Recipes are available on the web. Consider the strength of drinks that you provide and consider implications of people's health, proper behaviour, transport, driving, etc. Most offices have a big space somewhere which can be quickly reorganized to produce a good-sized area for setting up a buffet and eating. Maybe offer starters, mains, and deserts in different departmental rooms, so people circulate and get to know each other better. If you don't have a room or rooms then go out and find the space you need. Again be imaginative and creative. There are interesting spaces everywhere.
Find some space and make it work. Appoint a team to do this - and to dismantle and tidy up too. A consistent problem affecting traditional workplace parties and social events is that people tend to drink a lot when nothing else entertains them. People engage relatively little, with the event, and with each other. Organized activities instead get people involved and mixing and having fun together, which develops mutual understanding, builds relationships and teams, and diffuses tensions.
So think of some activities on which to build your event - to give people some entertainment apart from eating and drinking. Think about activities which will be different and participative, so that people will be active and entertained, rather than sat down drinking and chatting about work and office politics, etc. As already suggested, a really useful tone-setting idea is to have the bosses and executives take a leading role in serving and waiting on the staff. The tone of the event is important. Staff will be positive if the tone is right. If the bosses stand aloof and refuse to help and get involved, then the tone will be unfair and wrong, and staff will not put effort and commitment into the event.
If the tone is right and good and fair, then staff will respond positively. Consider that in very many organizations throughout the year, staff see senior managers and bosses enjoy longer lunch-breaks, expenses-paid-for trips and meals, big company cars, reserved car-park spaces, better salaries, bonuses and perks, and all sorts of other privileges. So wouldn't it make a refreshing change for once if the bosses served the staff? You bet it would. A workplace social event is an opportunity for the organization to say thank you to its people. A sit down meal with drinks in a restaurant will achieve this to a degree, and of course in many cases is entirely appropriate, but for many other situations, a social event can achieve a lot more.
Emotions and feelings within each of us are 'triggered' in different ways. We think differently and therefore see things differently. We often do not imagine that other people may see something quite differently to how we see the 'same' thing. Management and relationships, in work and outside of work too, depend heavily on our being able to understand the other person's view, and what causes it to be different to our own. To illustrate this, and to explore how mental associations can 'colour' US-English 'color' our worlds differently:.
If anyone sees all the days as the same color, or sees no colour association at all, or perhaps sees or senses a more powerful alternative association, then this is another equally worthy personal viewpoint and difference. The days of the week are a simple fixed pattern. Yet we see them in different ways. It is easy to imagine the potential for far greater differences in the way we see more complex situations - like our work, our responsibilities and our relationships, etc.
Human beings will never see things in exactly the same way - this is not the aim or work or life - instead the aim should be to understand each other's views far better, so that we can minimise conflict and maximise cooperation. Erikson's Life Stage Theory. Personality Theories and Models. Versions of the 'Iceberg' may be mapped according to different perspectives, for example - how people see it currently; how they'd prefer it to be; from a personal, departmental or workforce standpoints.
The exercise can be used as a basis for all sorts of learning and development activities, for example relating to:. For groups of any size. Split into pairs, threes, or work teams and review as appropriate, or run the activity as a quick ice-breaker. What acronym can you devise or suggest one you know already that is particularly appropriate for modern times? Where groups devise their own acronyms you may optionally award a point for each letter in the acronym and bonus points for:. This is a simple and adaptable exercise which can be used to explore various themes.
You could run a version on a table-top, or use it to get people moving around quite a lot. As facilitator you need just a tape measure and a pad of small sticky notes. Here is the basis of the exercise. Adapt it and use different exercises to suit your own situations. This is an experiment to explore the brain's capability to estimate scale. Your guesses will be measured and results given. The exercises involve simple guessing, but provide a basis for understanding more about how reliably or unreliably our brains can estimate scale, etc.
Sometimes guessing and instinctive assumptions are effective; often they are not. As facilitator it will take you a while to measure and note scores for lots of guesses, so think how best to do this. If using the exercise as a quick icebreaker, or if time is tight, especially if group is large, think carefully about how many measuring exercises to include. Just one is fine for an icebreaker. With big groups and treams issue people with tape measures and have them score each other.
Or see the examples for simplifying the activities below. Depending on time and how you want to use the activities, other materials and measuring devices can be used for different exercises, for example:. Adapt the exercises depending on how active and logistically involved you wish the activities to be. This is a simple exercise for groups between 8 and 30 people, and involves many different learning elements: The activity is based on the funny one-liner often attributed to comedian Stephen Wright , which is deeper than first seems:.
Nominate one team to be 'early bird' and the other team to be 'second mouse' or allow the group to decide this themselves, which can be an interesting mini-exercise in its own right. Give the teams minutes, each to develop a second presentation or longer for bigger groups and more learning depth as to why their strategy 'early bird' or 'second mouse' is best for business or work or life, depending on your situation. Which is the most effective strategy for business or work or life?
Optionally, ask the teams if in light of the presentations they would prefer to frame the question in a different way. People might now see a more constructive approach to the question. Again this can be a useful mini-exercise in its own right. After the debate hold a 'free' vote to see what the combined group now believes about the question.
Allow but do not encourage abstentions 'don't knows'. Encourage group members to vote as individuals, putting their team loyalty to one side. There are many possible learning areas to review after this exercise, depending on your situation and development purposes, for example:. Here are some ideas and exercises to explore human physical contact and touching; the types, benefits, risks, associated feelings and reactions, in relation to self others.
