LEARNING GAMES
Not everyone likes the idea of a game, but used with confidence and purpose in the training room they can benefit everyone. These games don't belong to us and aren't all original ideas; they have developed over years of use, often honed whilst working with groups and colleagues whose input we acknowledge.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
LEARNING POINT
A seemingly difficult/impossible task can sometimes be achieved through sheer hard work, or sometimes ingenuity.
GOOD FOR
Team building, testing initiative and perseverance.
RESOURCES NEEDED
One sheet of A4 paper (80/100gsm) and a pair of scissors. (At the trainer's discretion teams are allowed several sheets of paper to experiment on.) Takes 20 minutes.
METHOD
Ask groups of three or four to cut a hole large enough for an adult to ride a bicycle through in an A4 sheet of paper. The paper must be kept as one continuous piece - no joins etc. (We know two ways to achieve this: one is slow and painstaking, cutting from the middle outwards in a spiral. The faster method follows the principle of the Chinese lantern. Fold paper in half lengthways. Cut narrow strips alternately from the fold to 1cm from the edge, then from the edge to 1 cm from the fold. This produces a 'lantern'. Then, to open out the hole, cut all the joins at the fold, except the ones at the very top and bottom.) Usually one group out of four solves the problem.
DEBRIEF
Find out the high point/low point, breakthroughs, emergence of a leader, if anyone got left out or sat back etc. As with many tasks in the workplace, this puzzle demands certain kinds of skills, which some people immediately leap into or opt out of. This in itself is worth taking a few minutes to explore.
JARGON CHARADES
LEARNING POINT
Jargon is maddening. Decoding it into plain language is not easy.
RESOURCES NEEDED
Take a few jargon words that are familiar to the group - either sector specific, or buzz words eg rationalization, downsize, occupational competency, and so on. Write them on slips of paper and put them in a jar. Takes 10 - 15 minutes.
METHOD
Divide the group into teams. Ensure that everyone is familiar with the concept of charades and ideally give an example to the whole group. Ask each team to take it in turns to come to the front and select at random a word from the jar. The individual then goes back and without speaking, signals to indicate how many words and syllables are involved, then communicates the word or part of the word using mime. As soon as it is correctly solved, the next individual comes up, chooses another word from the jar and so on.
DROP THE EGG
LEARNING POINT
Team work, leadership skills, working under pressure (of time, resources...) learning how to drop an egg from ten feet in an emergency if ever it were to be necessary in the workplace.
RESOURCES NEEDED
One fresh egg, two sheets of A4 paper, two strips of string - 15 cm each, two strips of sticky tape - 15cm each, two balloons, four pencils/crayons. Several sheets of flip chart paper to cover the floor prior to egg dropping. Takes about half an hour - debrief crucial.
GOOD FOR:
Team building.
METHOD
Tell groups that the task is to drop a fresh egg ten feet to the ground without breaking it or cracking the shell. Give half an hour, but crucially the first 15 minutes must involve design, without touching any materials. During this time the trainer should go round discreetly and make notes of progress.
N.B. They do not have to use all their resources, but let them work that out or ask you. When each team has constructed their craft for the egg to travel in, they cannot do a test flight, but must wait for the 30 minutes to elapse. Then take it in turns to drop the egg. It usually needs someone to stand on top of a table, and for health & safety reasons it is best for the trainer to do this. (There are many different possibilities for a successful egg drop, but generally those who focus more on cushioning the egg on landing, rather than slowing the flight will achieve greater success.)
DEBRIEF
This can be reasonably in depth, and questions posed by the trainer include:
DROP THE EGG VARIATIONS
On Time Management training, put groups under more pressure of time, with another activity added in so they have to delegate/work smart.
For a Leadership Skills course, try allocating roles using post-it notes. Observing a couple of teams who are all secretly given the role of leader is intriguing. Watch the ensuing chaos, and ensure there is real learning from the debrief. You can allocate leader/team member and time-keeper roles for a more orderly if less exciting experience.
On a Negotiation Skills course, without prompting the group, you might reasonably expect them to negotiate for more materials - eg. string, balloons etc. and/or more time! Spread the teams out so that they don't overhear each other and those who take the initiative in negotiating enjoy the advantage.