Icebreakers – getting to know each other better



Appreciation Exercise

Title: What we appreciate about others

Overview: To provide a simple way for people to give appreciative input to each other.

Time Needed

1. 1-2 minutes / person

Material Needed

2. Have an envelope with people’s names on it pinned to the wall.

3. Provide small recipe /index cards to everyone attending

Instructions

Advise people that during the meeting/workshop they should take time to observe each other and when they see someone doing something that they appreciate (could be they have gone out of their way to help others; helped the team by coming up with innovative solutions; done something that the person knows is a stretch for the individual….) – write it down (could put their name on the card or not) and put in the envelope. At the end of the session people will be given time to review the cards and they are theirs to keep.

Tips

Encourage people to take time each day to do this ….

Circles in the Air

Overview:

Exercise exposes our tendency to see ourselves outside of the system and the enemy is out there. It is also a marvelous springboard for exploring the premise that our particular perspective in a system colours our view of that system. Potentially if we can change our vantage point either mentally or physically we may discover new insights and new leverage points. (see others’ point of view).

Purpose – explore the possibility that our viewpoint depends upon where we ‘sit’ and too discover new leverage points in complex systems.

Greater awareness of ‘the enemy is out there’ syndrome. As people go through the exercise, they quickly discover that they can simultaneously hold completely different perspectives of the same system (ie. The pen circles clockwise from one perspective and counter-clockwise from another). This exercise illustrates how our perspectives affect the actions we take within a particular system.

Time Needed

About 2 to 10 minutes

Material Needed

Pen or pencil (or other straight object)

Instructions

Step 1: ask everyone to pick up a pen (or pencil)

Step 2: have them hold the pen straight up in the air, and pretend to draw a circle on the ceiling, in a clockwise direction. Tell them to keep drawing the circle and looking up.

Step 3: Say “now slowly continue to draw the circle clockwise, bring the pen down a few inches at a time until it is in front of your face. Continue to circle the pen, and slowly bring it down until you are looking down on top of it. Continue to draw the circle while looking down on it.

Step 4: Ask the group “what direction is the pen moving?” (it will be counter clockwise direction at this point. I smile at those who say ‘clockwise’ and encourage them to try again.)

Note: you will find that some people lose the integrity of the circle as they bring their pens down, swishing their hands back and forth in a straight line. If you notice this, suggest that the person starts again and encourage them to practice ‘drawing’ a round circle on the ceiling before moving the pen down.

Debrief: So what happened? (insightful – what changed my perspective?) to humour. People will begin to see that it was their perspective that changed not the pen movement.

Pig Personality Profile

Overview:

This icebreaker is not scientific, but it's good for a lot of laughs, gets participants thinking

and talking, and sets the stage for a good experience in the meeting/workshop.

Time Needed

About 10 minutes

Material Needed

Blank paper and a pen

Instructions

The Pig Personality Profile is short and simple. Give students the following instructions:

"On a blank piece of 8 1/2 x 11 paper, draw a pig. Don't look at your neighbors' pigs.

Don't even glance."

Say no more. Do not explain the purpose of the exercise. Give the

students just three minutes or so to complete their drawings, then explain in a tongue-

and-cheek fashion how their pig drawings are a useful test of their personality traits.

Debrief

If the pig is drawn . . .

Toward the top of the paper, you are a positive, optimistic person.

Toward the middle of the paper, you are a realist.

Toward the bottom of the paper, you are a pessimist and have a tendency to be negative.

Facing left, you are traditional, friendly, and good at remembering dates, including birthdays.

Facing forward (or angled forward), you are direct, enjoy playing "the devil's advocate," and neither fear nor avoid discussions.

Facing right, you are innovative and active but do not have a strong sense of family, and you are not good at remembering dates.

With many details, you are analytical, cautious, and distrustful.

With few details, you are emotional and naïve, care little for details, and are a risk-taker.

With four legs showing, you are secure and stubborn, and you stick to your ideals.

With less than four legs, you are insecure or are going through a period of major change.

With large ears, you are a good listener. The larger the ears, the better listener you are.