Touching people is understandably a neglected aspect of relationships and communications, especially in management and education relating to sexual harassment and child protection. Nevertheless touch is a highly significant part of body language, and crucial to human interaction. We therefore benefit by improving our understanding of touch and using it appropriately, rather than avoiding it altogether. A New York Times article by Benedict Carey reported some interesting findings on human touching:. Many and various other studies have reported the positive powers of human touch.
As with physical exercise, human touch triggers the release of chemicals in the brain. These are basic primitive human responses, not easily understood, and even now only beginning to be researched and analysed in reliable scientific terms. In time we will know what it all means and how it all works. Meanwhile a little practical experimentation can be helpful and enlightening. Here are some ideas:. Love and compassion at work. The nature of anything - especially feelings, relationships and communications - changes according to situation and context.
This is vitally important in understanding ourselves, others, and the way that human systems operate, in which subjective views are commonly more dominant than objective facts, figures and evidence. Perceptions among people, especially given group effects, has a huge effect on systemic and organizational behaviour. Here is a simple and pleasing demonstration of how something can change when experienced in a new context, particularly when the warmer spring season approaches in the northern hemisphere:.
The demonstration is clearest if first people pour the drink and take a few sips indoors, and then walk outside, so as to compare the indoor and outdoor taste.
Strangely the taste is quite different, sometimes remarkably different. This is probably due to the fresh air being smelled and tasted along with the drink. I am open to better explanations. The effect also works with cold drinks. And picnic lunches, if you've time. In some situations the exercise will work better by not warning people of the reason for going outside, other than to get some fresh air and a leg-stretch, both of which are good for groups anyway.
Taste is not the only characteristic altered, for example, in cold weather the drink cools far quicker. Small and insignificant though it is, the drink experience and memory is altered by the different outside environment. The indoor cup of tea or coffee is perceived to be different because of the outdoor context and situation. The analogy can be used in many subjects which benefit from interpreting differences and implications within relative positions, for example:.
Very many theories and models for learning, management, development, etc. Understanding relativity is not merely for theoretical explanation - it's a real practical tool for interpreting and acting with more appropriate meaning - rather than a 'one size fits all' mentality - especially concerning the widely different perceptions among people in different situations. For groups of any size, subject to splitting into working teams and managing the review of the team work.
The exercise will take minutes plus whatever review your think is appropriate for your situation. Some daily national or local newspapers. Enough for every person to have at least sheets. You may nominate specific models, or seek examples of models from the group, then write these on pieces of paper, fold, and have people pick them 'blind'. Allow discussion and debate of matters arising as appropriate, according to the needs and timings of your session. To save review time - ask people to work in pairs, or in teams - requiring each pair or team to present an interpretation of only one story, being the most powerful example that the pair or team can find in the time allowed.
If the group has access to computers, internet and group display this enables the use of online news websites rather than newspapers. Explore what alternative words people would use to describe each other? What words surprised us and why? What obstacles tend to exist when we don't know each other?
And when other aspects of mutual awareness are not good? Why is it that lack of mutual awareness tends to cause difficulties, whereas good mutual awareness tends to produce benefits? How does good mutual awareness in a team enable greater delegation of responsibility, and generally better and easier performance? Where the exercise is used as more of an ice-breaker for a group which has only recently been introduced to each other, a separate learning illustration is how much or little we seek, observe and absorb about new people we meet, and whether we can be more attentive at such times, since this reflects on perceived levels of empathy, and can influence people's self-esteem and confidence, and readiness to cooperate, etc.
A quick icebreaker and kick-start activity with a helpful underlying purpose. The beginning of a new year prompts many of us to consider new aims and plans, or to renew a commitment towards a change or improvement of some sort. Commitments tend to succeed where there is a plan, especially for aims which contain steps leading towards the final result.
Without a plan, little can change. Work backwards, identifying the steps necessary for achieving it, back to the starting point: In this situation it is particularly helpful to clarify that people do not need to reveal or discuss their aims with the group unless they want to, since for some people this enables more relaxed and creative thinking. Here is a selection of quick easy fun party games, including some already on these team games webpages. Issue each with a heavy key or spanner similar cold metal tool, tied to about fifty feet of string. The winning team is the first to thread the string through the whole team, passing underneath each team-member's clothing from top to bottom.
Issue each with an orange or potato or other similar sized fruit or vegetable. The winning team is the first to pass the orange from person to person and back to the beginning by holding the orange between chin and chest no hands. Dropping the orange incurs a two-person-stage penalty move it back two people in the chain. Give each pair a raw egg still unbroken in its shell. Pairs face each other in two lines, five paces apart. The egg must be thrown and caught twice between each pair. Move the lines three paces further apart.
Again, throw and catch twice. The winners are the last with their egg intact. If you are disturbed by the wastefulness of this game don't play it. Can be played in teams of three - one upside-down standing on head being supported by a team-mate, being fed a half-pint of a suitable drink from a suitable receptacle. Drinking straws are optional at the discretion of the party games organiser. The winning team is the first to consume the drink. For additional challenge make the drink a pint and require each team member to take a turn in each of the three positions - holding, feeding and drinking.
Be careful when planning games to ensure that they are appropriate for your situation. I accept no liability for any untoward issues arising. The activity is a simple introduction to project planning, and helps develop awareness of structure, scheduling, etc. For groups of any size and any age. Split the group into pairs or teams appropriate for your situation.
