101_more_games_for_trainers

101 MORE GAMES FOR TRAINERS: A Collection of the Best Activities from Creative Training Techniques Newsletter

Bob Pike Christopher Busse

HRD Press

101 M ORE G AMES FOR T RAINERS

A Collection of the Best Activities from Creative Training Techniques Newsletter

by Bob Pike with Christopher Busse

Published by:

HRD Press, Inc. 22 Amherst Road Amherst, MA 01002 1-800-822-2801 (U.S. and Canada) 413-253-3488

413-253-3490 (fax) www.hrdpress.com

ISBN 0-943210-44-5

Contents

Team-building = T-B Review = R Topical = T

Game Categories:

Opener = O Energizer = E Communication = C

GAME

Page

Foreword ..........................................................................................

vii

Introduction .....................................................................................

#1 Alphabet Review ............................................ O E C T-B R T #2 Autobiographical Scavenger Hunt .................. O E C T-B R T #3 The Winning Equation .................................... O E C T-B R T #4 Fact or Fiction................................................. O E C T-B R T #5 Group Goals ................................................... O E C T-B R T #6 Learn by Doing ............................................... O E C T-B R T #7 What’s a Metaphor For? ................................. O E C T-B R T #8 A Matter of Taste............................................ O E C T-B R T #9 The Name Game............................................ O E C T-B R T #10 Old Dogs, New Tricks..................................... O E C T-B R T #11 How Much Is One Customer Worth?.............. O E C T-B R T #12 Practice Makes Perfect................................... O E C T-B R T #13 The Perils of Preconditioning.......................... O E C T-B R T #14 The Rope Game............................................. O E C T-B R T #15 Sneaky Slogans ............................................. O E C T-B R T #16 Success in Team-building .............................. O E C T-B R T #17 Role Reversal ................................................. O E C T-B R T #18 True Confession Toothpicks........................... O E C T-B R T #19 Personal Introductions.................................... O E C T-B R T #20 Baby Pictures ................................................. O E C T-B R T #21 Play Ball! ........................................................ O E C T-B R T #22 Body Parts...................................................... O E C T-B R T #23 Group Shuffle ................................................. O E C T-B R T #24 Tag Team Role Plays ..................................... O E C T-B R T #25 Word Games .................................................. O E C T-B R T #26 Sea If Ewe Can Find the Errers...................... O E C T-B R T #27 Connect the Dots............................................ O E C T-B R T #28 Experience Levels .......................................... O E C T-B R T #29 Pennies Puzzler ............................................. O E C T-B R T #30 Killing Closed-Ended Questions ..................... O E C T-B R T #31 Name that Part ............................................... O E C T-B R T #32 Playing the Numbers ...................................... O E C T-B R T #33 On the Other Hand ......................................... O E C T-B R T #34 Point of View .................................................. O E C T-B R T #35 Question of the Week ..................................... O E C T-B R T #36 Opening Scavenger Hunt ............................... O E C T-B R T

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

101 More Games for Trainers

iii

Game Categories:

Opener = O Energizer = E Communication = C

Team-building = TB Review = R Topical = T

GAME

Page

#37 Shake Hands.................................................. O E C T-B R T #38 30 Seconds .................................................... O E C T-B R T #39 Elevator Speech ............................................. O E C T-B R T #40 The Envelope, Please .................................... O E C T-B R T #41 Gone in a Flash .............................................. O E C T-B R T #42 A Cup of Group Cheer.................................... O E C T-B R T #43 Pass the Hat ................................................... O E C T-B R T #44 Just-in-Time Review....................................... O E C T-B R T #45 Optical Illusions .............................................. O E C T-B R T #46 You Bet Your Life ........................................... O E C T-B R T #47 The Marker and Water Trick........................... O E C T-B R T #48 The Beauty of a Milk Carton ........................... O E C T-B R T #49 The World Wide Web Review......................... O E C T-B R T #50 Interviews ....................................................... O E C T-B R T #51 Admission Tickets........................................... O E C T-B R T #52 Putting Things in Perspective ......................... O E C T-B R T #53 Pushing Back ................................................. O E C T-B R T #54 Murphy’s Law ................................................. O E C T-B R T #55 Check, Please! ............................................... O E C T-B R T #56 Real-World Examples..................................... O E C T-B R T #57 Total Recall .................................................... O E C T-B R T #58 Brilliant Brainstorming..................................... O E C T-B R T #59 Shoe Box........................................................ O E C T-B R T #60 Listen with Your Eyes ..................................... O E C T-B R T #61 Story Time ...................................................... O E C T-B R T #62 Stupid Questions ............................................ O E C T-B R T #63 Three-Way Role Play ..................................... O E C T-B R T #64 What’s in a Name? ......................................... O E C T-B R T #65 Coins and Catch Phrases............................... O E C T-B R T #66 Alphabet Soup................................................ O E C T-B R T #67 Attitude Is Everything...................................... O E C T-B R T #68 Going Behind Their Backs.............................. O E C T-B R T #69 Baseball Review............................................. O E C T-B R T #70 The Danger of Assumptions ........................... O E C T-B R T #71 Silent Birthdays .............................................. O E C T-B R T #72 Past Experiences ........................................... O E C T-B R T #73 Dealing with Differences................................. O E C T-B R T #74 Team Drawings .............................................. O E C T-B R T #75 New Employee Egg Hunt ............................... O E C T-B R T #76 Magnificent Flying Machines .......................... O E C T-B R T #77 Brick Wall ....................................................... O E C T-B R T #78 Flash Cube Illusion......................................... O E C T-B R T #79 The Cookie Review ........................................ O E C T-B R T