With a long tail, you have a good sex life. The longer the tail, the better it is.

You can end with the comment: "I won't attest to the accuracy of the results, other than to guarantee some laughter and amusement." Somehow do make sure that students understand that it is not a serious test of personality traits. The author has given the test to over 400 students and never offended anyone.

Example:

Because the pig at the right was drawn near the top of the paper (not shown), the artist is a positive, optimistic person. And because the pig is facing left, the artist believes in tradition, is friendly, and remembers dates.

Grey Elephant from Denmark

Overview:

This icebreaker is a great exercise to begin a session where you want people to challenge themselves to come up with some new ideas.

Time Needed

About 5 minutes

Material Needed

None

Instructions

Introduce this as an exercise to check our mental agility before we begin the session. Invite people to follow your instructions without using paper or pens. Slowly begin to share the instructions (talk slowly, pause between each instruction):

1) pick a number from 1 to 9

2) subtract 5

3) multiply by 3

4) square the number (multiply by the same number-- not square root)

5) add the digits until you get only one digit (i.e. 64=6+4= 10 = 1+0=1)

6) if the number is less than 5, add five. Otherwise subtract 4.

7) multiply by 2

8) subtract 6

9) map the digit to a letter in the alphabet 1=A, 2=B, 3=C, etc...

10) pick a name of a country that begins with that letter

11) take the second letter in the country name and think of an animal that begins with that letter

12) think of the color of that animal

Debrief:

HA HA...almost! The number trick gives you a "4" every time, which means you always think of a "D"

Here's the countries whose name start with "D" from the CIA World Factbook:

➢ Denmark

➢ Djibouti

➢ Dominica Dominican Republic

Small wonder we think of Denmark. What if we picked "Djibouti?" We'd get animals like jaguars, jacamars, jays, or even "jumping plant lice" (I'm not making this up!) Or if we pick Dominican Republic we'd choose between octopi, otters, owls, orangutans, or any number of other "O" animals. If we pick Denmark, we'll end up with "E" for our animal names. This is where people commonly split, I'll guess. How about animals whose names start with "E"?

Note when we jump to the quick and/or popular answer – our competition is coming up with the same answer .. so let’s spend time looking for something beyond the obvious.

Not looking at latin names here are some animals that begin with E

EAGLE RAYS

EAGLES EARLESS MONITORS

EARLESS SEALS

EARTHWORMS

EARWIGS

ECHIDNAS

ECHINODERMS

ECHIURANS

EEL CODS

EEL

EELPOUTS

ELEPHANT BEETLES

ELEPHANT BIRDS

ELEPHANT FLIES

ELEPHANT SHREWS

EMPEROR MOTHS

EMYDID TURTLES

ENGRAVER BEETLES

ENSIGN WASPS … and I am sure there are many more!!!

Testing Your Professional Skills

Title: How to Put a Giraffe into a Fridge

Overview: A fun exercise to take a group through before you begin to work on a business issue. Note: there is a cartoon video available on this exercise.

Time Needed

4. 15 minutes

Material Needed

5. None

Instructions

JUST HOW PROFESSIONAL ARE YOU?

QUESTION 1

HOW DO YOU PUT A GIRAFFE INTO THE REFRIGERATOR?

THE ANSWER IS

OPEN THE REFRIGERATOR, PUT IN THE GIRAFFE AND CLOSE THE DOOR.

THIS QUESTION TESTS WHETHER YOU TEND TO DO SIMPLE THINGS IN AN OVERLY COMPLICATED WAY.

QUESTION 2

HOW DO YOU PUT AN ELEPHANT INTO THE REFRIGERATOR?

THE WRONG ANSWER IS

OPEN THE REFRIGERATOR, PUT IN THE ELEPHANT AND CLOSE THE DOOR.

THE RIGHT ANSWER IS

OPEN THE REFRIGERATOR, TAKE OUT THE GIRAFFE, PUT IN THE ELEPHANT

AND CLOSE THE DOOR.

