LEADERSHIP

ACTIVITY

WORKBOOK

2012

ICEBREAKERS FOR SMALL GROUPS

Why icebreakers? Icebreakers can play an important role in helping people integrate and connect with one another in a group by:

Helping a new group get to know one another.

Helping people feel comfortable together.

Encouraging cooperation, listening to others and working together.

Encouraging people to break out of their cliques.

Icebreakers - a 10 second check list!

Always participate.

Be enthusiastic, whatever happens, be enthusiastic!

Choose volunteers carefully and don't cause embarrassment.

If something is not working move quickly on to the next activity.

Timing is important. Finish each icebreaker while people are still enjoying it.

A List of Simple Icebreakers:

1. Favourite teacher/subject

2. Recommend a movie/why?

3. Favourite hobbies/interests?

4. Most embarrassing experience

5. Weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten

6. Say as much about yourself as possible in 2 minutes (needs someone with a timer)

7. Would you rather ….? (gross, funny, serious)

eg. Eat your own puke or eat a dead bug

8. Two truths and a lie (the group tries to guess which is the lie)

9. Earliest memory

10. Animal alphabet

11. Where does my name come from?

12. Most unusual hobby

13. Longest journey

14. If you had a time machine that would work only once, what point in the future or in history would you visit?

15. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

16. If your house was burning down, what three objects would you try and save?

17. If you could talk to any one person now living, who would it be and why?

18. If you HAD to give up one of your senses (hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting) which would it be and why?

19. If you were an animal, what would you be and why?

20. Do you have a pet? If not, what sort of pet would you like?

21. Name a gift you will never forget?

22. Name one thing you really like about yourself.

23. What's your favourite thing to do in the summer?

24. Who's your favourite cartoon character, and why?

25. Does your name have a special meaning and or were you named after someone special?

26. What is the hardest thing you have ever done?

27. If you are at a crush's house for dinner and you find a dead insect in your salad, what would you do?

28. What was the best thing that happened to you this past week

29. If you had this week over again what would you do differently?

30. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

31. If I gave you $10,000, what would you spend it on?

32. If you could watch your favourite movie now, what would it be?

33. If you could talk to anyone in the world, who would it be?

34. If you could wish one thing to come true this year, what would it be?

35. If you could live in any period of history, when would it be?

36. If you could change anything about yourself, what would you change?

37. If you could be someone else, who would you be?

38. If you could have any question answered, what would it be?

39. If you could watch your favourite TV show now, what would it be?

40. If you could have any kind of pet, what would you have?

41. If you could do your dream job 10 years from now, what would it be?

42. If you had to be allergic to something, what would it be?

43. If money and time was no object, what would you be doing right now?

44. If you had one day to live over again, what day would you pick?

45. If you could eat your favourite food now, what would it be?

46. If you could learn any skill, what would it be?

47. If you were sent to live on a space station for three months and only allowed to bring three personal items with you, what would they be?

48. If you could buy a car right now, what would you buy?

Fact or fiction?

Ask everyone to write on a piece of paper THREE things about themselves which may not be known to the others in the group. Two are true and one is not. Taking turns they read out the three ‘facts’ about themselves and the rest of the group votes which are true and false. There are always surprises. This simple activity is always fun, and helps the group and leaders get to know more about each other.

My name is?

Go around the group and ask each person to state his/her name and attach an adjective that not only describes a dominant characteristic, but also starts with the same letter of his name e.g. generous Graham, dynamic Dave. Write them down and refer to them by this for the rest of the meeting.

Desert Island

Announce, 'You've been exiled to a deserted island for a year. In addition to the essentials, you may take one piece of music, one book (which is not the Bible) and one luxury item you can carry with you i.e. not a boat to leave the island! What would you take and why?'

Allow a few minutes to draw up their list of three items, before sharing their choices with the rest of the group. As with most icebreakers and relationship building activities, it's good for the group leaders to join in too!

Name that person

Divide into two teams. Give each person a blank piece of card. Ask them to write five little known facts about themselves on their card. Include all leaders in this game too. For example, I have a pet iguana, I was born in Iceland, my favourite food is spinach, my grandmother is called Doris and my favourite colour is vermillion.

Collect the cards into two team piles. Draw one card from the opposing team pile. Each team tries to name the person in as few clues as possible. Five points if they get it on the first clue, then 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. The team with the most points wins. (Note: if you select the most obscure facts first, it will increase the level of competition and general head scratching!)

Would you rather..?

Questions may range from silly to serious. Place a line of tape (or string) down the centre of the room. Ask the group to straddle the tape. When asked 'Would you rather?’ they have to jump to the left or right as indicated by the leader.

Would you rather..?

• Visit the doctor or the dentist?

• Watch TV or listen to music?

• Own a lizard or a snake?

• Have a beach holiday or a mountain holiday?

• Be an apple or a banana?