37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

101 More Games for Trainers

Game Categories:

Opener = O Energizer = E Communication = C

Team-building = TB Review = R Topical = T

GAME

Page

#80 ‘I Do Not Like Them, Sam I Am’ .................... O E C T-B R T #81 A Letter from the President............................ O E C T-B R T #82 Funny Pages ................................................. O E C T-B R T #83 What Will the Future Hold?............................ O E C T-B R T #84 Road Map...................................................... O E C T-B R T #85 Sound and Motion ......................................... O E C T-B R T #86 Group Juggle................................................. O E C T-B R T #87 Tied Up in Knots ............................................ O E C T-B R T #88 A Chance to Win Millions............................... O E C T-B R T #89 Get the Monkey Off Your Back...................... O E C T-B R T #90 Post Office..................................................... O E C T-B R T #91 Understanding Roles ..................................... O E C T-B R T #92 A Day at the Races........................................ O E C T-B R T #93 Silent Brainstorming ...................................... O E C T-B R T #94 Snowball Fight ............................................... O E C T-B R T #95 Up on Your Soapbox ..................................... O E C T-B R T #96 Teddy Bears and Computers?....................... O E C T-B R T #97 Thermometer ................................................. O E C T-B R T #98 What’s Wrong with this Picture?.................... O E C T-B R T #99 Win, Lose, or Draw........................................ O E C T-B R T #100 Pig Personality Profile ................................... O E C T-B R T #101 Deadly Jelly Beans ........................................ O E C T-B R T

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 94 95 96 97 98 99

100 101 102 104

About the Author ............................................................................. 105

101 More Games for Trainers

This page intentionally left blank

Foreword

his book, 101 Games for Trainers, is one in a series drawn from the best content of Creative Training Techniques Newsletter. The newsletter was conceived in 1988 by editor and internationally known trainer Bob Pike to be a one-stop resource of practical “how-tos” for trainers. The idea was (and still is) to provide timely tips, techniques, and strategies that help trainers with the special tasks they perform daily. When the newsletter began, it was largely fueled by Bob’s 20 years of experience in the field and by the best ideas shared by the trainers (more than 50,000 in all) who had attended his Creative Training Techniques seminars. As the newsletter grew in popularity, it also began to draw on ideas submitted by its readers. Today, the newsletter continues to search out creative approaches from the more than 200 seminars Bob and the other Creative Training Techniques trainers conduct every year, and from the more than 10,000 newsletter readers. But no matter where the insights originate, the goal of the newsletter remains the same: To provide trainers a cafeteria of ideas they can quickly absorb, choosing those that best suit their special needs. As stated earlier, this series of books represents the best ideas from Creative Training Techniques Newsletter ’s seven years of publication. It is our hope that we’ve created a valuable resource you’ll come back to again and again to help address the unique challenges you face daily in your role as a trainer. T

Sincerely,

The Editors

101 More Games for Trainers

vii

This page intentionally left blank

Introduction

ike it or not, the age of entertainment in which we live demands that classroom trainers must work hard to capture and hold the interest of participants. If we don’t, we run the risk of being passed by in favor of “sexier” learning methods, such as high-tech computer- or video-based training. Fortunately, trainers have long known that one of the best ways to entertain and engage adult learners is to encourage them to play games in the classroom. And one advantage we have over any of the high-tech mediums that are capturing the attention of “cyber-trainees” is that we’re able to adapt the courses and the games we offer to match precisely the needs of our audience. We can assess participants, decide what kind of exercise is appropriate (and when it’s appropriate), and use games that will ensure that trainees are entertained… and course material is retained. That’s where 101 More Games for Trainers comes in. Carefully selected and properly implemented, the exercises in this new volume (a companion to the earlier 101 Games for Trainers ) can help you actively involve trainees in course openers, bring a weary group back to life, develop communication skills, promote teamwork, lead an audience through a spirited review session, or address the special concerns of certain topical courses. A brief description of its purpose is provided with each exercise, as well as a reference for the amount of time the exercise will take, the ideal group size for the exercise, and a checklist of the materials you’ll need to make the exercise happen. And because these represent the best of the ideas collected in Creative Training Techniques Newsletter, you know they’ve been successfully “field tested” all over the world by trainers just like you. L

