitable adaptation - this is a very adaptable
game.

Divide the group into a number of teams. Give each team some pieces of a jigsaw puzzle
and instruct them to assemble the puzzle as quickly as possible. Ensure each team's
pieces appear initially as though they could be an entire puzzle in their own right.

Say, "The task of each team is to assemble the puzzle as quickly as possible. Each team
has the same puzzle. No further instructions will be given," (other than options explained
below; the point is for teams to resolve the exercise for themselves working together in
teams, not by asking the facilitator).

The teams will assume they are competing against each other, but in fact there is only one
jigsaw puzzle, and the pieces are shared out among the teams. If the teams are in the
same room they soon find out, and begin to cooperate. If they are in different rooms the
realisation takes a little longer, but eventually the teams understand that the pieces are
held by all the teams and the only way to do the puzzle is to work together.

The facilitator's preparation for this exercise is there therefore to obtain or create a jigsaw
puzzle whose complexity and number of pieces are appropriate for the group numbers
and time available for the activity. Ensure there are sufficient pieces to occupy the total
number of team members, and obviously each team needs a suitably sizes table or
floorspace to work on, so that all team members can be involved. Larger teams (upwards
of five people) will be additionally challenged in areas of team organisation and 'work
allocation' to ensure everyone is involved.

The exercise can be made easier and quicker for the teams by describing or giving clues
as to the shape or image on the puzzle, for example, (if using the template below) "It's a
square," or "It's a geometric shape," etc., as appropriate.

Offering a prize in the event that the puzzle is completed within a timescale of say 10
minutes (or during the session, day, whatever, depending on the situation), adds extra
interest. The prize is obviously given to the whole group, so be mindful of the budget...
Use these words or similar: "In the event that the puzzle is completed (within...) a prize
will be awarded," rather than referring to 'the winning team," which is not technically
correct, because the activity is one of cooperation not competition.

Exercises based on this theme demonstrate that all the people and all the teams make up
the whole, and no team or individual can do it alone.

Ideally you need to have a space somewhere that the puzzle can be kept and worked on
during tea-breaks, should the activity over-run the initial time-slot. This is not a problem -
people will continue to work on it during the day/session, and the ongoing activity and
assembled puzzle serve as a constant reminder to team members of the theme of
cooperation and teamwork, so don't worry (and explain this to the group once they've
started cooperating) if the puzzle is not completed in the time initially allotted.

Here is a jigsaw puzzle pattern (in MSWord) and separately as a pdf. This puzzle is for
groups of, for example, twenty people split into five teams of four. The puzzle needs to
be significantly enlarged - at least five to ten times bigger - for best effect, so that it's
visible and usable for lots of people, and makes a big impact. The more teams and
players, the bigger the enlargement is required (and the more pieces - achieved by
drawing and cutting more lines). The jigsaw pattern artwork needs to be taken to a decent
print/copy bureau, enlarged, printed, laminated onto card or foam and cut by hand. If you
possess basic craft skills and the necessary equipment you can do it yourself - it's quite
straightforward really. The dashed lines are thick so as to be cut through the centre (along
the lines), which helps the puzzle assembly. You can adapt the puzzle for more players
by drawing more drawing more lines to increase the number of pieces. The design of the
puzzle is currently the businessballs logo although you can substitute it with your own (if
using the MSWord version, via box 'fill' pattern). Someone who knows MSWord well
will know how to adapt/develop it. Use and adapt the puzzle artwork, or source your own
jigsaw puzzle, to suit your own situation.

values-led team-driven change activities (team-building,

goal-setting, values, philosophy, planning and change
management)
This is a simple themed activity which can be adapted to suit your situation.

It concerns fundamental aims and values - making work more real and meaningful.

For groups any size although groups of more than ten or so will need to be sub-divided
and facilitators/leaders appointed, and then a forum arranged to share and review ideas
and actions afterwards.

The activity focuses on reconciling personal dreams/values/philosophies/passions with

the organisational aims and methods.

Ask: What can we all do to change and improve how our organisation acts?

Pick the easy gains. Leave the tough ones for later/ever.

Refer people to the Serenity Prayer.

Refer (especially if the teams have idealistic compassionate roles/tendencies) to the

'zeitgeist' of our times: organisational ethics, 'Fairtrade', sustainability, corporate
integrity, 'Triple Bottom Line' ('Profit People Planet'), etc., and have people visualise
what successful organisations will be like in the future, given increasing awareness and
expectations of employees, customers and general public opinion in relation to
humanistic values.

How can the individuals and the team help to develop/influence/behave within the
organisation so as to make it (the organisation) fit our personal perspectives and these
modern values?

You'll need to provide strong support and follow-up afterwards, and ideally get some
buy-in from the top. This is a brave initiative, although most organisations are now
beginning to understand that the concepts are real and will eventually be irresistible.

fantasticat
See the Fantasticat page - ideas for motivating, teaching and developing young people -
grown-ups too..

transactional analysis activities ideas (understanding

transactional analysis, undersanding self, improving
tolerance and communications, diffusing conflict)
There are many exercises and activities that can be used to illustrate and develop
understanding of Transactional Analysis.

Many of the exercises in the team-building activities pages on this site will adapt for a
TA perspective, especially the activities which relate to the Johari Window theory.

When selecting activities and ideas to use, much depends how knowledgeable your
audience is. If teams know the basics of TA then a lot of fun and learning can be had
from acting out scenarios, reviewing and discussing emotional communications and
behaviours (for example in newspapers), and watching films - and particularly TV soaps
and sitcoms - with the purpose of looking for different types of transactions between the
characters. This invites also the opportunity to critique certain on-screen transactions
which are poorly scripted and acted, where behaviours can be seen to be unnatural, and
reasons explained and discussed from a TA perspective.

At a more fundamental level, people can work in pairs to identify their own personal
triggers for parent and child responses:

Behaviours which can be traced back to a root cause or emotional trigger are typically for
example: losing one's temper, especially with children and subordinates; feeling stressed
and upset; exhibiting 'sour grapes' attitudes; messing around; being judgmental or critical;
blaming things and people; being too compliant and submissive, etc.