• Be invisible or be able to read minds?

• Be hairy all over or completely bald?

• Be the most popular or the smartest person you know?

• Make headlines for saving somebody's life or winning a Nobel Prize?

• Go without television or fast food for the rest of your life?

• Have permanent diarrhea or permanent constipation?

• Be handsome/beautiful and dumb or be ugly and really smart?

• Always be cold or always be hot?

• Not hear or not see?

• Eliminate hunger and disease or be able to bring lasting world peace?

• Be stranded on a deserted island alone or with someone you don't like?

• See the future or change the past?

• Be three inches taller or three inches shorter?

• Wrestle a lion or fight a shark?

Around the world

The leader begins by saying the name of any country, city, river, ocean or mountain that can be found in an atlas. The young person next to him must then say another name that begins with the last letter of the word just given. Each person has a definite time limit (e.g. three seconds) and no names can be repeated. For example - First person: London, Second Person: Niagara Falls, Third Person: Switzerland

Supermarket

The first player says: "I went to the supermarket to buy an Apple (or any other object you can buy in a supermarket that begins with an A). The next player repeats the sentence, including the "A" word and adds a "B" word.

Each successive player recites the sentence with all the alphabet items, adding one of his own. For example; 'I went to the supermarket and bought an Apple, Banana, CD, dog food, envelopes, frozen fish'. It's not too hard to reach the end of the alphabet, usually with a little help! Watch out for ‘Q’ and ‘X’☺

Tall stories

The leader starts a story with a sentence that ends in SUDDENLY. The next person then has to add to the story with his own sentence that ends in SUDDENLY. Continue the story until everyone has contributed. The story becomes crazier as each young person adds their sentence. Tape it and play it back. For example; 'Yesterday I went to the zoo and was passing the elephant enclosure when SUDDENLY.....'

Once upon a time

Ask each young person to think of either the name of a person, a place or a thing. Invite them to share this with the rest of the group. Select one of your group to begin a story. However, within 10 seconds they must mention the person, place or thing they have thought of. After 10 seconds (use a stopwatch) the story is continued by the next person who must also mention their person, place or thing within the 10 seconds. Continue until everyone has made a contribution. The stories can get really weird, but that's part of the fun!

Word link

This is a word association game. Ask the group to sit in a circle. The first person starts with any word they wish i.e. red. The next person repeats the first word and adds another word which links to the first i.e. tomato. The next person repeats the previous word and add another word link i.e. soup, and so on. To keep this moving, only allow five seconds for each word link.

Vocabulary

You begin by thinking of a word and then give the first letter. The next player thinks of a word beginning with this letter and gives the second letter. The third player thinks of a word that begins with the first two letters and adds a third. The object of the game is to avoid completing a word. When a player has completed three words or failed to add a letter they can rest their brain for the remainder of the game! You might need a dictionary handy to adjudicate on some words.

One minute please!

The aim of the game is to talk for one minute on a given subject. You announce the topic and a member of the group is randomly selected to speak for one minute. Use a pack of cards to randomly select i.e. person who draws the lowest number. Choose subjects to stimulate the imagination and which may be amusing. Put a stopwatch on each person to see how long they last before drying up! Subjects might include, my earliest memories, my favourite computer game, why beans are good for you, 10 things you can do with potatoes, Alligator wrestling, pre-millennialism (no, not really!). Next time, try doing it without saying ‘um’, ‘ah’ or taking long pauses!

Backward clumps

Divide into pairs. Ask each pair to sit on the floor with their partner, backs together, feet out in front and arms linked. Their task is to stand up together. Once everyone has done this, two pairs join together and the group of four try to repeat the task. After they succeed, add another two and try again. Keep adding people until your whole group is trying to stand together. A sight to behold!

The human chair

Invite everyone to stand in a circle shoulder to shoulder. Each person then turns to the right to face the back of the person in front of them. Ask them to place their hands on the shoulder of the person in front. On the count of three they slowly begin to sit down on the lap of the person behind. As long as everyone is helping the person in front of him or her to sit, then everyone should be supporting the weight of everyone else. Of course, should someone slip, the game becomes 'human dominoes.'☺It might take a couple of attempts to complete the challenge.

Free Speaking Each student must say ten things they've done that day. Anything - I ate breakfast, I put on a sweater, etc. The next student must do the same thing but they can't say anything the previous student has said. They find it funny (always a bonus) and gets them talking. It can also give you ideas for further discussion.

LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES for SMALL GROUPS A DEBATE (public speaking, logic, communication) Debating is when two speakers or two teams of speakers challenge each other in a formal contest of argumentation. Debate is essential for a democratic society and those with opposing views should be able to argue without the use of insults or emotional appeals. Instructions 1. Provide a topic (in advance if possible). Offer topics such as bioengineered foods, school uniforms or

standardized testing in schools. Choose a topic that does not offend any students.Stay away from

religious topics. You can choose something silly. 2. Divide the group in half. Assign one team as being FOR the topic's statement and one team as AGAINST it. For example, if you decided on the topic of school uniforms, one team will argue for it while the other team will argue against it. 3. Read the rules for the debate - no personal insults, no put downs, no emotional appeals and everyone needs to do their fair share of research. Remind them that in debate, the arguments use logic and students must distinguish between fact and opinion. 4. Allow each team some time to discuss and frame their argument. (If topics and teams created in advance, each person can do proper research at home). 5. Ask each team to elect a team captain, allowing the students to decide on their own. They need to decide on important points they think they need to cover first. They also need to conjecture what the opposing team's arguments will be. This is their strategy for winning the debate. 6. Set up the classroom for the debate. Each team should sit together on their respective side of the classroom. Invite a teacher to help judge and moderate the debate. A timekeeper will keep track of the time of the speeches. 7. Ask the student who will speak first for the topic statement to give their opening speech. Give the first speaker 4 minutes to open the debate. Ask the opposing team to give a six-minute rebuttal speech opposing the topic statement. 8. Give each student 3 minutes to speak for or against the subject. After everyone is finished, the judge may ask the students questions and decide on the winning team. Inspirational Speech (public speaking, presentation skills, motivation, inspirational leadership) Ask people to select in advance a great speech, piece of poetry, news report, etc., to deliver to the team or group. The chosen piece can be anything that each delegate finds inspiring and powerful, for example Nelson Mandela's inauguration speech, Martin Luther King's speeches about civil rights, The St Crispin's speech from Shakespeare's Henry V, or maybe lyrics from a pop song - really anything that the delegates find personally exciting and interesting.

Ask the team members to give their speeches in turn to the group, injecting as much personal style and passion as they can.

Then review with the team the notable aspects of each performance, the effect on the speaker, the audience, etc.

Preparation in advance by the delegates is optional (though it is a requirement for success in all “real” instances of public speaking). Obviously where delegates are not able to prepare then the facilitator instead needs to prepare several suitable pieces for team members to choose from or select at random. Or to keep matters very simple the facilitator can select just one speech or other literary work for all of the delegates to deliver, in which case encourage and review the different interpretations.

A different twist to the exercise is to select a piece or pieces that would not normally be delivered passionately to an audience, such as the instructions from the packaging of a household cleaner or a boil-in-the-bag meal.

- If helpful, brainstorm with the group before hand the various elements of an effective speech. - If appropriate and helpful, create a stand for the speaker to place their notes on while speaking.

Interestingly this exercise works well with several speeches being given to their respective teams in the same room at the same time, which actually adds to general atmosphere and the need for speakers to concentrate and take command of their performance and their own audience.

In Common Purpose: To learn a little more about the members of your group. 1. Get a large (flip chart type if possible) piece of paper and some markers or pens. 2. Divide the paper into a center section, with a section for each person around the outside. 3. First, each person will make a list of his or her hobbies, personality traits, family history, likes, dislikes,

and so on – whatever they feel is appropriate to share. They will place this list in their section of the paper.

4. Then, in the middle section (large circle in diagram), they will write all of the things that are the same for each person in that group (for example everyone loves pizza or everyone hates black fly bites.) It can get as creative as each group wants it to be.

5. Go over what the entire group has in common and what makes certain people unique to the group. It’s neat to see some of the commonalities that arise out of an activity like this.

The Four ‘C’s Objective: To present to the group how you truly feel about yourself. Directions: 1. Each person must pick a cartoon character, car, colour, and cuisine that best fits their personality. 2. Take a couple minutes to think about this. They may write it down if they which. 3. Then have each person tell what they have chosen and explain why. If they don’t wish to share that is

fine, but please try and encourage it. 4. Then ask the delegates if they feel different about the others now that they know more about each

other. 5. Ask the delegates what they feel they have learned from this activity.

Interview

Divide the into pairs. Ask them to take three minutes to interview each other. Each interviewer has to find 3 interesting facts about their partner. Bring everyone back to together and ask everyone to present the 3 facts about their partner to the rest of the group. Watch the time.

Mock Job Interview

Pretend Future Shop (or other company) has come to your school to interview students for a part-time job. Divide into pairs. One person will choose the role as Employer, the other as the job candidate. Ask them to take three minutes to conduct a mock job interview. Switch positions and scramble the groups so that each person has a chance to enact both roles. Take another 3 minutes to do this 2nd mock interview. Regroup together to discuss how they believe they could have interviewed better to land the job.