101 More Games for Trainers

Defining the Categories The exercises in this book fall into one or more of these six categories. Just below the title of each exercise, you’ll find a listing of these six categories. The small checkmarks beside each of the categories serve as guides for where best to use the exercise. Please remember, however, that these are only suggestions. With the right amount of imagination, the exercises here can be adapted to suit almost any training need.

Openers These exercises, commonly known as “ice breakers,” serve as vehicles for getting participants to introduce them- selves or for putting trainees into the right “frame of mind” for the coming session. These exercises might vary according to the type of training being conducted, how big the group is, and

how well the group members know each other. Also keep in mind the Law of Primacy: People remember best what we do first, so choose your openers carefully. (To be honest, nearly all of the exercises here could be adapted as some form of opener.)

Energizers

Designed to involve a group actively, these mid-course exercises are best used during the infamous mid-afternoon slump or anytime you feel a group’s attention might be waning. Often, these games take the

form of energetic review sessions or stimulating brainteasers, or even a physical activity that gets people up and moving. The secret here is that these exercises aren’t always planned. The best strategy in developing a course is to have a handful of relevant energizers ready to go at a moment’s notice and implement one when you see attention begin to slip.

101 More Games for Trainers

Communication Use these exercises to make a point to trainees about the importance of communication, or to show where certain communication skills need improvement. Exercises that help enhance listening skills also fall into this category. As with

“Openers,” a great many of the activities in this book could easily be adapted to make a point about communication skills, depending on how you position them.

Team-building The purpose of these exercises is to help improve the relationship of individuals within a group— either a specific “work group” or simply a small group formed during your training session. These exercises are extremely challenging for trainers because

they call for participants to work independently in small groups (usually solving some sort of problem) for periods of time that exceed other types of exercises. Your challenge is to keep things moving and to monitor closely the progress of the groups.

Review

The last words any group of trainees wants to hear are, “Okay, let’s review.” To keep participants from completely tuning out, these exercises often help disguise a review session as a light, interactive competition. One word of caution: When the competi- tive juices of some attendees get

flowing, things can easily get out of hand. Your challenge is to keep the competition light and—whenever possible—to promote cooperation rather than competition.

101 More Games for Trainers

Topical One of the challenges trainers face is finding games and exer- cises that pertain to a certain kind of session (customer

service or diversity training, for example). While many other exercises can be adapted for those kinds of training, we’ve identified several “topical” games that work particularly well in specific situations. A Few Words About Using These Games Whether it’s the first time or the five hundredth time you’ve used games in your classroom, I believe there are some fundamentals you should be aware of when implementing these exercises. Assess your audience and know the risks. Some of the following exercises will be natural hits with certain types of audiences, but others might bomb. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what kind of game to play with what kind of audience. But you also need to assess your own comfort level with “pulling off” these games. A rule of thumb: If you’re even remotely uncomfortable with an exercise, don’t use it. Participants will sense your hesitation and share your discomfort. Never use a game without debriefing afterward. It might be obvious to you how a game enhances your subject matter, but it’s danger- ous to assume your participants are on the same page. Follow every game with a debriefing session to help participants ease back into the session itself, see the transition you’ve attempted to create, and assimilate the game’s learning points. Be creative. Adapt, adapt, adapt. Nothing about any game in this book is set in stone. The trainers to whom these ideas are attributed were successful in using these games because they adapted the exercises to suit their own needs. Though you’ll be able to pluck many of them right off the page and insert them into your sessions, I challenge you to make these games uniquely your own whenever you can. The result will be an exercise that has even more relevance to you, your company, and your classroom. But most important, the result will be an exercise that’s more fun.

xii

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #1: Alphabet Review

̊ ̊ ̊

̊ T ̊

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical

❖ Purpose: To engage participants creatively in a review of course material.

❖ Time Required: 15 to 20 minutes.

