GAME #41: Gone in a Flash
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Game Categories:
Opener Energizer Communication
Team-building Review Topical
❖ Purpose: To symbolically rid participants of their greatest “learning fear.”
❖ Time Required: 5 minutes.
❖ Size of Group: Unlimited.
❖ Materials Required: A supply of magician’s “flash paper,” available at most magic shops; a candle. ❖ The Exercise in Action: As participants enter Gary Weaver’s training room, each is given a small piece of magician’s flash paper (about 2 inches square). He doesn’t tell them the purpose of the paper, nor that it’s “trick” material. He also places a lit candle at the front of the room. Weaver, an industry trainer with Canadian Valley Vo-Tech in El Reno, OK, asks participants to write their biggest learning obstacle or fear on the paper—for example, speaking up in class. They then walk up, one by one, to the front of the room, share the concern or fear with the rest of the class, and ignite the flash paper in the candle by tossing it—safely away from others—in the air toward the candle, where it burns quickly before coming down. Weaver says the symbolism isn’t lost on participants who are com- forted hearing others reveal fears of their own. “It’s a great way to watch learning obstacles ‘go up in smoke’ before the training begins,” he says.
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