Analysis and discussion benefits from using the 'Parent, Adult, Child' model, and also by
referring to the 'I'm OK, You're OK' (OK Corral) model. See the modern Transactional
Analysis theory pages for more TA guidance and materials.

Identifying behaviours and their causes are important steps towards addressing the causes
of emotional responses, and changing the behaviours resulting.

Transactional Analysis is an excellent model for teaching and developing these concepts.

obstacles exercise (team-building, communications,

giving or writing clear instructions, teamworking
strategies)
A team activity for groups of four to twenty people to promote team-building,
communications and understanding about clarity of instructions. Much larger groups can
be accommodated with suitable space, adaptation and planning. For indoors or outdoors.
The exercise can be organised for a single team although normally it will be more
effective and enjoyable for a number of teams competing against each other.

The activity is simple. Nominated members of teams must guide their blind-folded fellow
team-members, using spoken instructions, through an obstacle course made with chairs or
other items.

In preparing for this activity remember to source sufficient blindfolds for team members.

Alternatively instructions can be written, in which case team members (not blind-folded)
must negotiate the obstacle course walking backwards (obviously so as not to see the
obstacles but to be able to read hand-held instructions).

Where two or more teams compete against each other a nominated observer from each
team acts as adjudicator, to count the number of times that the walkers make contact with
obstacles, resulting in penalty points. Clear adjudication rules must be stipulated so that
the integrity of the scoring is protected, for example, after completing the course each
walker signs their name against the written score marked by the adjudicator. An example
score sheet is shown at the end of this item.

The winning team is the one to complete the course as quickly as possible, after
deduction of penalty points, for example ten seconds per obstacle contacted.

Given a group of just four or six people it is generally better to split this into two
competing teams rather than run the exercise as a single group activity, unless you have a
particular reason for running a single group exercise.

Room set-up is quickest achieved by simply asking the delegates to place their chairs
somewhere in the 'playing area', which immediately creates the obstacle course. The
facilitator can make any necessary adjustments in case any straight-line routes exist.

Teams then have five to ten minutes (at the facilitator's discretion, depending on time
available, team size and complexity of the obstacle course) to plan and agree a start point
and a finish point through the obstacles - in any direction - and to plan a strategy for
guiding blind-folded members through the route planned, (or for the backwards-walking
version of the exercise, to write instructions sheets for walkers to use).

So that everyone experiences being a guide and a walker you can stipulate that every
team member must negotiate the course, which means that team members must swap
roles (the guided become the guides having completed the course). This would also
require adjudicators to swap roles with guides or walkers of their own teams.

This is a flexible exercise that allows the facilitator to decide how difficult to make the
obstacle course, how specific to be regarding start and finish points (all teams starting at
one side of the room, or leave it up to the teams to plan their routes in any direction from
one side to the other), and the strategic complexity of the challenge (determined by team
size and number of obstacles - large teams of more than four or five people will also
require a strategy for who performs what role and when roles are exchanged).

Additionally the facilitator can decide to stipulate whether all instructions are spoken,
(blind-folds), written (walking backwards), or a mixture of the two methods (for example
stipulate how many team members must use either method).

Review points afterwards:

• Why did the winning team win?

• What were good strategies?
• What were good instructions and what were unhelpful ones?
• What were the unforeseen problems? (One unforeseen problem, especially where
competing teams are permitted to decide their own start and finish points and
therefore are likely to cross the routes of other teams, is the fact that walkers of
other teams will become obstacles during the exercise)
• What adjustments to strategies and instructions were made along the way?
• Discuss the merits of practical trials before having to decide strategies and
instructions.
• And lots more points arising from the activities.

Here's a simple example of the adjudicator's score sheet:

signed
walker's obstacles
(by
name contacted
walker)
portmanteau words games (creativity, ideas and
concepts, a vehicle for developing and highlighting
issues and initiatives)
For groups of any size. This is a basis for various activities. Adapt and use it to suit your
purposes and situation. If you need help deciding on format, teams sizes, timings etc.,
refer to the tips on working with teams and groups and exercises.

First see the explanation about portmanteau words - aside from anything else it's very
interesting as a perspective on the development of language and communications.

Portmanteau words are new words that are made from the combination of (typically) two
other words. Common examples are 'Pictionary' (the board game), the Chunnel (the
channel tunnel), 'infomercial' (information and commercial advertising); avionics
(aviation and electronics), and 'webinar' (web and seminar) The grammatical effect
enables the quick and stimulating creation of new ideas and themes, for any purpose.

First explain to people about portmanteau words. Then, depending on your theme or
purpose for the meeting or session, ask people (can be individually or in teams - pairs or
threes ideally unless you ask for lots of work and ideas), to devise their own portmanteau
word or words for a particular purpose. Here are some examples of purposes:

• a new brand name for a product or service (for the people's organisation or any
another organisation, depending on the situation and participants)
• a name for a new company/organisation initiative (perhaps addressing customer
service, quality, communications, inter-departmental relationships, training and
development - anything that is a challenge or opportunity that would benefit from
a fresh and inventive perspective)
• a new name for the company or organisation to replace the existing one, that will
effectively communicate purpose and values, etc.
• a name to describe a particular problem or challenge within the organisation
(agree or state specifics or a range as appropriate), and then a name or names for
remedial action(s)
• a name (or names) to describe the most important skill(s) or attribute(s) for given
roles within the organisation (this is a useful way to look at job skills, which are
 commonly not described or stated very well, and which of course are under
pressure to change and develop all the time)
• a name to describe a particularly challenging customer behaviour, and then
name(s) to describe appropriate responsive behaviour from staff
• a special combination of abilities I'd love to develop for myself
• a special combination of abilities I'd be really good at coaching and developing in
others
• the name of a conference to improve/develop/raise profile of... (whatever - sport
in schools; diversity tolerance; media responsibility; ethics in business; etc)

Exercises in creating portmanteau words involve a lot of thinking about meanings,

interpretations, communications, and the efficient, effective, creative use of language and
ideas.