THIS TESTS YOUR ABILITY TO THINK THROUGH THE REPERCUSSIONS OF YOUR ACTIONS !!!!

QUESTION 3

THE LION KING IS HOSTING AN ANIMAL CONFERENCE. ALL THE ANIMALS ATTEND EXCEPT ONE. WHICH ANIMAL DOES NOT ATTEND?

THE RIGHT ANSWER IS

THE ELEPHANT. THE ELEPHANT IS IN THE REFRIGERATOR.

THIS TESTS YOUR MEMORY.

OK, EVEN IF YOU DID NOT ANSWER THE FIRST 3 QUESTIONS CORRECTLY, YOU STILL HAVE ONE MORE CHANCE TO SHOW YOUR ABILITIES.

QUESTION 4

THERE IS A RIVER YOU MUST CROSS. IT IS INHABITED BY CROCODILES.

HOW DO YOU CROSS IT?

THE RIGHT ANSWER IS

YOU SWIM ACROSS. ALL THE CROCODILES ARE ATTENDING THE ANIMAL MEETING !!!!

THIS TESTS WHETHER YOU LEARN QUICKLY FROM YOUR MISTAKES.

ACCORDING TO ANDERSON CONSULTING WORLDWIDE AROUND 90% OF THE PROFESSIONALS THEY TESTED GOT THE ANSWERS WRONG !!!!

HOWEVER.....

MANY PRESCHOOLERS GOT SEVERAL CORRECT

As we go into this activity – have a beginner’s mind – think creatively like a child – don’t let your knowledge stop you from seeing the simple solution.

Moose on the Table

Title: Group Disclosure

Overview: Every group typically has undiscussable issues. These are issues that are relevant to the group’s task but the members believe they cannot discuss openly in the group without some negative consequences. Some examples include members who are not performing adequately, members not trusting one another, and members reluctant to disagree with their superiors who are also group members. Unfortunately, because such issues often raise feelings of mistrust, inadequacy and defensiveness, members usually deal with the issues either by not talking about them at all or talking about them outside the group with people they trust. However, such issues are usually critical fore the group to resolve and the group’s performance may suffer as long as they remain undiscussable.

One way of addressing this is to introduce the idea of ‘Moose on the Table’ – under the table is a dead moose which some people are aware of and others are not, by brining it out to the open it can be dealt with.

Time Needed

6. Depends on the situation

Material Needed

7. None

Instructions

In order for the group to share valid information and allow members to make free and informed choices, members need to make undiscussable issues discussable within the group. Have a discussion around this topic – have people explore their concerns about discussing such issues without actually discussing the specifics. Reassure everyone that their fears will not be realized, help them to open up and talk freely about the undiscussable issue.

Introduce a process to help them open up …. one way to achieve this is to raise the issue and acknowledge that it may be considered undiscussable. “I’d like to ‘put a moose on the table’ – I realize what I’m about to say may be considered an undiscussable issue, but I think we can be a more effective group if we deal with this issue.”

Tips

Some people introduce this topic by talking about someone having a piece of broccoli between their front teeth – everyone can see it but the person who has the broccoli in their mouth. People don’t want to bring it up for personal reasons – but it is important to address it.

Adapted from “The Skilled Facilitator ” by Roger Schwarz

Self Disclosure - Exercise # 1

Title: Self-Disclosure 1

Overview: To provide innovative ways of introducing members to each other. To build team spirit by helping members to learn more about each other. To help establish self-disclosure as a team norm.

Time Needed

8. 1-2 minutes / person

Material Needed

9. None

Instructions

Ask each team member to state his or her name and attach an adjective that not only describes a dominant characteristic, but also starts with the first letter of her or his name (e.g., Serious Stan, Mathematical Mary, Bicycling Bill, Creative Cathy, etc.)

Tips

Allow 1 minute per person. This activity is not limited to use with newly formed teams. It can also be effective as a meeting warm-up with established teams. When introducing the activity to groups whose members already know each other, point out that there is always something new team members can learn about each other that will increase rapport and make the team members aware of each other’s strengths and applicable experiences.