❖ Size of Group: Unlimited, but participants should play the game in teams of three to six. ❖ Materials Required: Index-sized “question cards,” prepared in advance by the trainer. Small “service” bells for as many as there are teams (the type found at service counters). ❖ The Exercise in Action: Prior to class, Bob Parsons, a training coordinator with Deluxe Corp. of Shoreview, MN, prepares a list of 26 questions and answers related to course material—one for each letter of the alphabet—and writes the question on the back of index cards, each with a different letter on the front. He splits the class into teams and gives each team a bell. He lists the letters on a flipchart page and has teams take turns selecting letters. As they select letters, Parsons crosses off that letter from the flipchart and reads the corresponding card. The first team to “ring in” tries to answer the question (if that answer is wrong, the first team to recognize that and ring in again gets a shot at it). When a question is answered correctly, Parsons hands the card to the successful team. In its shortened version, the game ends when all 26 questions have been read, with prizes going to the team with the most cards. If time permits, Parsons allows five minutes for the teams to spell as many course- related words as possible, beginning with only the letters they’ve earned. He awards prizes to the team with the longest list.

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #2: Autobiographical Scavenger Hunt

T T ̊

̊ ̊ ̊

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical

❖ Purpose: To break the ice and help introduce participants to one another.

❖ Time Required: 15 minutes.

❖ Size of Group: Unlimited.

❖ Materials Required: A list of autobiographical information for each participant, prepared in advance by the trainer. ❖ The Exercise in Action: Dale Ditmanson, training specialist for the National Park Service, asks participants to send in an “autobiography” before his courses. As a course opener, he selects a line or two from each autobiography and types them as a list. Each participant is given a copy of the list as they arrive, and is then sent on a “human scavenger hunt” in the classroom until they discover which person matches each line on the sheet.

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #3: The Winning Equation

T ̊ ̊

̊ ̊ ̊

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical

❖ Purpose: To help participants think creatively in any type of training class.

❖ Time Required: 10 minutes.

❖ Size of Group: Unlimited.

❖ Materials Required: Flipchart.

❖ The Exercise in Action: To help participants begin thinking about creative solutions to problems, Gary Polain, vice president of business development with Priority Management in Bellevue, WA, poses the following brainteaser: Polain writes the equation 5+5+5 = 550 on a flipchart at the front of the classroom. He then instructs participants to copy the equation and to add one straight line to make it a correct statement. Polain tells participants that while adding a line through the equal sign to come up with 5+5+5 ≠ 550 is good thinking, it isn’t the “right” answer he’s looking for. See “Answer” graphic below for the solution.

Brainteaser

5+5+5 = 550

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #4: Fact or Fiction

̊ ̊ ̊

̊ T ̊

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical

❖ Purpose: To encourage participants to create their own review session and provide the trainer with a snapshot evaluation of the material.

❖ Time Required: 15 minutes.

❖ Size of Group: Unlimited.

❖ Materials Required: None.

❖ The Exercise in Action: At the end of a training program, have participants evaluate the curriculum by helping them create their own “fact/fiction” sheets. Individuals or small groups develop a series of true or false statements based on the information covered. Once the statements are written, participants exchange lists and then attempt to identify which statements are true and which are false. The exercise provides a thorough review and evaluation, and can also yield good questions for future tests.

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #5: Group Goals

̊ ̊ ̊

T ̊ ̊

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical

❖ Purpose: To help teams learn to set—and meet—group goals.

❖ Time Required: 30 minutes, stretched over the course of a one-day session or over two days in a longer class. ❖ Size of Group: Unlimited, but participants should work in teams of about four.

❖ Materials Required: None.

❖ The Exercise in Action: Faye Johnson, program specialist for the Bureau of Career Development, uses this technique to teach goal setting in teams: Step 1: Ask participants to list the three most important “things” in their lives. Do not define “things.” Have participants share what they’ve written in small groups and look for differences and common elements. Ask the group to consider whether the differences or similarities are affected by factors like age, job position, and upbringing. Step 2: The next day (or later in the day if it’s a one-day program), ask participants to imagine a stack of money—$30,000 or more—on the table in front of them. Ask them to list how they would spend the money and then share the lists with their small groups. Point out how some people make budget lists while others just get excited and buy, buy, buy. Then reflect on the items they have listed as important in the previous exercise and look for discrepancies. Use this as a time to let each person reevaluate what is really important. Step 3: Ask participants to list 10 personal goals. They might include goals they have already achieved and goals not yet accomplished. Step 4: Prioritize the goals list. Then list the roadblocks that have kept them from obtaining the top three goals. Ask a volunteer to share his or her top three goals and roadblocks. Step 5: Have the group brainstorm to resolve problems or road- blocks. Demonstrate the group problem-solving technique and then stay clear of the process. Intervene only to keep the group on task, build network systems, ongoing analysis, and so on. Once this technique has been modeled for one person, you can allow the small groups to spend time working through the process with each individual.

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #6: Learn by Doing

̊ ̊ ̊

̊ ̊ T

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical: Sales

❖ Purpose: To help sales trainees more readily absorb product informa- tion, ultimately producing material that can be used in new sales trainee orientation, as review material, or as job aids.