The task is to produce a simple project plan for making a cooked breakfast. Issue pens, rulers and paper, or arrange other presentation media as you wish. As the facilitator you may substitute or offer alternative tasks.
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Cooking a breakfast is merely an example; see other examples below. Introduce the group to a project management tool s as appropriate, for example a Gantt chart, critical path analysis flow chart, or a 'fishbone' diagram. To extend the activity you can add the requirement that teams must indicate where training or preparation needs are most likely required for any of the process elements. Additionally you can introduce a financial element, so that plans must show a breakdown of costs, and a structure to monitor the budget for the project by each separate item.
Note that this financial aspect can be a big extra challenge for some learners and is best excluded if the main development need is to learn the basic structure and process of building a project plan. Project plans can be presented, discussed and reviewed according to your own situation and timings. Other potentially useful reference materials, depending on the expertise and interests of the group are:. A novel paper-cutting icebreaker exercise, played in pairs, or threes, or as a group.
The activity can be used as a bigger group problem-solving and team-working task. Depending on your purposes, situation and group, you can change this exercise in various ways, for example:. As facilitator it is recommended you practice the suggested cutting solution so that if necessary you can demonstrate it before or afterwards, depending on your adaptation to the group. Beware of using this activity in any situation that could cause embarrassment to overweight people or where delegates would be uncomfortable with the inter-personal proximity required.
The qualification of putting the ring of paper over a given number of people is that while standing necessarily very close together they are able to pass the paper ring over their heads and down to the floor, enabling them to step over and thereby through the ring without breaking it. Here is the cutting diagram, assuming that the sheet of paper is first folded. This is one solution to the exercise.
Fold the sheet of paper in half, and cut it through both sides of the paper, as shown in the diagram, in the following sequence:. Cut slits 8 are adequate - the diagram shows 12 , from the folded edge up to about cm of the open edge, each slit being about 1. Cut a slit between each of the above slits, from the open edge to about cm of the folded edge. Cutting more slits increases the size of the ring, as would using a larger sheet of paper.
Slit dimensions can be increased for larger sheets. A further adaptation of the exercise is to issue one large sheet of paper for example from a broadsheet newspaper to a group of people up to ten or even twenty people and task them to work out how to cut or tear, for added difficulty the paper into a seamless ring which will fit over the entire group. This creates lots of problem-solving activity in the planning stage, and much physicality and togetherness when the ring is being passed over the group. Team members can also plan the step-through strategy and other logistical aspects of the exercise.
You will be surprised how large a ring can be created. An A4 sheet easily makes a ring circumference of 3m. A big newspaper sheet easily produces a ring circumference of 7m. Cutting lines are shown in red and blue. The diameter of the ring produced would increase by lengthening the parallel spiral pattern, requiring cuts closer together.
I understand from another contributor thanks Brian that in s London this method was used by young lads with bus tickets, to ease the boredom of the daily school commute.. The cutting lines are shown in red. The solution is similar to the first folded solution, but without the fold. Inspired by a sketch on Armstrong and Miller's TV comedy show in October , this is an amusing variation of the usual around-the-table introductions at the start of courses and other gatherings. You have 30 seconds to think of your statements, after which according to the order decided by the facilitator each person makes their statements, pausing after each truth and lie for the group to decide which is which.
While producing some amusement, the exercise can reveal surprising and impressive information about people hidden talents and claims to fame, etc. The exercise also requires group analysis and decision-making in deciding which are the true statements and which are the lies. This exercise is adapted from the Armstrong and Miller comedy sketch. Adapt it further to suit your own purposes. According to myth, due to planetary gravitational effects or similar nonsense, it is possible to stand an egg on its end during the vernal Spring equinox, which is on or close to 21 March, when night and day are equal.
In fact it is possible with a little patience and a steady hand to balance an egg on its end on a flat level surface, any time. The big end is much easier. Here's one on my kitchen table. This interesting feat of manual dexterity and myth-busting provides the basis for an enjoyable and fascinating group exercise. The temptation to pun is almost irresistible. A raw egg is perhaps easier to balance than a hard-boiled egg because the weight sinks to the bottom and creates a sort of 'googly-man' effect.
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The science is not especially clear about this and if there are any professors of egg balancing out there I'd welcome your input. You can use this activity in various ways, to demonstrate or emphasise patience, discovery, positive thinking, questioning assumptions, breaking barriers, stress avoidance; and for team contests. Incidentally you can tell the difference between a hard-boiled egg and a raw egg by spinning the egg. A raw egg spins slowly and speeds up, and continues spinning after you stop it; a hard egg spins faster and stays stopped.
These differences are due to the independent motion of the liquid in the raw egg, whereas a hard egg behaves as a single mass. An additional point of interest is that a few grains of salt enables a very quick balancing 'trick', which is of course cheating. Facilitators are recommended to practice the task before asking others to try it. The balancing is easier on slightly textured surfaces and a lot more difficult on very smooth surfaces. Eggs with slightly pimply shells are much easier to balance than eggs with very smooth shells.
Some eggs are easier to balance than others so have a few spare for any that simply will not balance. The game can be used to make introductions a little more interesting than usual, or as a separate ice-breaker activity. Split large groups into teams small enough to review answers among themselves.
A quick flexible exercise for groups of all sizes and ages. It's based on a simple drawing game we have all played as children. Time spent by each person in turn on the drawing is limited to 5 seconds. The facilitator can shout 'change' when appropriate. No discussion is permitted during the drawing, nor any agreement before the drawing of what the team will draw.