Suggested questions for the interviewer:

• What is your greatest weakness? • How will your greatest strength help you perform? • How would you describe yourself? • How do you handle stress and pressure? • What motivates you? • What are your salary expectations? • What do you find are the most difficult decisions to make? • Tell me about yourself. • Why did you quit your job? • Why were you fired? • What did you like or dislike about your previous job? • If you know your boss is 100% wrong about something how would you handle it? • Why are you the best person for the job? • Why do you want to work here? • What challenges are you looking for in a position? • What can you contribute to this company? • What is good customer service? • Is there anything I haven't told you about the job or company that you would like to know? River Crossing: Cannibals and Humans (Purpose: To develop group problem-solving skill, and to show how important communication, and knowing details is in a group situation) Set Up: Create an obvious ‘river’ in the middle of the room. Materials: Something to create the ‘river’ (string, paper, etc); enough slips of paper for each delegate (three that say ‘cannibal’, three that say ‘human’ and enough for the rest of your delegates that say ‘assistant’), three red and three blue pieces of material (blindfolds, scarves, paper) to clarify who is human and who is a cannibal. Directions: 1. Draw slips of paper so the delegates can fairly be determined as cannibals, humans or assistants. Put

the three cannibals and three humans on one side of the river and the assistants set apart, so not to be confused.

2. Give the humans a red piece. The other delegates, the assistants, may help them cross, but are unable to participate as a cannibal or a human.

3. Read this paragraph: “Three humans and three cannibals wish to cross a river using a single boat that will hold only two people. If at any time the cannibals outnumber the humans, those humans will be eaten. How can everyone cross safely?”

The delegates must make sure that they discuss the outcome of each move before they do it, as to make sure the humans do not get eaten. They will discover that you may bring one or two people to the other side at a time, but one person must return with the boat. The boat cannot cross the river by itself - it must be paddled across by one or two people. This is the solution to the puzzle:

Two cannibals cross the river HHHC | CC> | and one cannibal returns. HHHC | <C | C Two cannibals cross. HHH | CC> | C and one returns HHH | <C | CC Two humans cross. HC | HH> | CC A human and a cannibal return. HC | <HC | HC Two humans cross CC | HH> | HC and one cannibal returns. CC | <C | HHH Two cannibals cross C | CC> | HHH and one cannibal returns. C | <C | HHHC Finally, the last two cannibals cross | CC> | HHHC | | HHHCCC

Lost at sea

A survival game and a team building activity to encourage interaction and teamwork. The chances of ‘survival’ depend on their ability to rank the salvaged items in relative order of importance. You have chartered a yacht with three friends for the holiday trip of a lifetime across the Atlantic Ocean. Because none of you have any previous sailing experience, you have hired an experienced skipper and two-person crew.

Unfortunately in mid Atlantic a fierce fire breaks out in the ships galley and the skipper and crew have been lost whilst trying to fight the blaze. Much of the yacht is destroyed and is slowly sinking. Your location is unclear because vital navigational and radio equipment have been damaged in the fire. Your best estimate is that you are many hundreds of miles from the nearest landfall.

You and your friends have managed to save 15 items, undamaged and intact after the fire. In addition, you have salvaged a four man rubber life craft and a box of matches. Rank the items correctly and you will survive until rescue comes.

Instructions

• Join as a group and work together to agree on a collaborative list. Allow 20 minutes

Item Indiv

Rank

Team

Rank

A sextant

A shaving mirror

A quantity of mosquito netting

A 25 liter container of water

A case of army rations

Maps of the Atlantic Ocean

A floating seat cushion

A 10 liter can of oil/gasoline mixture

A small transistor radio

20 square feet of Opaque plastic sheeting

A can of shark repellent

One bottle of 160% proof rum

15ft nylon rope

2 boxes of chocolate bars

An ocean fishing kit with pole

Lost at Sea Coastguard expert analysis

According to the experts, the basic supplies needed when a person is stranded mid-ocean are articles to attract attention and aid survival until rescue arrives. A transatlantic trip takes roughly 20 days; significantly less with good winds and significantly more without them. Articles for navigation are of little importance since even if a small life raft were capable of reaching land, it would be impossible to store enough food and water to survive for that amount of time. Without signaling devices, there is almost no chance of being spotted and rescued. So, the list below is the ranking order of the items according to their importance to your survival:

Item

Coast

Guard

Ranking

Coastguard Reasoning

A sextant 15 Useless without the relevant tables and a chronometer.

A shaving mirror 1

Of all the items, the mirror is absolutely critical. It is the most powerful tool you have for communicating your presence. In sunlight, a simple mirror can generate five to seven million candlepower of light. The reflected sunbeam can even be seen beyond the horizon.

A quantity of mosquito netting 14 There are NO mosquitoes in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and the netting is useless for anything else.

A 25 liter container of water 3 Vital to restore fluids lost through perspiration. 25 liters will supply water rations for your group for several days.

A case of army rations 4 This is your basic food intake

Maps of the Atlantic Ocean 13 Worthless without navigation equipment.

A floating seat cushion 9 Useful as a life preserver if someone fell overboard.