As such this is a potent and flexible activity, for all ages, roles and levels.

kitchen top drawer game (introductions and ice-

breakers, and for children's activities too)
This exercise is a very simple quick activity for ice-breakers and introductions, and for
expressing and revealing feelings of personality. Also for exploring team roles. For
groups of any size although is best to split large groups into teams of a dozen or less, with
appointed team-leaders to facilitate.

The task is simply for each team member to liken themselves to a utensil or piece of
cutlery commonly found in a kitchen top drawer, and say why they think they are like the
chosen item, ideally focusing on strengths and styles. Give delegates thirty seconds to
think and decide before asking people to reveal their choices and reasoning in turn.

If it helps (especially for young people), start the exercise with a quick brainstorm session
with a flipchart or wipeboard of all the sorts of items that people have in their kitchen top
drawers at home, which should produce a long list of ideas.

For very large groups you can vary the exercise by asking people to think and decide and
then circulate around the room finding other people who have chosen the same utensil to
represent themselves, and to form into sub-groupings of the same types. Fun and noise
can be injected - especially for young people or lively conferences - by asking people to
identify themselves by shouting the name of their utensil, and/or by trying physically to
look or act like the utensil.

Be prepared and on the look-out to instruct potentially large sub-groups of 'knives' into
different types of knives, so that no category sub-grouping amounts to more than 20% of
the whole group.
Extend the activity by asking each group to develop a proposition as to why their
particular utensil is the best in the drawer - or 'top drawer' - which they can present in
turn to the whole group.

Further extend the activity by asking teams or players to vote (secret ballot on slips of
paper given to the facilitator) as to the utensil with most and least value to the kitchen,
thereby being able to decide the 'winners', should the activity warrant it.

Alternatively, so as to emphasise the value of all team members and roles, ask each team
to identify a particular typical 'project' (Sunday Roast dinner for instance) for the kitchen
which demands the involvement (and in what way) of all of the selected utensils.

Add greater depth and interest to the activities by referring to the Johari Window and
discussing mutual and self-awareness issues resulting; also refer to personality types and
styles to discuss and explore comparisons between 'utensils' and people associating with
them, and various personality types from whatever personality models are of interest and
relevance to the group. For example, are knives most like Jung's and Myers Briggs
'thinking' types and why? Does the meat-thermometer or the egg-timer most equate to
Belbin's 'monitor-evaluator'? What personality types might be represented by the whisk
and why? Is it possible to identify a Belbin role with every utensil, and on what basis?
Whish are the extravert utensils and which are the introvert ones and why, and what are
their relative strengths? Etc, etc.

The exercises can of course be adapted for other types of tools instead of those found in
the top drawer of the kitchen, for example the garden shed, or the tools associated with a
particular industry, perhaps the industry in which the delegates operate. If you stay with
the kitchen drawer theme it's probably best to avoid any reference to the 'sharpest knife in
the drawer' expression so as not to sway attitudes in this direction - rest assured you will
see plenty of people aspiring to be 'knives' as it is without encouraging any more..

employee relations and communications exercise (team

briefing role-plays, speaking to groups, handling
difficult communications and questions, written
communications)
This is a simple quick role-play or written communications exercise. For groups of up to
a dozen. Split larger groups into smaller teams and appoint team leaders to chair and
facilitate.

Ask the participants to draft (and then deliver as if in a meeting) a 2 minute employee
'team brief' item or a verbal instruction (or for participants who are not comfortable
standing up and speaking to the group a written employee notice or email) relating to a
contentious subject. There are some examples below, but you can define different
scenarios depending on your situation and the needs of the delegates.

• Car-park spaces in the front of the reception are now reserved for directors only.
• Canteen is being closed in order to make room for more office space.
• Access to site is restricted to employees only - no family or friends permitted
unless on company business in which case formal pass and security procedures to
be followed.
• The site is now a non-smoking area everywhere.
• (Add your own scenarios as appropriate.)

You can run the exercise for individuals or in pairs. If in pairs encourage both people to
have a go at speaking. More variety is created if you offer different scenarios - for
instance by having people pick blind which one they must handle. Alternatively for
complex scenarios you might prefer to see how people take different approaches to the
same situation.

You can additionally/alternatively ask delegates to describe their own particular scenarios
for use in the role-playing activities.

You can extend and increase the challenge within the activities by asking the team to
role-play some 'questions from the audience' at the end of each spoken exercise, which
the speaker(s) must then handle appropriately.

Review use of language, tone, clarity, effective transfer of key points and reasons,
technical and legal correctness, and the actual reaction of other participants to the verbal
delivery/written notice.

people picture interpretations (relationships,

communications, attitudes, body language)
The activity is a simple discussion of the group's interpretations of different pictures
(photographs of people) - anything between one and six different pictures, depending on
how long you'd like the activity to last - each picture/photo featuring people engaged in
some sort of activity or interaction.

Show a picture to the group and ask them to consider and comment on how they interpret
what's happening in the picture - what's being said, how people feel, what the moods are,
what the personalities and motivations are, what might have caused the situation and
what the outcomes might be - as much as people can read into and interpret from each
photograph. Additionally ask the group or teams what questions they would want to ask
anyone in the picture to understand and interpret the situation.
You can organise the group's response to each picture in different ways - in open
discussion, or split the group into pairs or threes and give them a couple of minutes to
prepare their interpretation for presentation and discussion in turn, or split the group into
two teams and see which team can develop the best interpretation, and optionally,
questions.

It's helpful, but not essential, for you to know the true situation and outcomes in each
picture (perhaps you've read the news story or the photo is from your own collection),
which will enable you to give the actual interpretation after each picture is discussed.
However one of the main points of these exercises is appreciating the variety of
interpretations that can be derived from observing people's behaviour, facial expressions
and body language, which means that many situations can quite reasonably be interpreted
in several different ways. So knowing and being able to give a definitive 'correct answer'
is not crucial - the main purpose of the activities is the quality of the ideas and discussion.