❖ Time Required: 10 to 15 minutes.

❖ Size of Group: Unlimited, but participants should work in small groups.

❖ Materials Required: None.

❖ The Exercise in Action: Product knowledge information can be readily adapted to a “learn by doing” exercise. For instance, Martha Krzic, a training specialist in telemarketing with Xerox Canada, taps the experi- ence of her sales training groups by asking them to brainstorm and list features and benefits of the products they sell, offer proof of those features and benefits, and put the items in descending order of importance. After several groups have done this, she compiles the information and uses it as a product resource manual for all new representatives in the organization. With new products continually being introduced, there is always a group working on a new “chapter.” The exercise acts as a review for the groups, and their experience benefits the organization as it is passed on to others. Similarly, Paula Peck, training officer at Union Safe Deposit Bank, uses small groups of four or fewer participants to create “features and benefits” charts for bank products. The charts include product names, features, benefits, target group, who handles the product, and any restric- tions and/or requirements. Each group completes at least four charts and presents them to the entire training session. The entire group then dis- cusses each chart. The charts can later be reduced or retyped on standard- sized paper and used as job aids when participants return to work.

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #7: What’s a Metaphor For?

̊ T ̊

̊ ̊ ̊

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical

❖ Purpose: To challenge participants to develop metaphors from everyday objects as an exercise in creativity.

❖ Time Required: 10 to 20 minutes.

❖ Size of Group: Unlimited, but participants should work in small groups of five to seven. ❖ Materials Required: A paper sack for every small group, filled with a variety of everyday objects. ❖ The Exercise in Action: Alana Gallaher, a program specialist for the Department of Education in Tallahassee, FL, places a variety of objects in paper bags, such as a rubber band, paper clip, penny, eraser, pencil stub, or pen. She gives one sack to each small group and asks members of the group to choose an object out of the sack and find a way to relate the object to the training topic. For example, a rubber band can be stretched—and a good instructor stretches the minds of his or her participants; a paper clip holds things together—and a good manager communicates with the entire team in order to build team spirit and hold people together even in tough times.

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #8: A Matter of Taste

T ̊ ̊

̊ ̊ ̊

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical

❖ Purpose: To introduce participants to one another by uncovering their individual tastes.

❖ Time Required: 10 to 25 minutes.

❖ Size of Group: Unlimited.

❖ Materials Required: None.

❖ The Exercise in Action: Dave Dahlen, a park ranger with the National Park Service, helps participants get acquainted by asking a series of questions that reveal individual tastes and interests. For example:

“I enjoy…

A. Classical B. Jazz C. Soul D. Rock

…music.”

Once each person has made a choice, participants divide into groups with similar musical taste. After a short get-acquainted period, another question is asked, such as, “I enjoy (A) Italian, (B) Chinese, (C) American, or (D) French cooking.” The groups then change, based on those answers, and another short discussion period takes place.

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #9: The Name Game

̊ T ̊

T ̊ ̊

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical

❖ Purpose: To get small groups thinking together and creatively solving tough problems.

❖ Time Required: 20 minutes.

❖ Size of Group: Unlimited, but participants should work in small groups of five to seven. ❖ Materials Required: A flipchart with the alphabet displayed vertically, prepared in advance by the trainer (see graphic).

❖ The Exercise in Action: After breaking the class into small groups, Donna Adams, director of human resources for Miles Federal Credit Union, Elkhart, IN, displays a prepared flipchart page with the alphabet written verti- cally on it. She then asks a participant to share a random sample sentence from a news- paper or other piece of written material and spells out that sentence vertically next to the alphabet, creating random pairs of letters, stopping the process when the 26 th letter of the sentence matches the letter “z.” (See example, using the sentence “Now is the time

The Name Game A B C D E N O W I S (Alfred Nobel) (Brian Orser)

.. .. .. Z

.. .. .. T

for all good men to come to the aid of their country,” ending on the “t” in the first “to.”) The groups are then asked to come up with names of famous people or fictional characters that match the random initials—for example, AN = Alfred Nobel; BO = Brian Orser—using each set of letters once and only once. The team with the most names wins a small prize. ( Note: This exercise is not as easy as it sounds.)

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #10: Old Dogs, New Tricks

̊ ̊ T

̊ ̊ ̊

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical

❖ Purpose: To show participants that the rules of written language are constantly changing.

❖ Time Required: 20 minutes.

❖ Size of Group: Unlimited.