A 10 liter can of oil/gasoline mixture

2 The second most critical item for signaling. The mixture will float on water and can be ignited using the matches.

A small transistor radio 12 You would be out of range of any radio station.

20 square feet of Opaque plastic sheeting

5 Can be used to collect rain water and shelter from the wind and waves.

A can of shark repellent 10 To repel sharks, of course!

One bottle of 160% proof rum 11

Contains 80% alcohol, which means it can be used as an antiseptic for any injuries, otherwise of little value. Very dangerous if drunk, as it would cause the body to dehydrate, the opposite of what you need to survive.

15ft nylon rope 8

Could be used to lash people or equipment together to prevent being washed overboard. There are a variety of other uses, but none high on the list for survival.

2 boxes of chocolate bars 6 Your reserve food supply

An ocean fishing kit with pole. 7 Ranked lower than the chocolate as there is no guarantee you will catch any fish. The pole might be used as a tent pole.

Moon Landing

You are a member of a space crew scheduled to rendezvous with a mother ship on the lighted surface of the moon. However, due to mechanical difficulties, your own ship was forced to land at a spot 200 miles from the rendezvous point.

During re-entry and landing, much of the equipment aboard was damaged and, since survival depends on reaching the mother ship, the most critical items available must be chosen for the 200-mile trip.

15 items are listed as being intact and undamaged after landing. Your task is to rank them in terms of their importance for your crew, to allow them to reach the rendezvous point. Place the number 1 by the most important item, the number 2 by the second most important, and so on through to number 15.

Instructions

• Join as a group and work together to agree on a collaborative list. Allow 20 minutes.

Salvaged items Indiv

Rank

Team

Rank

Box of matches

Food concentrate

50 feet of nylon rope

Parachute silk

Two .45 caliber pistols

One case of dehydrated milk

Two 100-pound tanks of oxygen

Stellar map

Self-inflating life raft

Magnetic compass

Five gallons of water

Signal flares

First aid kit containing injection needles

Solar powered FM receiver

Moon Landing NASA Expert Analysis

Item NASA

Ranking NASA Reasoning

Box of matches 15 Virtually worthless -- there's no oxygen on the moon to sustain combustion.

Food concentrate 4 Efficient means of supplying energy requirements.

50 feet of nylon rope 6 Useful in scaling cliffs and tying injured together.

Parachute silk 8 Protection from the sun's rays.

Portable heating unit 13 Not needed unless on the dark side.

Two .45 caliber pistols 11 Possible means of self-propulsion.

One case of dehydrated milk 12 Bulkier duplication of food concentrate.

Two 100 lb. tanks of oxygen 1

Most pressing survival need (weight is not a factor since gravity is one-sixth of the Earth's -- each tank would weigh only about 17 lbs. on the moon.)

Stellar map 3

Primary means of navigation - star patterns appear essentially identical on the moon as on Earth.

Self-inflating life raft 9 CO2 bottle in military raft may be used for propulsion.

Magnetic compass 14 The magnetic field on the moon is not polarized, so it's worthless for navigation.

5 gallons of water 2 Needed for replacement of tremendous liquid loss on the light side.

Signal flares 10 Use as distress signal when the mother ship is sighted.

First aid kit, including injection needle 7

Needles connected to vials of vitamins, medicines, etc. will fit special aperture in NASA space suit.

Solar-powered FM receiver-transmitter

5

For communication with mother ship (but FM requires line-of-sight transmission and can only be used over short ranges.)

Resolutions Purpose: Each new year prompts many of us to consider resolutions or to renew a goal. Commitments tend to succeed where there is a plan, especially for goals which contain steps leading towards the final result. Without a plan, little can change. Instructions: 1. Think of a commitment or change you want to make. 2. Write it down - describe it as a clear, realistic and measurable outcome. 3. Work backwards, identifying the steps necessary for achieving it, back to the starting point: i.e., now. 4. Attach timescales and resources as necessary. You now have a simple plan. Share with the group (optional – some may be too personal). Take it home and refine it as necessary.

The Room (20 minutes) Purpose: To discover how you perceive things, and to see how everyone perceives things differently. Set-up: Get the group to find a place where they can be comfortable, ask them to close their eyes… but not go to sleep. Directions: 1. Read each part of The Room slowly. 2. Pause each time you hit a line for about 15 seconds. 3. When you are finished reading, invite everyone to discuss their rooms if they are comfortable. You walk into a room. In the room there is a window. You walk over to it and look out. What do you see through the window? See it, describe it to yourself. As you gaze out the window you hear music playing. Describe it. What type of music is it? How loud is it? Where is it coming from? As you glance around the room you notice your pictures. As you glance around the room you notice your pictures. Describe them. Where are they in your room? How many are there? What kind of frames are they in? Now, in this room, along with your pictures and the window, there is also a garbage can. Describe it. What colour is it? What size is it? What is it made of? Where is it in relation to the pictures and the window? Although there is no ticking sound to be heard, you gradually become aware of a clock hanging on the wall. Describe it. What size is it? What is it made of? What colour is it? Where is it in relation to the pictures, and the window, and the garbage can? You have created a mysterious image.