To prepare for the exercise, find and enlarge, or create slides of several pictures of people
in various situations. These photographs and pictures are everywhere - on the internet,
newspapers and magazines, in your own snapshot collections and photo albums. Select
photographs of people showing facial expressions, body language, especially interacting
with other people. In addition to communications, motivation, relationships, etc., you can
link the exercise to Johari Window (the exercise will develop people's awareness about
themselves and each other from listening to the different interpretations of the pictures)
and personality (different personalities see the same things in different ways).

'christmas is/holidays are brilliant' vs 'christmas

is/holidays are a pain in the arse' exercise (team debate
activity, warm-up, ice-breaker, group presentations
preparation and delivery)
A simple warm up after the festive season or the holidays (whenever), for grown-ups or
young people, for two teams, (or at a stretch three teams).

One team must prepare and present the motion: "Christmas is Brilliant" (or "Holidays are
Brilliant" - whatever is appropriate).

The opposing team prepares and presents the case against the motion, which is logically:
"Christmas is a Pain in the Arse" (or Holidays are a Pain in the Arse").

Begin the exercise by asking the group to organise itself into two separate teams
according to their individual views: ie., "Christmas is Brilliant" or "Christmas is a Pain in
the Arse" (or "Holidays") . Alternatively split the group into two teams and allot the
motions by flipping a coin or similar random method.
Teams of five or six are fine provided full participation is stipulated. Teams of more than
six will be fine provided team leaders are appointed and instructed to organise their teams
into smaller work-groups to focus on different aspects of the presentation, which can be
brought together at the end of the preparation time. For groups of more than about twenty
you can introduce a third motion, "Christmas is both Brilliant and a Pain in the Arse,
depending on your standpoint", and structure the activity for three teams.

Timings are flexible to suit the situation, as are use of materials, presentation devices, and
number of speakers required from each team, etc.

For preparation, as a guide, allow 5 minutes minimum, or up to 15 minutes maximum if

more sophisticated presentations are appropriate. Allow 5 minutes minimum for each
presentation although you can extend this if warranted and worthwhile.

Optionally you can allow each team to ask a stipulated number of questions of the other
team(s) at the end of the presentations.

The winning team can be decided at the end by a secret ballot, which will tend to produce
a more satisfying conclusion (even if there's no outright winner) than a decision by the
facilitator, who can vote or not, or have casting vote in the event of a tie - it's up to you.

The facilitator should advise the teams before commencing their preparation that the
winning team will most likely be the one which prepares and presents the clearest and
fullest and most appealing case, and if applicable asks the best questions and gives the
best answers.

Obviously deciding the winner will not be a perfect science and if using the exercise as a
development activity it's important to review structure, logical presentation, and other
relevant aspects of learning as might be appropriate. In reviewing the presentations the
facilitator can award a point for each logically presented item within the presentation,
with a bonus point for any item that is supported by credible evidence or facts or
statistics. Award bonus points for good questions and answers if applicable, and award
bonus points for particularly innovative and striking aspects or ideas within the
presentation. If using the activity as a learning and development exercise it's helpful to
explain the review criteria to the teams at the start.

Encourage participants, particularly young people in large teams, to use their imagination
to create interesting and memorable methods of making their points, for example play-
acting scenarios, and injecting movement and lots of activity within their presentations.

For more sensitive groups or situations you can of course substitute the word 'nuisance'
for 'pain in the arse'.

Obviously the activity can be used for any debate exercise - work-related or otherwise -
and serves to get people working and cooperating in teams, developing skills in preparing
and presenting arguments and propositions, and can also provide much revealing and
helpful mutual awareness among team members, and useful insights for the
facilitator/group manager.

Examples of other motions, which for group selection recruitment exercises can be
extended far beyond normal work issues, examples of which appear later in the list
below:

• "The Smoking Policy is..."

• Team Briefing is..."
• "The Car-Parking Policy is..."
• "The (XYZ) Initiative is..."
• "The Monthly Meeting is..."
• "The CEO is..."
• "The Weather in our Country is..."
• "The Sport of Football (Soccer) as a sustainable business model is..."
• "Reality TV is..."
• "The Monarchy is..."
• "Supermarket Domination of the Retail Industry is..."
• "Mobile Phones are..."
• "The Internet is..."
• "This Recruitment Process is.."
• Etc

The exercise can also be used or adapted for a group selection recruitment activity, to
provide useful indications of candidates' skills and capabilities in a variety of areas.

rotating line introductions icebreaker (warm-ups,

icebreakers, communications, communicating styles)
This icebreaker or communications activity is for groups of six people or more. Ideal
team size is ten or twelve. Larger groups can be split into teams of ten or a dozen people.
For large groups where time is limited you can split the group into teams of less than ten,
which obviously makes the exercise quicker. Split the (or each) team into two standing
lines of people facing each other, two or three feet apart. For example:

1 1

2 2

3 3

4 4
 5 5

6 6

Ask the team to introduce themselves to the person facing them, optionally (up to you) by
asking and answering questions, such as:

• Who are you and what do you do?

• Tell me what interests you and why.
• What special thing do you want to achieve (at the event, or in life generally -
depending on the situation and group)

You can design other questions to suit the theme or purpose of the event.

You can provide strict instructions relating to questions and answers or (for a simple
icebreaker) just ask the people to engage in general introductory conversation as they see
fit.

You can stipulate that the facing pairs each have a turn at questioning and answering, or
that one is the questioner and the other the answerer. Whatever, ensure that everyone has
a chance to ask questions and to give answers. If appropriate nominate one line as the
questioners and the other line as the answerers.

After a minute ask the lines to rotate as follows (one person from each line joins the other
line and both lines shuffle to face the next person:

2 1

3 1

4 2

5 3

6 4

6 5

If using the exercise as a simple icebreaker continue the process using the same questions
or general introductions. If you are using the activity develop communication skills you
can increase the sophistication of the exercise by introducing new questions after the
initial introductions, for example:

• What worked well in the last conversation?

 • What could have been improved in the last conversation?
• What type of questioning and listening works best in this exercise?

Continue rotating the line every minute until everyone has conversed (questioning or
answering) with every other person. Logically this takes as many minutes as there are
people in the team. Twelve people will take twelve minutes to complete the exercise.