From “The Big Book of Team Building Games ” by John Newstrom & Edward Scannell

Self Disclosure – Exercise # 2

Title: Self-Disclosure 2

Overview: To provide innovative ways of introducing members to each other. To build team spirit by helping members to learn more about each other. To help establish self-disclosure as a team norm.

Time Needed

10. About 1-2 minutes / person

Material Needed

11. None

Instructions

Group members introduce themselves by name but also provide a nickname that they now have, once had, or would be willing to have if they could pick their own. During breaks, members are encouraged to circulate and explore the reasons behind the announced nicknames.

Tips

Allow 1 minute per person. This activity is not limited to use with newly formed teams. It can also be effective as a meeting warm-up with established teams. When introducing the activity to groups whose members already know each other, point out that there is always something new team members can learn about each other that will increase rapport and make the team members aware of each other’s strengths and applicable experiences.

From “The Big Book of Team Building Games ” by John Newstrom & Edward Scannell

Self Disclosure - Exercise # 3

Title: Self-Disclosure 3

Overview: To provide innovative ways of introducing members to each other. To build team spirit by helping members to learn more about each other. To help establish self-disclosure as a team norm.

Time Needed

12. 1-2 minutes / person

Material Needed

13. People are invited to bring along a bag and 3 items that they feel represent who they are (what they value, enjoy etc.)

Instructions

Ask each team member to introduce themselves and their bag and explain why they picked that specific bag and to take one item out and share what it means. (this can be used over several days – asking them to bring out one item at a time).

Tips

Allow 1 minute per person. This activity is not limited to use with newly formed teams. It can also be effective as a meeting warm-up with established teams. When introducing the activity to groups whose members already know each other, point out that there is always something new team members can learn about each other that will increase rapport and make the team members aware of each other’s strengths and applicable experiences.

Getting to Know You

Title: Getting to Know You

Overview: To get to know teammates. To build trust among people who work together. To develop a ‘personal profile sheet’ on team members, colleagues, clients, or friends.

Time Needed

14. 30 mins.

Material Needed

15. Copies of “Getting to Know You” forms for each participant.

Instructions

As a team member, explain that each team member has special skills, knowledge, and talents that will help to make the team stronger as a unit. When team members are aware of each other’s strengths, the team can function more effectively.

Distribute one copy of the form from the next page to each team member. Collect the completed forms, duplicate them, and bring copies for each team member to the next meeting. The record keeping and updating can be done either manually (e.g. hard copy in a 3 ring binder) or stored on a computer.

If you have more time:

At a team meeting, distribute one copy of the form to each member. Ask members to pair up and conduct a 5 minute interviews of each other, using the “Getting to Know You” form as a worksheet. Tell members to be prepared to introduce their partners to the rest of the group by spotlighting 3 interesting pieces of information learned during the interview. For the sake of accuracy, each individual should either personally complete the informational form that is to be distributed to the team or review the form prior to publication.

Getting to Know You (Handout)

Name of Person Interviewed _________________________________________

Job Title: _____________________________________________________

Spouse’s Name _______________________________________________

Spouse’s Employment or Activities __________________________________

Children’s Names & Ages _________________________________________

Hometown ______________________________________________________

Person’s Hobbies: ________________________________________________

Spouse’s Hobbies ________________________________________________

Favourite (or Dream) Vacation ____________________________________

Best Accomplishments

Family ________________________________________________

Personal ________________________________________________

Childhood ________________________________________________

Work ________________________________________________

Most Memorable Moments:

Family ________________________________________________

Personal ________________________________________________

Childhood ________________________________________________

Work ________________________________________________

Favourite Colour ________________________________________________

Favourite Holiday ________________________________________________

Favourite Food(s) ________________________________________________

Adapted from “The Big Book of Team Building Games ” by John Newstrom & Edward Scannell

Candid Camera

Title: Candid Camera: Learning to Put Faces with Names

Overview: To help the team leader(s) learn the names of team members. To help members learn each other’s names.

Time Needed

16.