Five elements arranged in space in a way that is unique to you. No one else sees what you do. Close your eyes and see it once more – the window, the music, the pictures, the garbage can and the clock. Now open your eyes, you are ready to learn the secret of the Room! THE SECRET The Room is your personal world. The Window represents your attitude or outlook on life. The Music is your lover. The Pictures are your friends and family. The Garbage Can holds your life’s problems. The Clock is your future. Quick Change (10 minutes) Purpose: To test our observation skills and memory, while at the same time showing us what we can miss right in front of our eyes. Directions: 1. Have the group pair off. 2. Allow them each a few minutes to observe the clothes, hair, and accessories so on of the partner. 3. The partners will then turn around and make three changes each to their appearance. 4. When both partners are ready they turn and face each other, trying to figure out what three things have

changed. 5. Once this round is completed, have the group change partners. The Parlor Game (10 minutes) Purpose: To demonstrate that teamwork gives better results than working alone Directions: Divide the group into two teams Collect 20 various items and assemble them on a table hidden from view. Have each team come to the table and give them 1 minute to view the objects. When the groups return to their tables, give them 2 minutes to write down all the items they can remember from the table. Once both lists have been made, have someone combine them together to show that teamwork gets better results. Dream List (10): Purpose: To open up everyone’s mind to their dreams and goals and to get them down on paper. Materials: Pen and paper for each delegate, hopes and dreams. Set-up: Everyone finds a comfortable place in the room to write without being disturbed. Directions: 1. Each delegate is to come up with a list of no less than 30 things they would like to do in their lifetime. 2. A dream can be anything. It can be as simple as “I want to get a haircut next Tuesday” or as complex

as “I want to skydive from 30,000 feet up on every continent by the time I’m 30”. Either way, they are all goals.

Jewels: Purpose: To help the delegates realize the importance of outside influence on accomplishing their goals. Materials: paper and pens, string or tape to make a circle with a diameter of about 6 feet. Directions: 1. Have each delegate write their dream goal on a piece of paper. 2. Have all of the delegates stand inside the circle of tape or string and hold on to a section of the circle

with their hand. 3. The delegates are then to crumple up the piece of paper into a ball and throw it outside of the circle. 4. How far they throw their “goal” should depend on how hard they think that goal will be to attain.

“Traveling around the world in ten years” should be farther away than “Reading one book every week”; meanwhile, “Walking on the moon before I turn 25” should be under a table in the far corner of the room.

5. They are then to find a way to retrieve all of the pieces of paper (their goals) without leaving the circle by working together.

FANTASTICAT There's this cat character - Fantasticat - he can do anything. If you think like Fantasticat does - then you can do anything too. A concept for helping people to identify, express and focus on their own unique personal talent and potential. Some people find it hard to think and say that they are fantastic - or even remotely good - at anything. As a reflective tool, Fantasticat can help someone to see what's good in themselves, as if they were Fantasticat, which for some people is a lot easier than seeing it in themselves. People of all ages tend to live according to the imposed conditioning of others - from schools, parents, society, peers, whatever - instead of focusing on their own individual special talent, dreams, and potential. Fantasticat can help people see things differently. Imagine you are Fantasticat - what would you be like? If you were Fantasticat, what would you be doing?

• What can you do? • What do you love? • What is your talent? • What can you become? • Visualise your Fantasticat.

Colors Exercise This is a very simple quick and fascinating exercise to illustrate how people often have different views of the same thing, which is central to understanding empathy and many related concepts. Explanation and instruction: 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. Relationships 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' our worlds differently: • Close your eyes and imagine the days of the week • What colour is each day? • Write down the colour of each day

Review and compare people's different colour associations, and - where people consciously know and are willing to share their reasons/associations - review these differences. Note: 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 minimize conflict and maximize cooperation. Newspaper Story Interpretation Equipment: Some daily newspapers. Enough for every person to have at least 2-3 sheets. Issue the newspapers to the group or team(s). Instruction: Each person must find a news story in the newspaper to which he/she can apply a motivational theory, by way of interpreting the story and being able to explain the story in terms of the chosen theory. 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. Face Game (Teaches body language, non-verbal communications, ice-breakers) Equipment required: paper and pens/pencils. Introduction: 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. Task: Each person 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. Discussion points after the exercise: • How significant are facial expressions in conveying feelings? • In what situations are facial expressions especially crucial to communications and understanding? • What emotions are easiest to 'read' and why? • What emotions are less easy to interpret? • What facial expressions are easiest to misread or fake? • What effect do facial expressions have on us? • What emotions are probably universal across all cultures? • To what extent are we aware of our own facial expressions? • To what extent do we 'read' facial expressions and respond to them unconsciously? And importantly - how can we manage our communications methods given the significance facial expressions in certain types of communications?