If using the exercise to develop or demonstrate communications skills it's worth thinking
more carefully before the exercise and explaining more about the questions and points to
review. For example, points to review can include:

• Aside from the words spoken what else was significant in these communications?
• What aspects were most memorable and why?
• What aspects or information were most impressive and why?
• What happens to communications when time is limited?

Obviously where team members already know each other there is no need to needlessly
go through name and position introductions, although check beforehand as to how well
people know each other rather than make assumptions.

Where a team has an odd number of members, then you (the facilitator) can become one
of the team members in the line.

Where the purpose includes developing mutual awareness it can be useful to refer to the
Johari Window model.

(Ack C Mack)

'straw poll' exercises (identifying and getting buy-in for

individual and group learning and training)
These team development activities quickly identify team and individual learning needs
and wishes, and importantly helps builds 'buy-in' and commitment among the team
members to pursue the identified learning or training.

The activity can also be extended to explore, encourage and enable more innovative
approaches to personal development, and particularly to pursuing 'life-learning' or 'unique
personal potential' if such a concept fits with the organisational philosophy. If so, the
organisation (or department or at a team level) must first decide how and to what extent it
can support people's 'non-work' and 'life learning' aspirations. There are very many ways
to do this. Progressive modern organisations have been doing this for several years. Use
your imagination. You will find that as far as the people are concerned, you'll be pushing
on an open door. The provision of 'non-work' personal development must be defined
within a formal organisational process and framework, by which identified individual
'life-learning' ideas can be acted upon. Such process and framework are obviously vital to
discussing people's personal needs and wishes in these non-work areas.

The exercise is for groups of any size, although large groups should be sub-divided into
teams of between five and ten people representing single functions. The bigger the teams
the more requirement there will be for good facilitation by a team leader within each
team.

The level of guarantee for ideas to be acted upon is a matter for the facilitator and the
organisation. Promise only what you can deliver to people. Embark on these activities
only if you can reliably implement the outcomes, to whatever extent that you promise to
the team members.

The facilitator should ideally run the session with a flip-chart or wipe-board because the
sharing of ideas and discussion is a valuable part of these exercises. Refer to the
guidelines for running brainstorm sessions, since the activity uses a team brainstorming
process.

The aim of the exercise is to gather, list and prioritise collective and individual training
and learning needs and wishes for work and non-work learning and development.
Involving the team in doing this in an 'immediate' and 'free' informal situation generally
exposes many more ideas and opportunities than normally arise from formal appraisal,
surveys and training needs audits, or personal development review discussions. Sharing
ideas and personal views also helps build teams and mutual awareness (see Johari
Window theory). The exercises enable the team leader or facilitator to work with the
people to arrive at ideas for learning and development, which can then - according to
organisational processes and framework - be fed or built into proposals or plans for
implementation.

The process of hearing and sharing other people's ideas also greatly assists people in
imagining what might be helpful and relevant to their own situations - far better than
thinking in isolation.

First ask team members individually (allow five minutes) to make one or two short lists:

1. Three things they'd like to be able to do better for their jobs, (and if the
organisation supports and enables 'non-work' and 'life learning'):
2. Three things they'd love to learn or do better for their life in general - anything
goes.

Then ask the team members to call out in turn their top-listed work or job learning
personal development item. Write these on the flip-chart.

This immediately identifies collective training priorities. Ask for reaction and comment.
Then ask for people to call out in turn their second-listed work/job learning item and
write the answers on the flip-chart.

Then gather the third-listed job/work learning items.

Use different coloured marker pens so as to be able to group common elements and to
identify patterns and consensus priorities.

Ask the group to comment on what they consider to be the 'high-yield' items - ie., the
development items that will make the biggest difference to productivity, enjoyment,
stress-reduction, service quality, business development, etc., and discuss this issues.

Ask the group what type of learning they'd enjoy and best and find most helpful.

Additionally explore people's learning styles; also look at multiple intelligences, and
perhaps introduce a learning styles questionnaire.

Using these activities and exercises will enable you to identify development opportunities
that are high priority according to need and organisational effect, and you can now
conclude this part of the session with an agreement with people to investigate or proceed
with implementation depending on personal wishes, learning styles and preferences,
organisational processes, budgets, etc. The investigation/implementation can involve the
people or not, depending on the circumstances.

Now, provided the organisation/department/team endorses and supports 'non-work and

'life learning' development, turn to the non-work 'life learning' items featured in the
second list.

These can be anything: hobbies, pastimes, personal loves and passions, natural abilities
stifled or ignored at school, anything. The aim is to explore personal potential and
enthusiasm in whatever areas that might be relevant to people and what they want from
their lives.

It is important to open your own mind and the minds of the team members to the fact that
all learning and development is useful. All learning and experience in life benefits people
in their work. Everything learned and experienced in life is transferable one way or
another to people's work. People commonly don't realise this, because nobody tells them
or gives them the confidence to see it. When you see it and talk about it, people begin to
see too that there can be more alignment and congruence between their lives and their
work. Moreover, organisations are now seeing that when people are supported and
encouraged to follow their own life interests and natural potential, so the organisation
benefits from their development.

When people learn and experience new 'non-work' and 'life learning' capabilities and
development, they achieve and grow as people, and this gives them many new skills for
their work (especially the behavioural capabilities normally so difficult to develop via
conventional work-based training), and a greater sense of value, purpose, self-esteem and
maturity. All these benefits and more result from non-work learning and experience.

What matters most is that people are given the encouragement and opportunity to pursue
experiences and learning and development that they want to. People are vastly more
committed to pursuing their own life learning and experiences than anything else. So, the
more that organisations can help and enable this to happen for their people the better.
People develop quicker and more fully, and they obviously become more aligned with the
organisation because it is helping them to grow in their own personal direction - far
beyond the conventional provision of work-only skills training and development.

Ask people to think about and discuss the skills, knowledge, behaviour, maturity,
experience, etc., from personal 'non-work' activities and learning that are transferable to
their work. Many people will be able to give specific examples of where they are
performing outside work in some activity or other that is way, way, way above their
status and responsibility at work. This is the principle that we are seeking to recognise
and extend.