Material Needed

17. Instant-developing camera and film (or a digital camera)

Instructions

This may be the most valuable, and most viable, for extended meetings (e.g. multi-day, weeklong, or programs that meet in periodic sessions across several weeks). This is also useful for virtual teams who may not meet in person or only meet periodically.

As new team members arrive, ask them to pose briefly for a head and shoulders photograph. Staple the instantly developed picture to a biographical sheet for that person which is inserted in a binder (or put on a web site for the digital photos). This is particularly useful for larger groups (over 15) or for team leaders who experience difficulty in learning names! This allows you to review the bios and photos periodically prior to each session.

From “The Big Book of Team Building Games ” by John Newstrom & Edward Scannell

(Sort of) Glad to Meet You

Title: (Sort of) Glad to Meet You

Overview: To break the ice and show how body language can contradict or reinforce verbal messages.

Time Needed

18. 5 minutes / person

Material Needed

19. None

Instructions

Ask the group to form subgroups of 5 people. They will be asked to ‘meet and greet’ each other in 4 ways. They should sequentially assume that:

✓ They really don’t want to meet the other person

✓ They fear that the other might reject their greeting

✓ They already know they are friends

✓ They already know the other person – but just a little bit

After each of the above 4 role plays is announced, allow 3-4 minutes for each activity so everyone can experience the activity. Then direct them to rotate to a new person and conduct the next role play.

Discussion Questions:

1. How did you feel the first time when you weren’t really overly thrilled (to put it mildly) to be meeting the other person?

2. What influences you most when making first contact?

3. Did your nonverbal behaviour reinforce or negate you words or feelings?

4. Why were the first two activities uncomfortable?

5. Can your nonverbal cues speak more loudly than your words? Are you conscious of your range of nonverbal signals?

Tip

Bring a polaroid-type camera and take several candid photos of facial expressions and bodily gestures. Post these or pass them around for laughs to loosen up the team.

From “The Big Book of Team Building Games ” by John Newstrom & Edward Scannell

Will the Real Mr./Ms Jones Stand Up?

Title: Will the Real Mr. / Ms Jones Stand Up?

Overview: To break the ice by forcing people to introduce themselves by means of their drawing ability, rather than their words.

Time Needed

20. 3 mins for team members to draw the sketch

21. 1 minute for each introduction and 1 minute for the person who was introduced to supplement the information

22. Allow 5 minutes for the team to discuss their observations and learning at the conclusion of the exercise.

Material Needed

23. Business cards or 3 x 5 cards

Instructions

Individuals are asked to take out their business cards (if some don’t have cards, provide them with 3 x 5 index cards). On the back of the cards, ask them to draw a picture that describes themselves in any creative way. These can be sketches of themselves, their hobbies, jobs, interests, or family. Anything that can describe them is fair game. Collect the cards in a container. A volunteer is chosen at random to pick out a card and look at the drawing, not the name side of the card. The introducer then tells the group as much as possible about the card owner by interpreting the sketch, making any assumptions or inferences desired.

After each ‘introduction’ the person who drew that sketch stands and clarifies, corrects, or more truthfully completes his or her introduction. That person then pulls out another card and proceeds to ‘introduce’ that individual. Continue the process until all person are introduced.

Discussion Questions

1. Why do we stick so closely to ‘just the facts’ in our self-introductions – name, job and employer?

2. How comfortable did you feel disclosing, through art, other aspects about yourself?

3. What were some of the more interesting things discovered?

Will the Real Mr/Ms Jones stand up please (continued)

Tips

If you suspect that team members will be reticent about interpreting others’ drawings, you can volunteer to be first and provide a richly developed, previously prepared interpretations of a cohort’s drawing (but it’s best to warn the other individual first!).

People who don’t consider themselves artistic may have reservations about creating a drawing and sharing it with others; so, preface the activity with the caveat that you don’t have to be an artist to do this. Any rough sketch will do.

From “The Big Book of Team Building Games ” by John Newstrom & Edward Scannell

T-Shirt

Title: T-Shirt

Overview:

The intent of this ice-breaker is to have people introduce themselves using a descriptive (word, phrase, icon) that they feel represents their uniqueness.

