Do The Work
Just wanted to share a wonderful tip which was inspired today by one of my favourite authors and thinkers, Seth Godin:
He wrote that a guy asked his friend, the writer David Foster Wallace, “Say, Dave, how’d y’get t’be so dang smart?”
His answer: “I did the reading.”
Here’s the kicker… no one said the preparation part was fun, but yes, it’s important.
I wonder, then, why we believe we can skip the preparation (the hard yards, the years of experience, the getting of wisdom) and still expect to be so dang smart (or good, or expert, etc) at what we do?
My suggestion … do the work, and the results will follow.
Frame Your Group’s Experience
To “frame” is simply another word for “prepare.”
In other words, for an experience (no matter the program or curriculum) to be successful, you MUST prepare your group in advance.
Appropriately framing an activity – that is, to “set the scene,” or provide a context in which the activity will take place – is one of the most valuable tools I employ to help groups achieve their goals, that is, be successful. Otherwise, your group may not be ready – in most cases, emotionally under-prepared – for what is about to happen.
People have a natural proclivity to want to know why they are doing what they are doing. Framing goes a long way towards answering these questions, as well as reducing anxiety, providing clarity, and generally coaxing people forward into your program.
Everything you do programmatically provides the context in which the next activity/experience is framed. For example:
- Your language – it’s not just what you say, but how you say it. Your intentions, tone, and body language shout volumes about what you’re thinking and what is expected;
- Lead-up activities – like building blocks, each activity (or experience) should aim to complement the next, rather than subvert it. To illustrate, leading into a serious discussion with a very energetic, bounce-off-the-wall type of activity is unlikely to result in a settled, composed or focused group of people.
- Your general approach to facilitation – for exmaple, if you operate under the premise of “challenge by choice,” but your overall demeanour or instructions provide no room for choice, you are likely to turn people off.
Ask yourself, “Have I done everything to prepare my group – emotionally, mentally and physically – for this experience?” “Do they know what they are getting into, and why?”
If not, think about what lead-up activities (or experiences) you could use to prepare thy way, or perhaps what introduction / briefing might be necessary to soothe the group into the activity.
Adapted from Things I’ve Learned Along The Way article in ‘No Props: Great Games with No Equipment.’
Bang, You’re Dead!
A lateral thinking exercise which underscores that “truth is obvious to those who know it.”
At A Glance
The leader points to one person sitting among many others in a group and says “Bang, you’re dead.” The group must then identify who has actually been eliminated and how this occured.
What You Need
- A comfortable, open space
- Minimum of 8 people
- 5 – 15 minutes
What To Do
This is one of those classic “what’s the key?” exercises in which the leader subtly does something while distracting their group with something else, with a view that over time, the group will gradually catch on.
I suggest you start by sitting roughly in a circle (but it’s not critical), and then point your finger to anyone in the group and say “BANG, you’re dead!”
Extra style points are awarded if you elongate the words as you wag your finger about aimlessly, such as “BANG, yooooouuuurr…”, then sharply focus your finger on one person with a rousing “… dead!”
After some moments have passed, ask your group to nominate who it is you unceremoniously eliminated. As you may have guessed, it has nothing to do with who is pointed at – the key I often use is that the deceased will always be the first person to speak after you have said the word “dead.” So, listen carefully.
To this end, it’s a good idea to allow some time to elapse (and therefore provide a space for a number of people to speak up – they always do) before you reveal who it is you took out.
Variations
- For those working in a zero-tolerance environment, substitute the leader’s words with “Surprise” or any other useful sounding word(s).
- Rather than point, sit with your legs crossed (or uncrossed), making sure that your right (or left) foot is pointing to a particular individual (the dead person). So for each round, you adjust your sitting (foot) position, say the magic words, and then sift through the various guesses until the deceased is identified correctly.
- As in all ‘what’s the key?’ variations, invite those members of the group who think they have it, to have a go.
Adapted from ‘What’s The Key?’ taken from ‘No Props: Great Games with No Equipment.’
If you know of a cool variation to this exercise, please add a comment…
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Who am I?
Hi, I'm Mark Collard.
This blog shares some of the most successful group games, team-building activities & programming tips I know.
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