For example (these examples of experiences and learning and benefits are certainly not
exhaustive - they are simply a few examples):

• Sports and physical pursuits - develop fitness and determination, leadership,

discipline, commitment, teamwork, stress-management, goal-setting, excellence,
perfection, etc.
• Travel - develops cultural awareness, maturity, languages, etc.
• The Arts (art, music, writing, etc) - develops creativity, communications,
empathy, interpretation.
• History - develops cultural and political and philosophical awareness, analytical
and interpretation abilities.
• Voluntary and Care work - develops humanity, team-working, management,
leadership, decision-making, etc.
• Environmental, Animals, Natural World - develop humanity, social responsibility
and awareness, team-working, organisational and political understanding.
• Clubs and Societies - management, planning, organisation, communications,
knowledge and information management, etc.
• Own 'sideline' business - entrepreneurialism, decision-making, management,
marketing, customer service.

I once knew a wonderful receptionist. She worked part-time. Most people only ever knew
she was a receptionist. She never received any training or development. Nor much
respect. In her spare time she ran an international market-leading business, supplying
high performance components to a specialised sector of the industrial engineering sector.
She could have taught the MD a thing or two but they never asked..

Every organisation contains several people like this, and many more people with the
potential to be the same. But nobody bothers to ask.
When an individual pursues personal learning and development and experience, whether
through a hobby or some voluntary work, or any outside-work activity, they always
develop as people, and also learn lots of new skills, which are increasingly transferable
and valuable to their work situations. The tragedy is that organisations mostly fail to
recognise this, and this is a major reason why most people continue to perform at work
considerably below their full potential.

Non-work experiences, responsibilities, learning and development provide wonderful

opportunities for people to grow in capability, maturity, experience, and in specific
knowledge and skills areas, that are immensely valuable to employers.

Opening people's minds to these possibilities then enables discussion and identification of
personal learning aims and wishes, perhaps some consensus, which then naturally enables
planning and implementation and support of some new exciting non-work and life-
learning activities for people, as individuals and as teams, depending on what people
want and will commit to, and how far the organisation is prepared to assist and
encourage.

playing card bingo (warm-up, icebreaker, exercises to

demonstrate competitive effects, team-building, team-
working and cooperation - also a great way to teach
numbers to small children)
This is a bit of fun which can be used as a simple icebreaker or warm-up. The game also
adapts to provide a simple yet novel team-working exercise. The game and games
variations demonstrate the heightened concentration and focus which results from contest
and competition, and as an adapted exercise it prompts teams to work together to
approach a complex statistical challenge. For groups of any size.

Materials required are simply two packs of playing cards (or more packs, depending on
group size).

Shuffle the packs keeping them separate. Retain one pack. Deal from one pack between
three and ten cards to each team member. The more cards then the longer the exercise
takes. If there are more team members than can be supplied from one pack then use
additional packs. It is not necessary to remove the jokers, but be mindful of the effect of
leaving them in the packs.

Team members must arrange the cards dealt to them face up on the table in front of them.

The dealer (facilitator) then 'calls' cards (like a bingo caller) one by one from the top of
the dealer's own (shuffled) pack, at which the players match their own cards (by turning
them over face down). The winner is the first to turn over all cards. Suits are irrelevant -
only the numbers matter. Aces count as one. Picture cards as 11 (Jack), 12 (Queen), 13
(King), or simply call them by their normal picture names - again the suits are irrelevant.
Jokers (optional) treat as jokers. Players can only turn over one card at a time, in other
words, if a player has two 4's they must wait for two fours to be 'called'.

Interesting variations can be made to the game to add team-building and cooperation to
the activity, for example:

Have people play in pairs or threes. Deal cards to each person as normal, but then teams
can sort and swap cards between themselves so as to give the team of two or three the
best chance of one (or two - it's up to the facilitator) of the sorted sets winning. (This is
pure guesswork obviously, but it will test people's approach to the challenge of statistical
anticipation.)

Have the group play in two or three teams (each team size ideally no bigger six people).
Deal each team twenty cards and ask them to pick the fifteen that they wish to play with
as a team. Again this is pure guesswork, but it will challenge the teams to think about
statistics, and to agree the best tactical approach.

Other variations include prohibiting or enabling competing teams to see the other team's
cards while they are deciding which to select.

To make the games last longer and to alter the statistical perspective you can require that
suits are matched as well as numbers/picture cards.

Practise your ideas first if possible.

'spice of life' exercise (personal development, goals, true

motivation and purpose, visualisation, life balance)
A quick simple powerful activity for groups and teams of any size. The exercise can also
be used for yourself, and when working with individuals in counselling, coaching and
performance reviews and appraisals.

Optional preparation for a group activity: buy some green cardamom pods - they are a
highly aromatic spice used in Asian cooking and curries - the Latin name incidentally, for
interest, is Eletteria Cardamomum. Star Anise - aniseed seed pods - and cloves also work
well for this sort of exercise - they reinforce the point and add additional sensory
stimulation to the activity. Distribute a pod or clove or several of each spice to each team
member. Alternatively you can give different spices to different people if you have them.
This will prompt discussion and expectation. You can mention that spices like these are
symbolic - they are small and natural, of relatively little monetary value, and yet have a
remarkably powerful effect. They also have healing qualities, and being seeds they
represent new life and beginnings.

Also optionally at this point in the exercise you can ask people do this calculation in their
head to further concentrate the mind: Subtract your age from 90 and add two zeros to the
answer. Divide that number in two. This is roughly how many weeks you have left on
this Earth, assuming you live to a very ripe old age. If you smoke and don't look after
yourself properly subtract 1,200 weeks (if you are very lucky). How quickly does a week
pass by? Almost the blink of an eye...

Then ask the group to close their eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, and visualise.... (it's
a bit morbid but it does concentrate the mind somewhat): You are very close to the end
your life - perhaps 'on your deathbed'. You have a few minutes of consciousness
remaining, to peacefully look back over what you achieved, and what difference you
made in the world. And especially how you will be remembered.