Time Needed

Brief

Material Needed

None

Instructions

Ask everyone in the room to introduce themselves to the team and to imagine that they are going to create a t-shirt that will have a word, phrase or icon on it that would represent what is unique about them or their contribution to the team.

Debrief

Inquire how people felt about the exercise, did anyone discover something new about someone in the team

Learning Name

Title: Learning Name

Overview:

In native American culture a child is not named until they are 5 or 6 and people have had a chance to observe how they learn. The name that is then given to them represents the essence of who they are. This exercise is designed to help people share a significant learning experience and for others to listen to them and as a team create a learning name. It is a very strong exercise for helping people to talk about how they learn and what has had a significant impact on them (for all of us that went through it - we gained insight into ourselves and each other)

Time Needed

About 20-30 mins

Material Needed

Pen and Paper

Instructions

Ideal size of group is 3-5 people; ask people to think back to their childhood (between ages of 6 and 15) and think of a significant learning experience and be prepared to share that experience with the rest of the group. After everyone has written down their story, they take turns to tell the story. After the person has finished telling their story the others ask questions and then as a group (the story teller is at this point an observer) they come up with a learning name for the story teller.

Debrief

1. Inquire how people felt about the exercise, did anyone discover something new about someone in the team

2. For the story tellers - how did they feel about the name that the others gave to them?

3. Where there personal insights from the exercise?

4. Do you feel that you know and understand each other better ?

Count the Fs

Title: Count the Fs

Overview:

This is another example of mind grooves - a way to experience, reflect on and explore your own thinking. It demonstrates how we ignore the obvious and discount it when we do analysis.

Time Needed

About 10 mins

Material Needed

Cut up the sheet of 6Fs (see 6F – sheet to cut up.doc), you may want to make copies on heavy stock paper and have different colors.

Instructions

Ask people to pick a card, don’t tell them that they are the same on each card. Ask each person to count the number of ‘F’s on their card.

Now, ask them to count the F's in that sentence on the card they have picked. Count them ONLY ONCE; do not go back and count them again.

Answer:

There are six F's in the sentence

5. If you spotted four, you’re above average

6. If you got five, you can turn your nose at most anybody

7. If you caught six, you are a genius

8. There is no catch … see below for more information

9. Many people forget the Ofs

Debrief

10. What happened?

11. How do we stop ourselves and observe those quick answers that we come up with?

12. What do we do when the majority comes up with the same number and one person has a different count .. Do we challenge them or listen to them?\

Math Trick #1

Title: Math Trick #1

Overview:

This exercise is one that helps us point out that as we go along, we may have different approaches but we can arrive at the same point.

Time Needed

About 5 mins

Material Needed

Pen and Paper

Instructions

Each member of the class is instructed to write down a three digit number.

The only rules are that the first and last numbers cannot be zero and they cannot be the same.

1. reverse the order of the numbers (ex. 792 becomes 297)

2. subtract the smaller number from the larger number (792-297 = 495)

if the result is less than 100 - add a zero in the hundreds place (ex. ans = 99, add 0 = 099)

3. now reverse the remainder and add that number to the remainder

(ex. 495, reversed = 594; add these together = 1089)

Regardless of the units used the answer is always 1089.

Debrief

13. What happened?

14. Point: No matter how we arrived where we are today, we’re all here for a common end - (what ever the workshop key message is ... use it here).

Math Trick #2

Title: Math Trick #2

Overview:

This is another example of mind grooves - a way to experience, reflect on and explore your own thinking. It demonstrates how we ignore the obvious and discount it when we do analysis.

Time Needed

About 5 mins

Material Needed

Pen and Paper

Instructions

Ask participants to add the following numbers (in their heads)

1,000

+ 40

+ 1,000

+ 30

+ 1,000

+ 20

+ 1,000

+ 10

Answer that most will give is 5,000 - the right answer is 4,100

Regardless of the units used the answer is always 1089.