After one minute of drawing each team must agree privately a description maximum three words of what they have drawn, and pass this to the facilitator, to be referred to later. Teams must identify their drawing with a team name. The drawings are then passed around the group for each team to guess and write on the reverse of other team's drawings what they believe the drawing is or represents. Teams are not permitted to look at the reverse of the drawings at other descriptions guessed until they have decided on a description.
Drawings are awarded two points for each exact correct description achieved, or a point for a partly correct description. Teams are awarded two points for each correct description guessed, or a point for a partly correct description guessed. If you score the exercise, ensure teams are instructed to put their team name on their drawing, and alongside their guessed descriptions on the reverse of all other drawings.
Deduct ten points for teams drawing any of the following 'obvious' subjects: Award bonus points for teams drawing anything highly obscure and yet recognizable, especially if resulting from no prior discussion. When the facilitator calls out 'team change', one person and the drawing must move to a different team, which can be likened to certain changes that happen in real organizational work teams.
It produces complete chaos of course. You have five minutes to discover an interesting, surprising and separate connection you share with each person in your team. A different connection with each person, not a single connection that every team member shares. Try to find a connection or something in common that surprises both of you. The purpose of the exercise is to ensure that each person of the team ask some questions and gives some answers about themselves and all other team members, and so gets to know each other better. Discussions can be in pairs or threes.
The team can decide how best to enable each person to speak to every other team member in the time allowed. This requires more care in larger teams. Group review of individual connections is unnecessary although particularly interesting connections can be volunteered and highlighted as examples if people are keen to do so. More general review aspects include for example, optional depending on your own situation and wider aims for the group:.
Larger teams need more time to ensure everyone learns something new and ideally establishes an interesting connection with each other team member. Younger people might be happier with questions about less deep subjects, which is fine. Guide the group as you consider appropriate. Personality types and models. Play as a team game in pairs, threes, fours or fives, which keeps everyone involved all the time, and introduces teamwork and tactics.
The game is essentially team bowls played like beach bowls or green bowls using balls of newspaper. Scoring is one point for each ball closest to the 'jack' ball. If a team gets say three or four of its balls closer than the balls of any other team then three or four points would be scored accordingly. The potential to score high - notably for big groups split into big teams - means a winning team can emerge surprisingly late, which sustains full involvement of all players. The larger the floor area then the more energetic the game will tend to be.
The game can also be played outside provided there is no strong wind. For a more messy game outside for kids, supply a bucket of water and instruct that the balls should be wet.. The game is very adaptable. Consider and decide your own rules and scoring for your own situation.
If playing the game with individuals for example in a small group of five , allow players two balls each. This makes the game more interesting for individuals, in which the order of throwing can be reversed for the second ball, making it fairer for all, assuming playing only one 'end'. Or play big 'marbles' instead - best on a square playing area - in which players eliminate other players by rolling their ball to hit another player's balls.
Players take turns to roll their balls. The winner is the last player remaining whose ball has not been hit by another ball. Players have to decide how close to risk leaving their balls to other balls, so it becomes quite a tactical exercise. Simplest rule here is to eliminate only the first ball hit with each roll, not rebounds. This is a quick adaptable exercise for small groups, or for large groups if split into self-facilitating teams, or alternatively pairs. Take a minute to consider - What thirty seconds of your life would you most want to re-live, if you only had thirty seconds left?
For the purposes of the exercise participants can choose several different life experiences, provided the total time is no more than thirty seconds. Exclude sex from highlights if there is a risk that it will unhelpfully distract, embarrass or be too dominant. Shorten and concentrate the exercise by reducing the highlights time period from thirty to ten seconds, or lengthen and deepen the exercise by increasing the time period to ten minutes or an hour.
To make the exercise more dynamic and forward-looking you can encourage people to consider especially life highlights which can be repeated or extended in some way. Childbirth is for many people a highlight which is not likely to be repeatable, although this can of course prompt thoughts and discussions about the importance of family compared to other life issues. This website accepts no liability for any marital or romantic strife arising if you play this game socially in couples, especially under the influence of drink or other inhibition-reducing substance. Here's a really quick exercise, ideal for ice-breakers - minutes - for groups any age or size.
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Lots of coins, in case participants need extra. At last a use for all the shrapnel in your piggy bank.. Large groups can be spilt into teams of people. Produce a single team logo, themed according to the situation. Optionally ask teams to guess the meaning of other teams logos, before the explanations. Split the group into two. Half leave the room while remaining half make their personal coin logos. Half return to room and try to match logos to people.
Repeat the process enabling the guessers to make, and the makers to guess. Ask participants to explain their logos to the group, or if pressed for time and for large groups - split the group and have the logos explained among teams of threes. If running the exercise in teams - review the discussions and feelings leading to the design of the logo, and the team theme if appropriate.
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The activity is more dynamic if played in competitive teams, minimum three players per team, ideally per team. The exercise involves devising and using a simple coded non-verbal unspoken communications system. This is a very flexible game concept, and can be adapted in many ways to suit your situation and purposes. These instructions are for competitive teams playing the game. Adapt it accordingly for a single group. For groups of four people or more, best with six people or more. Teams of more than ten become chaotic which is okay if that's what you are seeking to demonstrate.
It's a very flexible concept; adapt it to suit your needs. This exercise is subject to a lot of variation, including the solutions that people devise. If you are a facilitator trying to imagine how it works, this might help.. At least three strings need to be connected to the top open end or near the top of the transporter tube, which keeps the tube upright and hanging from the connected strings being pulled tight by team members, and enables the tube potentially to be suspended and moved anywhere by and between the stringholders.