❖ Materials Required: A selection of old books, either fiction or academic texts. ❖ The Exercise in Action: People often regard the writing rules and styles they learned in high school or college as the final word on the topic and resist suggested changes. But written language, like spoken language, is in a constant state of flux, says Jane Watson, president of J. Watson & Associates, Toronto. People need to adapt their personal styles accord- ingly. To make her point, Watson asks how many in her business commu- nication courses have read Anne of Green Gables and enjoyed it. Several people usually raise their hands. She asks when they read it last. Most report it was years ago, during their childhoods. Most of the others have at least heard of the book. Watson then reads the first page of the book aloud. Participants usually find it dull and uninteresting. Many are surprised at how stilted the writing seems. Next, she reads the first few paraphrases from A Child’s Anne, the same story updated for today’s readers by Deirdre Kessler. Generally, all prefer the modern version. To show that the lesson applies in the workplace, Watson reads selec- tions from old grammar and style books—readily available in many used book stores—and compares them against the latest editions. Everything from punctuation to the proper closing of a letter has changed with time. The lesson gets people laughing and talking about changes they personally recall, Watson says, and opens participants’ minds to the possi- bility that some of the guidelines they use in business correspondence might be outdated and in need of change.

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #11: How Much Is One Customer Worth?

̊ ̊ ̊

̊ ̊ T

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical: Customer Service

❖ Purpose: To quantify the need for a properly trained front-line staff.

❖ Time Required: 10 minutes.

❖ Size of Group: Unlimited.

❖ Materials Required: A form similar to the graphic below, prepared in advance by the trainer. ❖ The Exercise in Action: While few people will argue that having a properly trained front-line staff is critical to a business’s success, it’s an idea that is often hard to quantify. As a result, managers of front-line employees might not know just how financially damaging a single poorly trained front-liner can be. To illustrate the point, Rick What Is One Customer Worth?

Stamm, a partner with The Team Approach in Brownstown, PA, asks participants of customer- service training sessions to com- plete the form below. He says he got the idea from the teachings of business consultant Tom Peters. “By the time people finish filling out the form,” Stamm says, “they realize it makes a lot of financial sense to invest some time and money in making every employee a productive member of the cus- tomer service team.”

How much does your average customer spend during one visit to your store? How often does that customer visit your store each year? (Multiply times "a") A "lifetime customer" will stay with you for 10 years. (c = b x 10) A "lifetime customer" will bring you at least one additional cus- tomer through referral. (d = c x 2) How many customers does your employee interact with on an average shift? This employee is managing a portfolio of your future business that is worth: (Multiply "d" times the customers/shift)

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #12: Practice Makes Perfect

T ̊ ̊

̊ ̊ ̊

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical

❖ Purpose: To help participants recognize the innate ability they have to learn new material.

❖ Time Required: 10 to 15 minutes.

❖ Size of Group: Unlimited, but participants should work in “rotating” pairs.

❖ Materials Required: None.

❖ The Exercise in Action: Carol Houseman, director of educational services for Mercy General Hospital, asks the class to form two concentric circles, with each person facing a partner. With the first partner, they share their answers to this question: “What is a skill you learned as a child that you still do well?” Once each partner has given an answer, the inner circle rotates one person clockwise, and the new partners discuss a second question: “What is a skill you learned as a child that you can’t do well now?” They rotate again and answer a third question: “Why did you retain that skill?” They rotate to new partners once more and answer: “Why did you lose that skill?” Finally, in small groups, ask participants to generate a series of learning points to help them retain the skills they learn from that particular class.

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #13: The Perils of Preconditioning

T T ̊

̊ ̊ ̊

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical

❖ Purpose: To demonstrate to participants just how preconditioned the human animal tends to be.

❖ Time Required: 5 minutes.

❖ Size of Group: Unlimited.

❖ Materials Required: Flipchart.

❖ The Exercise in Action: Ronald Rahn, a manager training specialist for the Lockheed Space Operations Co., secretly prints the words “red,” “rose,” and “chair” on a flipchart and covers them. He then tells partici- pants he will ask them a series of questions and they should shout their answers. He says, “Give me the name of a color, give me a name of a flower, and give me a name of a piece of furniture,” and writes the response he most commonly hears on the flipchart. When the hidden list is compared with the list made in class, he almost always has a complete match. Rahn uses this exercise as a springboard into a discussion of how conditioned people tend to be, and the importance of carefully examining our programming so that we are aware of choices we can make to consciously build new reactions and choices if needed. The results are similar when he varies the exercise by giving each person an index card and asking them to quickly jot down the name of a color, flower, and piece of furniture. He then asks them to compare their answers in groups of five or six and discuss reasons for any similarities and differences.

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #14: The Rope Game

̊ ̊ ̊

T ̊ ̊

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical

❖ Purpose: To stress to teams the importance of achieving the right mix of team members’ strengths and limitations to reach desired goals.