So how do you want to be remembered? What did you do that mattered? What
spice did you add to people's lives? What was the spice in your life? What will you
have done that will give you a truly good feeling at the end of your life? And so, how
can you best fulfil your own unique potential?

We rarely think about our lives this way: that we are only here for a short time, and that
what really matters is beyond money, possessions, holidays, cars, and the bloody lottery.

Thinking deeply about our own real life purpose and fulfilment helps us to align what we
do in our work with what we want to do with the rest of our life.

This in turn creates a platform for raising expectations and possibilities about direction
and development - pursuing personal potential rather than simply 'working' - and finding
ways to do so within our work and our life outside it.

(As facilitator do not ask people to reveal or talk about their dreams unless they want to.
The exercise is still a powerful one when people keep their dreams and personal aims to
themselves.)

This type of visualisation exercise is also important in helping people to take more
control of their lives and decisions - becoming more self-reliant and more pro-active
towards pursuing personal dreams and potential, instead of habitually reacting to work
demands and assumptions.

'starter keys' icebreakers and activities (warm-up

exercises, introductions, getting people talking,
potentially leading to deeper discussions)
An easy and flexible exercise (using people's bunches of keys) for ice-breakers and
introductions for groups of any size (very large groups need to be split into smaller teams
with appointed team leaders). Also a quick fun method for deciding order (who goes first
- for introductions, speaking, presenting, etc) and also for splitting a group into smaller
teams, threes or pairs. The idea can also extend into various activities for self- and mutual
awareness, story-telling, understanding life 'partitions', time management and prioritising,
life balance, responsibility, even delegation and management. Keys are of course very
personal items with significant personal connections and representations, and so provide
opportunities to create lots of interesting, enjoyable and helpful activities around them.

Exercises examples:

1. For deciding order- 'Who goes first' - Ask each person to put their bunch of keys on the
table in front of them. Order is decided according to most keys on the bunch. Tie-
breaker(s) can be decided according to the key(s) with most notches.

2. For splitting group into teams or threes or pairs - Ask the group to sort themselves into
the required number (which you would normally stipulate, unless your purpose
allows/prefers them to sort into teams of their own choosing) of teams or threes or
pairings according to shared features (in common with others) of their key bunches,
for example number of keys on bunch; type of key-ring fobs (sensible, daft, tatty, glitzy,
unmanageably large, uselessly small, broken, holiday mementoes, promotional
giveaways, etc), size of keys, type of keys, colours of keys, purpose of keys.

3. For starting and framing personal introductions and profiles - Ask group members to
put their keys on the table. Each person then takes turns (you can use the order-deciding
method above) to introduce and describe themselves according to their keys, from the
perspective of each key's purpose and the meaning in their life represented by what each
key unlocks.

4. For addressing time management, life balance and personal change, etc - Split the
group into threes and ask each person to discuss in turn, among their teams of three, what
their own keys represent in terms of stuff they're happy with and stuff they'd like to
change (where they live, what they drive, what they value, their responsibilities, their
obligations, personal baggage and habits, etc).

5. For addressing personal responsibilities and delegation, from others and to others, and
responsibilities people aspire to - Ask the group to split into pairs or threes, and as
individuals, to discuss with their partners what they'd like their bunch of keys to be like
instead of how it is at the moment - what responsibilities (keys) would they like to lose or
change or give to others - what new keys would they like to add? How else would they
like to change their bunch of keys? If anyone is entirely happy with their bunch of keys
ask them to think ahead five years. If they're still happy with their keys ask them to help
facilitate...

You will no doubt think of your own ideas and variations to these exercises. Let me know
anything different and interesting that works for your team.

See also the 'letting go' de-cluttering exercise on the team building games page 1, which
might give you more ideas for extending and varying these activities.

See also the Johari Window model, which helps explain to people the benefits of
feedback and developing self- and mutual awareness.

'where in the world' exercise (personal development,

icebreaker, warm-up exercise, questions for
recruitment group selection or interviews , student
presentations)
This exercise and the activities that can be developed around this idea provide very
simple quick ice-breakers or presentation ideas for all sorts of situations. The activity is
for any group size. (For large groups: split group into teams of 5-7 people and appoint
team facilitators to ensure full participation by all. Presentations can be given within
teams, not to whole group. Teams can then reconvene as a whole group to review the
exercise and experience after completing the activities in teams.)

Ask the group as individuals to take a couple of minutes to close their eyes and
imagine running their own ideal business or enterprise (not necessarily profit-making
in a conventional business sense - it can be a service of any sort; some people for
example seek to be carers, or writers, or gardeners, or cooks, to have a shop or a cafe, or
to teach others. It is important to emphasise that everyone - not just entrepreneurs - can
follow their dreams. Visualising and stating one's dreams helps greatly to make them
happen).

Then ask the group as individuals to close their eyes and think where in the world
would they locate their business/service activity and why? Give the team members or
delegates anything between two and five minutes to think of their answers and to
structure a brief explanation or presentation (again stipulate timing for their presentation
or answer), depending on the purpose and depth of the activity.

N.B. Giving a presentation is not an essential part of this activity. It might be more
appropriate for the participants and/or the situation for people to simply keep their
thoughts to themselves, or to write them down privately, perhaps to refer to and consider
in the future.

In explaining their choice of location team members will be encouraged to think about
and express personal dreams and passions relating to their ideal business or service
activity or enterprise (which involves exploring their fulfilment of personal potential and
strengths), and also where in the world and why they would locate their enterprise or
service activity, (which involves each person in considering the environment and context
to which they see their dreams relating). Some people will not imagine locations very far
away; others will imagine locations on the other side of the world. There are no right or
wrong answers - the activity is an opportunity for people to think and imagine
possibilities for themselves beyond the constraints that often limit us and our
fulfilment.

The exercise relates also to Johari Window development, to goals, personal and self-
development, and (if ideas are expressed or presented) also provides helpful insight for
team leaders, facilitators, trainers, or recruitment selection observers in understanding
more about the people performing the exercise.