Given that people cannot move their positions once the ball is loaded into the transporter tube, the method of 'playing out' string, as well as pulling it, is crucial. Strings that are too short become a problem. At least one team member needs a string connected to the bottom of the tube to enable the tipping. If just one string is connected to the bottom of the tube then the tube can be tipped from just one direction, which means the team needs to have good control over the positioning of the tube.
Having more than one string connected to the bottom of the tube from more than one position increases the options for the direction of the tipping, but the downside is that beyond a certain point, depending on the coordination capability of the team the difficulty tends to increase with more people having more strings connected. Any bottom-connected string that crosses with a top-connected string will encounter a problem when it comes to tipping, because logically the bottom-connected string must get higher than the top-connected strings, hence the example solution which follows.
At its simplest, imagine the receptor tube the target into which the ball must be tipped being in the centre of a clock face. Three team members are positioned at, say, 12, 4 and 8 o'clock, each of whom has a string connected to the top of the transporter tube, and a fourth team member, say, at 6 o'clock, has a string connected to the bottom of the transporter tube to enable the tipping. The ball is placed in the transporter tube, say by the team member at 12 o'clock.
At this time no one can move from their position. The people at 4 and 8 take up the slack while 12 string is kept tight enabling the tube to be lifted. While 4 and 8 pull the tube towards the clockface centre, 12 plays out, keeping a tight string. When the tube is in the correct position for tipping, 6 can pull, while the other three strings stay tight to keep the tube's position, or adjust as necessary.
A quicker simpler version of this game can be played using drinking straws, a ball of rolled-up paper and a very thin dinner-table place mat:. A quick simple ice-breaker or bigger exercise related to questioning, and working together, here is the instruction, for groups of any size and any ages:. You can devise your own situations besides these to suit your purposes.
There are countless other possible situations. Increasing the variety of situations allocated will tend to increase the time of the activity and especially its review. There are no absolute 'right' or best questions - there are many effective questions, depending on the situation and people's needs, but there are certainly questions which do not work well and which should be avoided. This exercise does not suggest that we can or should use merely one question to identify solutions for anything, especially crucial partnerships. The purpose of the exercise is to focus attention on quality, relevance, style and preparation of questioning, according to the situation and people involved.
Questioning is powerful and helpful when prepared well, but wastes everyone's time and creates problems when it is not. This is a simple exercise requiring no equipment or materials preparation, for groups of any size and age. We all tend to classify and stereotype each other - 'pigeon-holing' is a common expression for this. Usually this sort of classification is subjective, unhelpfully judgemental, and sometimes of course it's unfair to the point of being illegal discrimination. If as a facilitator you use these examples feel free to instruct the group to think of their own ideas, and not merely to use one of the examples.
The purpose of the exercise is to encourage people to get to know each other better, to collectively consider the nature of all individuals within the team, and to think of each other in ways that are quite different to how people tend usually to classify others. You can stipulate how many subgroups should be classified within the team s , and how many different classifications are required one Approach the activity with a broader view than reminding people about employment law and discrimination:. The way we understand and regard each other is a big subject, offering far more helpful outcomes than merely applying a legal code.
For groups of four to ten people. Split larger groups into teams with leaders who can facilitate the exercise. Facial expressions are an important part of communications. There are many different emotions and corresponding facial expressions. Some are easier to interpret than others. This exercise helps illustrate different expressions and how some are more obvious and easy to 'read' than others. Each team member must think of one emotion or two or three emotions, for a longer exercise , which they should then write separately on a slip of paper.
Fold the slips of paper and put it into a cup or glass in the centre of the table, to enable 'blind' selection. Each person must then in turn take one of the folded slips and show the emotion on their face to the team, who must guess the emotion. Cut the picture retaining a copy into as many pieces - ideally equal squares or oblongs - as as there are participants for the exercise. Issue each person a piece of the picture. The exercise is more challenging and fascinating if the group does not see the whole original picture until the end of the activity, although this question is entirely a matter for local judgement.
Instruct people to create a copy of their piece of the picture exactly for example ten times bigger, according to length and width dimension. Size increase ten-times, five-times, twenty-times, etc is up to you - the more then the longer the activity takes, and the bigger the final result. You should clarify what 'ten-times bigger, according to length and width dimension' actually means, or different interpretations of this could spoil the result which is a lesson in itself about consistency of planning and communications, etc.
Multiplying width and length dimensions by ten produces an area which is actually a hundred-times bigger in area. This seems a lot, but it's very reasonable if seeking to produce a good sized result to stick onto a wall. For example, if individual pieces are say 2 inches square, i. Technically 'ten times bigger' refers to area, but this isn't very easy to imagine - it's easier to plan and explain the exercise in terms of width and length dimensions. Give a time limit minutes depending on complexity of the work and the magnification level you specify.
When all the enlargements are completed ask people to assemble them into a giant copy of the original picture - on the table, or onto a wall using sticky putty, be careful not to use a wall whose surface could be damaged when removing the sticky putty.. London Underground Tube Map.
Other ideas for pictures: You can adapt the exercise by altering the 'ten-times widthand length dimensions' enlargement factor, for instance five-times would make the task easier and quicker; twenty or a hundred-times would make it more difficult and longer, and also more impactful, if you have time and space, and enough paper drawing materials The resulting assembled whole picture will indicate how well each team communicated and managed its own divisionalization of the task. Based on an old numbers game this activity can be adapted in many different ways for groups and teams of all sizes.