❖ Time Required: 15 to 30 minutes.

❖ Size of Group: Unlimited, but only nine participants can play at one time.

❖ Materials Required: A long nylon rope; nine blindfolds; a good-sized room, free of obstacles. ❖ The Exercise in Action: Marilyn Russell, a nurse educator at the Dallas Medical Resource in Dallas, uses the “rope game” in team-building sessions: Up to nine participants can play the game. A good-sized room with all floor obstacles removed is needed. Participants are first asked to be blindfolded; if someone refuses, he or she can assume an “observer” role in the game. Then a long nylon rope is tied end-to-end to make a continuous circle. Blindfolded participants are led to the rope and asked to grab it. The trainer then instructs the group to form a triangle with the nylon rope, or some other simple geometric figure. It’s important that the trainer provide no other instructions. The group must then move together in a way that forms the geometric shape. Natural leaders and followers emerge as the group communicates and configures itself. When the group feels it has made the shape, participants remove their blindfolds to see how well they have done as a group. Next, blindfolds go back on as participants are instructed to make another shape. Those emerging as leaders in the first interaction are discreetly pulled aside by the trainer and told not to speak. Typically, that silence forces some of those who acted as followers in the first session to assume leadership roles. Russell then debriefs, stressing that it is only the use of highly effective communication and cooperation that makes forming the shapes possible. “Any team’s success depends on how well each member uses his or her strengths and weaknesses to balance out the team’s assets,” she says. “A good team-building atmosphere stresses the importance of each member and increases everyone’s self-esteem.”

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #15: Sneaky Slogans

̊ T ̊

̊ ̊ ̊

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical

❖ Purpose: To actively break participants into pairs for small-group activities.

❖ Time Required: 5 minutes.

❖ Size of Group: Unlimited.

❖ Materials Required: Index cards with slogans on them, prepared in advance by the trainer. ❖ The Exercise in Action: Vickie Steffan, a trainer with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Virginia, Roanoke, VA, uses product/commercial slogans as a way to break a group into pairs for activities. Steffan writes part of a commercial slogan on a card and puts the second half of the slogan on another card. For example, on card one she puts the famous Alka-Seltzer slogan, “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz…” and on card two, “Oh, what a relief it is.” She hands out the cards and asks participants to find their partners.

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #16: Success in Team-building

̊ ̊ ̊

T ̊ T

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical: Diversity

❖ Purpose: To combine a team-building exercise with a lesson in diversity by having teams share information about themselves with others in the group.

❖ Time Required: 15 to 25 minutes.

❖ Size of Group: Unlimited, but participants should work in small groups of four to six. ❖ Materials Required: A sheet of questions, prepared in advance by the trainer; Post-It Notes; flipchart. ❖ The Exercise in Action: Susan Partee, a training assistant with O’Reilly Automotive, Inc., Springfield, MO, creates a list of questions that are interesting, but not embarrassing, and has at least as many questions as there are members on the largest team. Partee then breaks the class into small groups of four to six partici- pants and hands out a copy of the list to each participant, asking them to cross off those questions that exceed the number of group members. (For example, a team of six would answer only the first six questions.) Flipchart pages, each bearing one question, are posted on the wall for later use. Partee instructs participants to label question number one with the name of the person directly to their left, number two with the next person, and so on around the table until each question has a member’s name beside it. The result: Each person’s name should appear beside a given question on only one other person’s sheet. Next she gives participants Post-It Notes and instructs them to ask the person whose name appears next to each question on their sheets for the corresponding answer. Each answer is recorded (along with the respondent’s name) on a Post-It Note and placed on the appropriate flipchart page. When everyone is finished, Partee reads as many of the answers as time allows. In the discussion that follows, Partee asks participants what they have learned about their teammates that might contribute to the success of their group.

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #17: Role Reversal

̊ ̊ T

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical: Conflict Resolution

❖ Purpose: To illustrate more constructive ways to solve conflict.

❖ Time Required: 10 to 20 minutes.

❖ Size of Group: Unlimited.

❖ Materials Required: None.

❖ The Exercise in Action: In workshops composed of both supervisors and subordinates, Larry Julian, manager of employee involvement at the Philip Morris Manufacturing Center, Richmond, VA, finds one of the group’s favorite pastimes is finger-pointing. And the finger most often points toward management as the words “they” and “them” become a part of group vocabulary, he says. But now, when employees begin to point fingers and place blame, Julian attempts to intervene using role plays. He first places a chair behind a desk or table along with a name tent that says “The Boss.” He asks the finger-pointing employee to take a seat behind the table in the boss’s chair, and asks another employee—preferably the supervisor—to take a seat in a chair in front of the table and assume the role of the finger-pointing employee. The finger-pointer then presents the problem to the boss. The boss is asked to form a solution to the problem from a supervisor’s point of view. Obviously, excellent facilitation skills are needed in the role plays to prevent confrontations. But Julian’s experience has been that placing the finger-pointer in his or her new role provides a new perspective on the “need for people to become part of the solution rather than part of the problem.”

