GAME #66: Alphabet Soup
T T ̊
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Game Categories:
Opener Energizer Communication
Team-building Review Topical
❖ Purpose: To help large groups mix and mingle.
❖ Time Required: 10 to 15 minutes.
❖ Size of Group: No more than 26 (but certain letters of the alphabet can be repeated if the group is larger). ❖ Materials Required: One Post-It Note with a letter of the alphabet on it for every participant, prepared in advance by the trainer. ❖ The Exercise in Action: Rhonda Gordon, human resources training manager for the Bureau of National Affairs, Washington, D.C., conceived of the following opener when preparing a training course for 26 people. The number 26 sparked an idea, and the “Alphabet Opener” was born, but she says it can be used for smaller or larger classes if the instructor prepares properly. Here are the instructions for the exercise: Give all participants a Post-It Note with a large letter printed on it, and ask them to place the letter on their shirt fronts. Avoid letters like Q, X, or Z, and offer about twice as many consonants as vowels. Gordon recommends making the vowels a different color from the consonants so that they’re easily recognizable. Tell participants they have five minutes to form any word with at least three other people, but explain that longer words are fine. Gordon says participants are rarely left out, and if they are, other groups often break their words and make a new one to include the additional person. She keeps extra Post-It Notes with letters handy, and if a straggler is spotted, she steps in to ask another group to break their word and make a new one. Extra vowels and the letter “S” for making plurals work best, she says. After five minutes, give each group a sheet of flipchart paper to post and ask them to form a sentence or phrase using the word to describe their expectations of the course.
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