You can easily expand the game, add complexity, and turn it into a much longer planning and tactics exercise. With increased complexity the activity becomes increasingly suitable for teams and allowing a strategic planning stage. Complex versions of the game are far less easy to plan and control. The game obviously allows mathematically-minded people who are often quiet and understated in the background to demonstrate their value to the group, which can be an additional benefit of the exercise. Obviously, given snowy weather, take everyone outside and build a snowman.
Or several of them. Throwing snowballs can be harmful to your team-mates' health and to the managing director's office windows. You have been warned. If the MD or other senior executive sees what is happening and asks you to explain the purpose of the activity, here are some suggested answers delete as appropriate:. Given all the training budget cut-backs it would have been daft not to make use of so much free material. It was a positive thinking exercise and motivational analogy to illustrate how even in seemingly negative circumstances credit crunch, recession, snow, etc it's perfectly possible to innovate new things and to be constructive in some way.
Having fun and building things is very good for the soul, and great for team morale. We are all now thoroughly energised and will never again see the snow as a problem, only an opportunity to be special and different compared to everyone else who sits on their backsides complaining. Being out in the cold for so long meant that we could turn down the heating when we all came back in to save further costs. When we find out who built the ten foot snow-willy the culprit will be given a serious ticking off that's not a sexual pun in case you are wondering. Businessballs accepts no liability for damages arising from inappropriate use of this activity.
If in doubt, make some newspaper towers instead. Activities and exercises for group selection days and assessment centres can be designed to stretch the participants more if the task is issued several days before the day of the assessment.
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This allows more preparation and team-working among the candidates, which in turn enables a fuller deeper test and demonstration of people's capabilities. The exercise can be used if issued on the day of the assessment, but obviously due allowance must be made for the resulting time pressure in meeting such a big challenge. Accordingly the exercise is suited to training courses lasting two days or more when delegates can work evenings in their team on the activities. Create presentation to sell proposition to the 'board of directors' or an investor - a part which can be played by the recruitment team.
This is a helpful and non-threatening way to show the effects of stress and confusion, especially in teams, and by implication the effects of stress on productivity, organisational performance and healthy working. Ideally for teams of eight to ten people. Split larger groups into teams of and establish facilitation and review as appropriate, appointing and briefing facilitators since each team requires facilitation. You will need for each team about five balls of various sizes, compositions, weights, shapes, etc. Five balls is probably adequate for most teams of eight people.
Using very different balls makes the exercise work better for example a tennis ball, a beach ball, a rugby ball, a ping-pong ball, etc - use your imagination. The ball must be kept moving the facilitator can equate this to the processing of a task within the work situation. A dropped ball equates to a failed task which the facilitator can equate to a specific relevant objective. A held ball equates to a delayed task. When the team can satisfactorily manage the first ball, the facilitator should then introduce a second ball to be thrown and caught while the first ball remains in circulation.
Equate the second ball to an additional task, or a typical work complication, like a holiday, or an extra customer requirement. Continue to introduce more balls one by one - not too fast - each time equating them to work situations and complications. Allow the sense of increasing stress and confusion to build, according to the ball-handling capability of the team. Introducing balls too quickly will not allow the stress to build. Stress theory and stress management. This is a quick simple activity for groups of any size. For large groups spilt into teams of about six people and organise the appointment of team leaders for self-facilitation and review.
You will perhaps think of other questions on similar lines. Use one or a number of questions to prompt discussion and thereafter a review of the issues. Most people unsurprisingly tend to favour their sense of sight. You will find plenty of variation aside from this however, and generally the activity and discussion provides a quick and interesting way to explore personal strengths and preferences without the aid of a testing instrument.
Your group might have additional ideas about other 'senses' which you can include in the considerations, for example speech, movement, etc. If so then the exercise relates more strongly to Multiple Intelligences theory. Everyone would prefer Christmas and New Year celebrations to more suitably address the needs and issues of the modern age. What changes would you make? You can add a context if you wish, for example, changes for business, changes for society, changes for kids, changes for the planet, changes for global cooperation, etc.
The exercise especially demonstrates the influencial power of mobile phones and by inference other communications methods such as emails to disrupt effective working, time management and organisational efficiency. Say that this is a demonstration of the disruptive and negative effects of technology controlling people rather than vice-versa. Ask everyone to text a friend or two or several friends each whom they know to be keen in responding to text messages.
Then continue with the training or conference session, and wait for the chaotic interruptions to begin. The chaos is a very audible demonstration of what typically happens in organisations where people are not managing their incoming communications which according to most research is the vast majority of folk. Charlie Chaplin died on Christmas Day Seasonal acronym for when work and customers must necessarily fit in around the festivities and holidays.
Seasonal acronym explaining why most business comes to a grinding stop for two whole weeks at the end of the year. Yuletide acronym, when procrastinators everywhere are joined by most of the western world in deferring anything other than a life-threatening emergency until the Christmas blow-out is properly organized and maximum enjoyment extracted. Customer services and despatch expression, especially appropriate approaching department close-down for weekends, holidays, Christmas, etc.
Understandable response from overworked despatch departments and customer services staff when attempting to explain quite reasonably that it's not possible to process urgent last-minute orders received at lunchtime on the day before holiday shut-down. Expression origin - "Boxing day" - the day after Christmas - from the custom in seventeenth and eighteenth centuries of servants receiving gratuities from their masters, collected in boxes in Christmas day, sometimes in churches, and distributed the day after.