The Takeaway Game (planning, analysis, number skills, ice-breaker, energizer for the brain) It takes a minute to explain and set up, and as little as a minute to play. The basic game (for two teams, or people in pairs, playing each other): Put fifteen coins (or cards, or keys, or anything) between the contestants. Explain the rules: • Toss a coin to decide who goes first. • Each side may remove one or two or three coins in turn. • The winner is the person/team removing the last coin(s). Mathematically-minded people will realize soon that the takeaway game can be planned and controlled quite easily by the person playing first.

Increase the fun element fun by playing the game with (readily identifiable and returnable) items from the pockets/handbags/cases of the players. 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. Points to review, for example:

- What is the method to ensure victory when playing the basic 15 coin game? (Leave your opponent with four coins, achieved by leaving them with eight at the previous turn, and twelve at the previous turn, meaning that the player starting must first remove three coins.)

- What does this teach us about the importance of planning and strategy?

Cellphone Game Teaches time management, use tools rather than allow tools to use you, manage your environment, communications, addictions to technology and gadgets) This is a simple and funny activity/warm-up/icebreaker for larger groups and demonstrates the disruptive and negative power of cell phones (and by inference other social media devices) to disrupt effective working, time management and organizational efficiency. - Ask all delegates to switch on their phones and select the loudest most annoying message alert tone. - 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. When the point is made, ask everyone to silence their phones.

Discussion points: • Compulsive checking of emails and always being available to incoming text messages is considered by

some experts to be driven by the same impulses that are experienced by gamblers, i.e., following the principle of unpredictable occasional reward,

• When is it appropriate to communicate by text (eg. resolving issues) and when is it not appropriate. You'll think of many more points arising from this subject.

Paper Tower (Purpose - creative thinking, teamwork, process analysis) Issue a single sheet of paper to each group member (or one sheet per team if the exercise is to be played as a team game).

Instruction - Using the sheet of paper only - no other materials - construct the tallest free-standing structure - in 5 minutes.

Points for discussion:

• Planning and timing - who planned and who ran out of time? • Pressure - what were the effects on people and performance from the pressure of time? • Innovation - what innovative ideas were devised? After discussion, give everyone a 2nd attempt : - Were the results better? Discuss how and why, the value of experience and the power of collective ideas? (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. What did you learn yesterday? (self-development, life attitude, self-awareness) This is a powerful activity. Simple idea, and so potent. Ask any group (to consider individually): What did you learn yesterday? (excluding new coursework) Review answers through discussion, brief statements, or presentations.

Review angles:

• If you can't think of anything you learned yesterday, how far back do you need to go to find something? • Was it learning for work, or life, or both - and what's the difference anyway? • How did you learn it? • How might you transfer it/teach it to someone else? • What will change now you've learned it? • What further learning does it prompt or enable? • What could you do to maximise the learning that naturally comes to you every day, for free?

Variations:

1. What is the most useful thing you learned in the last week/month/year? 2. What did you learn on the weekend? 3. What did you learn on your social networking website when you should have been 'working'? 4. What's the most valuable learning you've obtained in the past month/year and how did you get it? 5. What's the most you've learned for the least cost/effort and the least you've learned from the most

cost/effort?

Positive Behaviour (understanding positive behaviour/behavior concepts, karma, law of attraction, etc)

This exercise seeks to enable clearer understanding of positive behaviour and positive thinking, extending to the notion that positive behaviour produces positive effect or reward for the person acting positively.

Instead of trying to unravel the secrets of the karmic universe or the meaning of religious and spiritual life, we can perhaps understand better the effects of our own positive behaviour (or that of a group or entire corporation) by considering how we personally respond to the positive behaviour of others.

Ask group members to consider how they personally feel and respond towards someone who behaves in the following ways:

1. smiles a lot and is generally happy

2. gives to others and wants nothing in return

3. thanks others

4. helps others

5. listens to others without judging

6. takes the blame or responsibility for faults

7. gives others credit for successes

8. absorbs negative behaviour from others with tolerance and understanding

Points to review:

Positive behaviour of one person is sometimes immediately rewarded or acknowledged by others, but often the effects are not immediate.

Positive behaviour is sometimes described using the analogy of ripples from a pebble thrown into a pond - the effects radiate far and wide, and one day reflect back helpfully in ways that are difficult to predict beforehand, or to measure afterwards.

The term 'pseudo-scientific' rightly applies to most concepts linked with positive behaviour, because they cannot be measured and substantiated in conventional scientific ways. Yet millions of people believe strongly that goodness and positivity are more likely to be rewarded in life than selfishness and negativity. And almost without exception successful happy people seem to exhibit and aspire to positive behaviours.

The exercise should confirm how positively we each respond to positive behaviour (and negatively to negative behaviour). It's far simpler than karma.