Debrief

15. What happened?

16. After age 8 we begin to develop mental models, quick ways of doing things - it is important that we stop every now and again and make sure that we have the right answer. Because others say the same answer we often think it is the right one … the person who gave a different answer than the one that group came up with can be seen as wrong … Take time to check that what we think is the answer is the right one.

Color, Furniture, Flower

Title: Color, Furniture, Flower

Overview:

This is another example of mind grooves - a way to experience, reflect on and explore your own thinking. It demonstrates how we ignore the obvious and discount it when we do analysis.

Time Needed

About 5-10 mins

Material Needed

Pen and Paper

Instructions

Step 1: Participants write on an index card or piece of paper the first word that comes to their minds when they hear the following words:

Color Furniture Flower

Step 2: Ask how many said ‘red’ for the color? How many said ‘blue”?

Furniture ‘chair’ or ‘couch’?

Flower ‘rose’ or ‘daisy’?

You will find that many people came up with the same answer ….

Debrief

17. What happened?

18. In the west particularly we pride ourselves on our uniqueness, creativity and individualism, yet socialization is stronger than we realize. The more we think in a particular way the deeper the grooves.

From The Systems Thinking Playbook by Linda Booth Sweeney & Dennis Meadows

Everything but Sleep

Title: Everything but Sleep

Overview:

This exercise reminds us of the brain’s ability to make lightening-speed associations, which at times can be based on fast, yet erroneous assumptions. I would recommend using this exercise in conjunction with the Color-Flower-Furniture exercise and other visually oriented exercises as a way to launch into a discussion about characteristics of our mental models (ie. Quickly forming associations)

Time Needed

About 5-10 mins

Material Needed

Pen and Paper

Instructions

Step 1: On an overhead projector or flipchart, show the following words:

SLUMBER PILLOW BED

NAP DREAM NIGHT QUIET PAJAMAS

SNOOZE BLANKET

Step 2: As you will notice, they are all associated with that life necessity, ‘sleep’. Do not, as the facilitator, draw attention to this. Instruct the group to look at the words but not to write anything down for the moment. After 10 seconds, turn the overhead off (or if you used a flip chart - turn the page) and ask the group to write down as many words as they can remember, without talking.

Step 3: Ask the participants to raise their hands if they wrote down the word slumber. Then ask who wrote down the word night. Then, “Okay, who wrote down the word sleep?” Note how many they saw ‘sleep’ – put back up the slide and show them that the word was not part of the list.

Debrief

19. What happened?

20. Point is: How do we develop the observer in ourselves so we more often have our thoughts as opposed to being had by them? How do we in real time, become aware of the associations we are making and check for their appropriateness?

21. Between 50 and 80% of the group will put up their hands...

From The Systems Thinking Playbook by Linda Booth Sweeney & Dennis Meadows

OAK, JOKE, CROAK…

Title: Oak,Joke,Croak

Overview:

This is a good exercise to have in your back pocket. It works best in groups less than 10. Many people will not fall into the trap but the majority will. The idea is not to put on that ‘gotcha’ grin, but rather to laugh with the participants. This can be used as a springboard for discussions around mindlessness and the power of mindfulness and the power of mindfulness to enhance the capacity to think systemically.

Time Needed

About 5 mins

Material Needed

None

Instructions

At a fast pace, ask an individual or small group the following questions (pause briefly to allow a response:

Q What do we call the tree that grows from acorns?

A Oak

Q What do we call a funny story?

A Joke

Q What do we call the sound made by a frog?

A Croak

Q What do we call the white of an egg?

A Yolk

Debrief

• How can we slow ourselves down enough to check the answers that we are

automatically giving?

We have been taught to give the first and fast answer - sometimes it is important

to stop and give a slower response and get the right answer.

From The Systems Thinking Playbook by Linda Booth Sweeney & Dennis Meadows

SPOT

Title: SPOT

Overview:

This is a good exercise to have in your back pocket. It works best in groups less than 10. Many people will not fall into the trap but the majority will. The idea is not to put on that ‘gotcha’ grin, but rather to laugh with the participants. This can be used as a springboard for discussions around mindlessness and the power of mindfulness and the power of mindfulness to enhance the capacity to think systemically.