'one word' exercise (exploring deep values and purpose,

and behaviour towards others, which relates to all sorts
of development needs and opportunities)
Again - this is a simple activity - which contributes to many and various positive
outcomes. The exercise is for any group size, although if presentation is required split
large groups into smaller teams which can self-facilitate to enable full participation and
discussion. If splitting into teams you can reconvene as a whole group for review of the
experiences after the team activities.

Ask people as individuals to clear their minds, close their eyes, and to think of one
word - just one word - which they feel best describes or encapsulates living a good
life. A one-word maxim for life.

The facilitator might be required to explain what is meant by 'living a good life'. Use your
imagination so as to relate the concept to the situation and the participants. Think about:
force for good; civilised society; leaving the world a better place than when you entered
it.

Of course words mean different things to different people, and many people will find it
quite difficult to pick just one word, but this is the point: One word concentrates the mind
in a way that five or six words, or a longer sentence tends not to. For participants who
find it impossible to decide on one word, encourage them to use as few words as possible
- but still aiming to focus on the essence, or a central concept, rather than a catch-all or
list. It's easy for people to think of a list - one word is a lot more thought-provoking.

Ask people to write down their chosen one word (or words if necessary), plus some brief
explanation as to what they mean.

Then in turn ask people to tell or present their answers to the group or team.
It is interesting to hear people's ideas. They will be quite different to how people actually
normally behave in organisations - to each other, to customers, to suppliers, etc. And
quite different to how people behave in societies in local, national, religious and global
communities. Why is this? Where does individual responsibility begin and end? Are we
part of the problem - or part of the solution? Do we want to be part of the solution? What
actually stops each of us trying to live and behave more often as we know to be right?
Are the pressures and habits and expectations that distract us from more often following a
right path really immovable and so strong that we cannot rise above them? What personal
resolutions and changes might we want to make?

The exercise relates also to Johari Window development, to personal life philosophy and
values, personal and self-development, and (if ideas are expressed or presented) also
provides helpful insight for team leaders, facilitators, trainers, or recruitment selection
observers in understanding more about the people performing the exercise.

Transactional Analysis and the blame model within the TA section can be a helpful
reference to assist people in understanding more about the forces that cause us to behave
differently to what we know to be right.

See also the articles section about love and spirituality in organisations which helps
explain about bringing compassion and humanity to teams and work.

free team building games (1)

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See also the Quizballs quizzes, especially the

management and business quiz for aspiring
managers and trainers, and anyone interested in
managing people and organisations.

team building games - are games appropriate?

Before you decide to use any team building games with a group of people, think about
whether the activities are appropriate for the team members and the situation.
Kirkpatrick's learning model is a good reference point for this assessment: team members
should ideally enjoy the activity, learn something from it, which they can apply, and
which will improve results.

See the Team-Building Activities Evaluation Form and Outcomes Notes (Excel file).

It's useful also when assessing any team development needs to refer to Bloom's
Taxonomy of learning domains, which provides a useful template or checklist for
designing and evaluating training and learning activities of all sorts.

Ensure that team-building activities comply with equality and discrimination policy and
law in respect of gender, race, disability, age, etc.

Age discrimination is a potential risk given certain groups and activities. Team-building
facilitators should be familiar with the Employment Equality Age Regulations, effective
1st October 2006, (UK and Europe).

Note that team building games are not necessarily the best way to improve team morale
and attitude if there are problems in these areas. Workshops are often a better starting
point for fragile or bruised teams, which need basic bonding, confidence and help to
strengthen their sense of responsibility and purpose.

If using team building to develop mutual respect, care and compassion, etc., look at the
love and spirituality at work section - it explains about bringing compassion and
humanity to work and teams.

Effective relationships and behaviour at work involve the same principles as everyday
life - respect for others, integrity, honesty, compassion, courage - all the good things that
we all naturally possess deep down. Sometimes people have insecurities or stresses which
create difficulties on the surface, to which others in the team then react. Emotional
maturity, or Emotional Intelligence is a useful perspective. However, if you approach a
behavioural problem head-on, or try to resolve it with a team building exercise, this can
cause people to clam up and become defensive (just like we all tend to do when someone
is critical or implies a weakness). Instead, ask the people what they'd enjoy and find
helpful for their lives in general. Move the issue away from work and skills and 'team-
building' per se. Help the person (and people) rather than treat the symptoms. If you help
people with their life-balance and personal fulfilment they become more emotionally
mature, tolerant, positive independent, self-sufficient, etc. When the person is okay, so is
everything else, including their relationships and communications at work. Developing
people involves more than behaviour, relationships, skills, knowledge and processes. It's
often more about helping people feel better about themselves; helping the person to feel
happy and fulfilled. A good leader can facilitate this. Team building doesn't have to
involve games and exercises - team building might be better achieved by arranging other
things which appear to be unconnected to work. Perhaps the sort of things that people
would otherwise seek out at evening classes. Perhaps lunchtime yoga or reiki or
relaxation sessions might be of interest? Maybe go bowling? Horse riding? Ask the
people. In the Summer maybe play softball on the park? Or maybe ask if they would like
to run a lunch-time barbecue for clients and suppliers. If you focus on the problem it will
become a battlefield. Instead focus on fun, new positive experiences and self-fulfilment.

The subjects on this website increasingly feature ideas for developing the whole person.
In the same way, you are not restricted to providing traditional work skills development.
Explore everything, and show your people that you have a broader view about
development - they'll have lots of ideas of their own if you let them see it's okay to think
that way. Team building games are just a part of a very wide mix of learning and and
development experiences that you can explore and facilitate for your people - try
anything. If it helps your people to feel good and be good, then it will help your
organisation be good too.

On which point, see:

abstract images for feelings, challenge and change

love and spirituality in management and business - bringing compassion and humanity to
work

buddha maitreya's japanese garden and meditation centre

the Sales Activator® games system for sales training and development - a remarkable
sales training and team building system

free quizzes - questions and answers - trivia, general knowledge, management and
business quiz

role playing process and tips for role play games and exercises

fantasticat - the Fantasticat ideas for motivating, teaching and developing young people -
grown-ups too..

team building games ideas and theory, which explains about preparation, organization
and training for team building games and exercises

free puzzles (and free answers) for quizzes

free tips on running teambuilding workshops