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #18: True Confession Toothpicks

T T ̊

̊ ̊ ̊

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical

❖ Purpose: To challenge participants to think creatively.

❖ Time Required: 15 minutes.

❖ Size of Group: Unlimited.

❖ Materials Required: A large supply of toothpicks.

❖ The Exercise in Action: Participants are challenged to think creatively, and also to make “true confessions” during this opener recommended by Lori Preston, training specialist at Electronic Data Systems. Start by giving each participant 10 toothpicks or other counters. Then ask the first participant to talk about something they have never done, for example, “I’ve never jaywalked.” After the statement, anyone in the group who has jaywalked has to forfeit a toothpick to the kitty. Then the next person shares one thing he or she has never done, and again anyone who has done it loses a toothpick. The disclosures continue around the room until someone has lost all 10 toothpicks. It’s an entertaining way for people to get to know one another both by the things they have done, and the things they have not done.

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #19: Personal Introductions

T ̊ ̊

̊ ̊ ̊

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical

❖ Purpose: To introduce participants to one another in a training session.

❖ Time Required: 10 minutes.

❖ Size of Group: Unlimited, but participants should work in small groups of five or six.

❖ Materials Required: Several small paper bags.

❖ The Exercise in Action: Nina Policastro, training director for the Junior League in Dix Hills, NY, gives each participant a small paper bag. She then asks them to take from their wallet, briefcase, or purse three items that show something about their personality or lifestyle and put them in the bag. In small groups of five or six, people then share why they selected the items. To make this opener more program-oriented, ask people to select three items that make statements about their jobs. If they’re in customer service, for instance, ask them to select something that relates to how they help customers.

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #20: Baby Pictures

T ̊ ̊

̊ ̊ T

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical: Change Management

❖ Purpose: To creatively introduce one another before a session and make a learning point as well.

❖ Time Required: 20 minutes.

❖ Size of Group: Unlimited.

❖ Materials Required: Baby photos of participants, sent to the trainer in advance of the session. ❖ The Exercise in Action: Using participants’ baby photos can help break the ice and drive home some learning points, according to Lisa Monopoli of National Car Rental System. She has participants send a baby photo to her prior to the seminar. She numbers and displays the baby pictures, and has participants match them up by voting on who’s who. When the votes are tallied, everyone has a good laugh, she says. Monopoli says this activity is especially effective for seminars that include a combination of work peers of different professional levels. Monopoli says that aside from being fun, the opener helps make two learning points: • When conducting a class with participants who are of different professional levels, the activity helps break the ice by pointing out that we all started out on the same level (at about six to nine pounds). • When conducting courses where change is the focus, it helps to demonstrate how much change each of us has already been through and that change is inevitable.

101 More Games for Trainers

GAME #21: Play Ball!

̊ T ̊

T T ̊

Game Categories:

Opener Energizer Communication

Team-building Review Topical

❖ Purpose: To lead participants through a creative review session.

❖ Time Required: 30 minutes.

❖ Size of Group: Unlimited.

❖ Materials Required: Any props that might help convert the classroom to a ballpark (for example, plastic bats, baseball caps, etc.). ❖ The Exercise in Action: Participants in training at Great Plains Software in Fargo, ND, are told to arrive wearing a uniform and sneakers and to be prepared to “play ball” during review sessions. Internal product trainer Jeanne Rodenbiker quickly converts her training room into a playing field, using chairs as bases, giving baseball hats to participants, and keeping an inflatable bat on hand to add a little ballpark flavor. She divides the class into teams and has them choose their own names, usually something related to the topic. When the first team comes up to bat, one player draws a baseball card from a hat. Each card is marked as a single, double, triple, or home run. The pitcher (instructor) relays a question of the appropriate level of diffi- culty (for example, triples are more difficult than doubles). Although only one team member advances the indicated bases, the entire team can dis- cuss the question before answering. This eliminates putting participants on the spot and encourages group interaction. If answers require visual aids, the team uses a whiteboard to diagram its responses. The instructor serves as pitcher and umpire, providing hints or desig- nating time limits as to when questions must be answered. After three outs (misses), the second team bats. Rodenbiker says the energy level in this exercise is usually high and teams become quite competitive. She has had teams develop cheers and a few enthusiastic players even slide into bases. In most courses, she fits in the “game innings” after completing major sections of the material.

101 More Games for Trainers

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118

Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter maker