Real Family Fortunes answer: Something that Father Christmas does when he comes to your house: Spaghetti and Marshmallow Towers. Ask the group to think of an example - any example, from their own personal life not too personal or from work or the world of media, politics, economy, anything. Discuss how and why things can seem crucial one day, yet often can soon become completely insignificant, given a little time.
Discuss the influences of emotions, peer pressure, zietgeist, the media, daft unquestioning management, personal mood, etc. This is a creative planning process and template for individuals and for groups facing or desiring career change, especially a move into self-employment or starting up their own new business. It can be helpful for people facing decisions about new work or business direction, especially to encourage thinking outside of habits and conditioning, at any stage of a person's working life.
It's a simple formula. For example, subject to time available, encourage people to think through the stages of the process:. Issue a single sheet of paper A4 or international equivalent to each group member or one sheet per team if the exercise is to be played as a team game. Using the sheet of paper only - no other materials - construct the tallest free-standing structure - in 5 minutes.
Incidentally the best technical approach to this task almost certainly requires the construction and use of connectable tubular rolled or triangular telescopic sections, made from lengthways strips of the sheet. Using this technique it is possible to make a tower at least three times higher than the length of the sheet.
The exercise can be adapted to suit your situation, for example giving group members 15 minutes for the task and issuing an extra practice sheet of paper will increase the depth and complexity of the task and the review. Focus especially on the differences in expectations between mutually depending groups. Ask people - what does each tree swing look like? What does their own tree swing look like, and what tree swing do they expect of others? And what can you best provide? When you understand the differences it's easier to work on bridging them, so the differences have to be considered and shared first, or the gaps persist indefinitely.
Drawing - especially given an unusual perspective like the tree swing - is good for creativity and for exploring and sharing feelings and opinions - especially about gaps and matching expectations - which otherwise might not surface in normal discussions. Split the group into relevant teams - threes usually work well, although the exercise is adaptable for any numbers provided the team split reflects the development aims, and the exercises are facilitated to keep everyone involved.
The exercise does not aim to produce brilliant artwork - instead it aims to produce fresh thinking and simple visual ideas about the issues which cause outcomes to differ from expectations. Successful work, business and organizations largely depend on matching needs and delivery in one way or another. The tree swing provides a simple way to consider the differences between what's asked for, and what's provided, and then to explore which qualities in each are actually fair and valid, with a view to bridging the understanding and expectations gaps. It is essential that the staff compact be a list of behaviors that can be observed by everyone in the practice, so everyone can be held accountable.
This is also an opportunity to focus on reinforcing positive behaviors to create an upbeat environment. How do we get everyone to participate in creating the staff compact? Consider this process to encourage broad participation: Do small group brainstorming around these two questions: Consider letting the group review other compacts and add additional items to the list. Combine similar ideas into single bullet points and then organize those points into categories, including communication, helping others, etc.
Discuss what in the document resonates with the group. Using positive discussion or voting, try to limit the length of the document to one page. Share the draft compact with the team. To encourage those who are shy and do not speak up in groups, let people send in comments. Vote for the final version of the staff compact. The goal is to reach a consensus where everyone is on board with the final document. Post laminated, colorful copies of the new compact in all the offices and team rooms. Use the staff compact. Refer to the staff compact to remind team members of their commitment to each other if a conflict arises between staff members.
Also, when doing other culture-building activities as a team reference your compact to center the team before starting. Co-location seating team members near each other , morning huddles, warm handoffs, end-of-day debriefs and weekly team meetings can all strengthen working relationships and build team culture. Why is communicating with each other so important? Our doctors prefer to have their own private offices. How can we show them co-location could be good for our teams?
One of the key attributes of great teams is that they are able to have multiple brief conversations throughout the day. They are in constant communication with each other. Because people naturally talk with the person sitting next to them, co-location can foster these interactions. No matter the topic of conversation, these interactions can help build camaraderie, trust and reliance among team members. The nurse or medical assistant MA and physician can discuss messages verbally rather than having time-consuming conversations over email or batching communications for the end of the day.
What is a huddle? Huddles are informal five to ten minute meetings, which often occur before the clinic day or session starts. In these brief meetings, the team might discuss staffing e. Huddles get the team on the same page about the clinic workflow each day. Letting the non-physician members run the huddle helps break down some of the hierarchy that can be damaging to team culture. Huddles can not only change culture but make the day run more efficiently and improve patient care. What is a warm handoff? A warm handoff happens when patient care transitions directly from one staff member to another.
For example, after rooming a patient, the nurse brings the physician into the room and explains to the physician in front of the patient what she has learned about the patient during rooming. At the end of the day, we all just pack up and head home. Is there a positive way to conclude the day? Some clinics have found that a quick debrief at the end of the day allows teams to reflect on the good work they have done together or to call attention to a process that should be added to their weekly team meeting schedule.
Regular team meetings that take place weekly or every other week will make a huge difference in the culture of your practice. It will improve relationships and productivity, and it will make the importance of building and improving the team more apparent. Meetings should be scheduled and an agenda should be distributed in advance. Assign one team member to lead the meeting, one to act as a timekeeper to keep the meeting focused and one to act as a recorder to take notes on the discussion.
Meeting time is for building relationships as well as discussing and solving problems.