Secrets Of Success This activity takes about three minutes in its basic form and requires just a flip chart or equivalent. Ask the group to take a few seconds to think (silently and individually) of someone they know who they admire as being successful. Tell the group that they do not need to name the person they are thinking of. Then ask the group to think (again silently and individually) :

"What is it about that person that enables them to be successful?"

After ten or twenty seconds, ask the group to call out the words they are thinking of.

Write the words on the flip chart, white board or chalk board.

When you have about eight or more words on the chart, ask the group for their comments and observations about the words.

Specifically:

"What type of characteristics are (most of) these words?"

The answer every time is that the words will mostly or entirely describe attitudinal characteristics. Not skills, not knowledge, and not experience. The words will always largely represent attitudinal factors.

Develop the discussion in whatever way suits your purposes and session.

With positive attitude we can do anything. Attitude also governs how we develop skills, knowledge and experience. Attitude - in whatever way works best for each of us, because we are all different - is the singlemost important factor for success in anything.

Animal Perceptions (self-awareness, mutual awareness) This is a simple, thought-provoking activity for team-building. This exercise should be positioned as mostly fun and to prompt reflection, discussion, etc. "How do significant people in our lives affect the way we perceive ourselves?" Next, ask group members individually to rank the animals below in order of their personal preference.

Lion, Dog, Parrot and Elephant

Rank these animals 1, 2, 3, 4 in order of your preference or liking for them. Write down the order. You can keep your list private if you wish to. There are no right or wrong answers.

When group members have decided and written their list of the four animals in order of preference, you can then reveal the key for interpreting the results.

Key to Order and Animals Dog Lion Elephant Parrot

1 How you want others to perceive you today.

friendly, faithful, loyal, supportive, protective, dependable, reliable, trustful, trusting, solid, keen, hard- working, loving

dominant, fearsome, independent, decisive, proactive, isolated, aloof, leading, critical, objective, detached, focused, fearless

tolerant, passive, cooperative, respected, big, strong, controlled, calm, indomitable, revered, wise

lively, fun, free- spirited, sociable, amenable, popular, attractive, cheerful, passionate, spontaneous

2 How you believe you are actually perceived today by others.

3 How you'd like to be perceived by others in the future.

4 How you actually truly want to be - without influence of what other significant people in your life feel and think about you.

Some discussion points:

• To what extent do we shape our self-image and aims according to the influence and opinions of other people?

• To what extent do we understand how we are actually regarded by others?

• To what extent does what other people think of us matter? • Should the influence of other people today affect what we seek to be in the future? Whether the exercise produces accurate results is not the point - the point is to encourage thinking about who we are and who we want to be, in more depth than we normally consider these things. Isolation And Intuition (relationships, bullying and harassment, diversity, intuitive demonstrations) Exercise 1 - Isolation The task demonstrates the feelings that a person experiences when isolated or subject to victimization, group rejection, etc. Ask the group to nominate a person to be the 'victim', who must then stand away from the rest of the group, while the members stare and sneer at the unfortunate isolated 'victim'. Be careful, and do you best to ensure that the first 'victim' is not the most vulnerable member of the group. Preferably it should be the most confident or senior member. Ensure every team member that wishes to is able to experience being the victim. The review should focus on how 'victims' felt while isolated and being subjected to the staring or worse by the rest of the team. The exercise demonstrates the power of group animosity towards isolated individuals. You can of course end the activity with a big group hug to show that everyone is actually still friends.

Exercise 2 - Intuition

This next exercise augments the first one to further illustrate the power of intuition and feelings that resides in each of us.

Split the group in half. One half (called 'the watched') should stand facing a wall unable to see the other half (called 'the watchers') which should stand together, several yards away from 'the watched'.

The watchers then decide among themselves which person to stare at in 'the watched' half of the team (for say 30 seconds per 'target' person). After an initial review you can change the sides to ensure everyone experiences watching and being watched.

Of course 'the watched' half of the team won't know which one is being stared at... or will they?

In the reviews you will find out if any of 'the watched' people were able to tell intuitively who was being stared at, even though 'the watchers' were out of sight. Also discuss generally how 'the watched' and 'the watchers' felt, such as sensations of discomfort or disadvantage among 'the watched', and perhaps opposite feelings among the watchers, all of which can support learning about relationships and human interaction. For review also is the possibility that some people in the teams are more receptive and interested in the activity than others, which invites debate about whether some people are more naturally intuitive than others, which is generally believed to be so, and the implications of preferences either way.

Experiments (and many people's own experience) indicate that many people have an instinctive or intuitive sense of being watched, and although there is no guarantee that your own activities will produce clear and remarkable scientific results, the exercise will prompt interesting feelings, discussion and an unusual diversion into the subject of intuitive powers.

If you found your own activities, write them in here so other groups can try it out!