Time Needed

About 5 mins

Material Needed

None

Instructions

At a fast pace, ask an individual or small group the following questions (pause briefly to allow a response:) - ask them to say the answer in a loud energetic voice:

1. Ask people to say this word 3 times as quickly as they can SPOT

2. Now ask them to spell the word SPOT only once

3. Now ask them what do they do when the come to a green light?

Note: many will say STOP … a few will say GO … ask them the question again and many will repeat the same answer (and get quick emphatic about the answer being right).

I then ask them “How many drove to work today?” - what did you do when you came to a green light (I tease that I don’t ask what to do at a red light - because in Toronto most run through it).

Debrief

We have grown up in a society that has asked people to put up their hands and give the answer as quickly as possible. When others are saying the same answer it makes us feel even more comfortable that we have the right answer. While it is good to allow ourselves to fall into patterns (they are healthy signs) - sometimes we need to stop and check to see if the answer is still the right one.

From The Systems Thinking Playbook by Linda Booth Sweeney & Dennis Meadows

Simon Says

Title: Simon Says

Overview:

A quick exercise that can be used for a couple of reasons - one it can help to get the group to stand up and stretch and do something physical (especially if they have been in a room for a long time), also it reminds us that we need to listen more carefully.

Time Needed

About 5 mins

Material Needed

None

Instructions

You can introduce this as an opportunity for them to experience the latest test that the police are doing this year when they are stopping drivers to check for drinking and driving

1. Stand up in front of the group and ask them to stand up to… explain that they have to do what you are going to tell them to do.

2. Ask them to put both arms stretched out at shoulder length to the sides (as you say it you must do it too)

3. Now ask them to create a circle with the thumb and index finger of their right hand (you do it as you are saying it)

4. Now ask them to take their thumb and index finger (still in the circle), tell them to put the circle on their cheek (but you will put your thumb and index finger on your chin)

5. Note: most people will have put their thumb and index finger on their chin not on their cheek - most people will follow your body language not the instruction.

Debrief

It is important that we ‘walk the talk’ - we follow through with our actions to support what we have said we will do.

From The Systems Thinking Playbook by Linda Booth Sweeney & Dennis Meadows

Arms Crossed

Title: Arms Crossed

Overview:

The problems we have created in the world today will not be solved by the level of thinking that created them. Albert Einstein

If Einstein wanted to give people a sense of what it would feel like to change the level of their thinking, he might use this exercise. To build on Einstein’s wise warning, we must be willing to continually review and sometimes change our habitual patterns of thoughts in order to be life-long learners. This is a compelling notion but what we often forget is that the process of changing our personal patterns of thought can be uncomfortable and frustrating. This exercise playfully makes that reality discussible.

Time Needed

About 5 mins

Material Needed

None

Instructions

This exercise will take less than a minute. Ask the group to do the following

1. Fold your arms the way you would if you were bored, with one arm naturally falling on top of the other. Look at your arms and notice which one is on top. Notice how this feels. Is it comfortable? Does it feel normal?

2. Now ask the group to uncross their arms and fold them again, the other way, with the other arm on top. How does this feel? What do you notice?

Here people may comment on how uncomfortable it felt the second way.

Variations - ask them to clasp their hands together, inter-lacing the fingers naturally. Reclasp the fingers, shifting them over by one finger. Another variation is asking people to change the arm that they wear their watch on or if they have a wallet in a back pocket - asking them to put it into another pocket.

Debrief

When people are learning something new or in new situations they can feel this type of discomfort. It may be that the time of our greatest growth occur when we step out of our ‘comfort’ zone. One quote that I heard a long time again was “If something is worth doing, it is worth doing badly” - as adults we struggle with doing something for the first time and not being able to do it well. Kids will spend all sorts of time doing ‘belly flaps’ in the pool until they are able to dive … adults need to be reminded that this is all part of the learning journey.

From The Systems Thinking Playbook by Linda Booth Sweeney & Dennis Meadow

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