Being an Effective Team Member
Be prepared to protect your meeting time from other interests and maintain this dedicated time to communicate with your team. Are there brief activities to start meetings that help build culture? Here are four ideas: Icebreakers can provide a chance for team members to learn something new about each other. Try an activity that involves movement to wake people up and bring energy to the meeting. Shout-outs encourage team members to emulate positive behaviors, make the team feel good about their work and enhance team spirit.
It is also an opportunity to let anyone in the practice publically thank others in the practice for helping them or a patient in the last week. Stories are how you figure out who you are as a group—an important aspect of culture. Encourage sharing stories of great patient care provided by the team to remind everyone why they work there.
Find a piece of data and review with the team. Some people respond to stories, some respond to data, and some team members will respond to both. Stories and data are complementary. Stories tell you who you are; data tells you how you are doing. We are worried about losing revenue because we are spending time in a meeting that could be spent with patients.
What should we do? Improving how your practice functions is worth every penny. You will make up the time devoted to the meeting by making your workflow more efficient, thus freeing up staff time to see patients. If this is a serious concern, you may need to meet before the clinic opens, at lunch or at the end of the day—though that risks sending the message that learning to be a team and improving how you work together is not real work. The doctors meet regularly. To build a strong and effective team culture you must involve staff from all levels in your practice. People thrive in work environments where they can continue to learn and grow.
Be mindful of creating opportunities for staff to take on new responsibilities. Likewise, being flexible in helping staff take courses, get a degree and take on new roles in the practice sends a powerful message about the values of a practice. In one clinic, the manager and medical director meet annually with every staff person. During this review, they discuss goals for advancement for the upcoming year and the next three years.
Knowing these goals helps them map out a plan to reach them. Individuals who know their team is invested in them will be more engaged in their team and their work, leading to better performance. It may seem obvious, but getting to know your team members is a simple way to strengthen team culture. Simple methods to learn more about your colleagues and improve team spirit include: Celebrate your local sports teams—including letting people break the dress code and wear shirts with logos of their favorite team.
Host potlucks or institute a monthly rotation where specific staff members, such as the nurses or doctors, cook for the rest of the practice. If you are in a building with multiple groups e. Studies show that something as simple as rearranging the lunchroom to have one large communal table improves how well a team functions. This arrangement encourages people to sit next to someone they may not know.
At an initial staff meeting, break everyone into groups based on their role i. If a team member has a specialized role e. Use a structured brainstorming technique see examples in step 2 to answer a few of the questions listed here: What is your role? Is there anything else you think other people would find useful or interesting about your role?
Have a team member in each group record the ideas generated during the brainstorming activity and eliminate duplicate responses. You may discover that some team members enjoy aspects of their role that others in the same role do not like. You may want to have practice or organization leadership review the lists to ensure that people are performing the duties required of them and that they are conforming to policy and regulations. When reviewing these lists, you may discover there are certain activities that no one in the practice is doing, which should be addressed to ensure there are no gaps in care.
Each group should then take five to ten minutes at a subsequent meeting and present their answers to the questions to the entire team. Encourage everyone on the team to participate, even if it means each team member presents the answer to only one question. Leave time for questions from other team members. How can we build culture from the first day of employment?
One organization begins to build culture during the job interview process by having a patient interview the prospective employee. Another includes shadowing as part of the orientation process. Leadership plays a significant role in setting the tone for the culture of the practice.
Successful team cultures promote leadership that emphasizes teaching and mentoring over traditional management structures. As physicians, we use leadership and coaching daily through communicating with and teaching patients, so we should strive to use those skills in our interactions with our teams as well. Facilitate, encourage and participate in improvement efforts alongside team members and patients.
Communicate clearly and keep all team members on the same page and moving in the same direction. Demonstrate humility and show interest in their team members. Most members of the team have something to share or give, and there is always more to learn. Build day-to-day processes loosely to give the team flexibility to do their work most effectively, but protect and foster the processes that determine your culture. Leaders can teach staff how to give positive, actionable feedback. Like any skill, giving feedback needs to be taught and practiced before it becomes a habit.
You may find it helpful to receive training on giving effective feedback from someone outside your organization. Once you are trained, practice giving feedback for a few months until it becomes comfortable and routine. Suggestions for giving feedback: In general, feedback that reinforces and encourages positive behavior is more effective than negative feedback. Give positive feedback in public so that other team members can learn by example.
Shout-outs at team meetings are a good forum for giving positive feedback. Use caution with this approach, however, because team members who are infrequently mentioned could become less engaged. Give negative feedback constructively and in private. The goal of negative feedback is not to embarrass or shame the person receiving it, but to help them improve. One of the challenges for physician-leaders is that they spend most of their time in rooms with patients or in front of computers by themselves. This limits the opportunities to coach the team they lead.
Consider spending time with your team observing their work. This can be done when a patient no-shows, before or after a session or even eating lunch with your staff instead of with your electronic health record. Ask how things are going, how you can help, and use the feedback to find areas in need of improvement. Use a patient story to do a little clinical teaching. Continuous learning and identification of opportunities for improvement within the practice will help the team grow and evolve together, thereby strengthening the team culture. Quiz Ref ID Physicians and other health care workers are often too close to the work to experience health care as their patients do.
Fortunately, when asked, most patients will share feedback with you to build a stronger practice. There are multiple ways to engage patients in redesigning your operations and culture: If you have specific questions about a process, policy or pilot program your team is trying out, ask patients what they think. Create a one to three question survey and ask patients to complete it at checkout. Emailing a survey link is another cost-effective way to obtain patient feedback. Do you find that you frequently solicit patient input? Select the right patients from your practice and form an advisory council.