Category: Small Group Activities

Number Flips (a Key Punch Variation)

5/20/2021

Every team builder I know carries around a set of numbered spots (usually, at least, 24). I've seen the small 'livestock tag' version, the poly-spot versions (small & large), the yogurt lid (write-the-numbers-on-the-plastic) version and index card versions. There are so many activities you can do with numbered spots. The most famous of all is Key Punch (Rohnke, Silver Bullets).

Here are some versions of Key Punch I've posted here at the FUNdoing Blog:
Ven Key Punch
Key Punch: The Overlap
Key Pad Express (with Video)
Thread the Needle

Number Flips was created as a self-guided activity for groups of 6 to 12 participants. (Of course, it does not need to be self-guided.) I believe this one can also be done (with more hands-on facilitation and maybe taking out the 'unflip' part) with elementary age groups as long as they know their numbers. A great one for middle school age and older.

So far, here is what I'm getting from the activity: Planning practice, execution and adaptation of plans, adapting/adjusting to change, acceptance and working through mistakes, roles and responsibilities, process improvement.

All you need for each group you put into play is two 50-foot activity ropes, a set of (at least) 24 numbers and up to 12 game spots. I've attached the PDF download of preparation information and the self-guided directions below.

numberflips_2.0.pdf
File Size:	219 kb
File Type:	pdf

A Little Help: I just started using this activity with a handful of groups - I'm really finding it engaging. I could use some feedback, especially with the write up. If something is way too confusing, let me know. Leave a Comment below. Thanks!!

All the best,
Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

Image Perspectives (a Chiji Cards Activity)

5/6/2021

Image cards are truly one of the most versatile team building prop (in my opinion). My two favorite decks of images are Chiji Cards (above) and Climer Cards (both physical and virtual decks). And, one of my favorite projects to do with long-term groups (e.g., school-based classes that meet regularly), is to make our own set of image cards (digital resources and magazine cut-outs, laminated).

Recently, I was searching for resources for a curriculum development project. One of the curriculum's themes is 'Diversity' so, naturally, I picked up my copy of Diversity in Action: Using Adventure Activities to Explore Issues of Diversity with Middle School and High School Age Youth by Chappelle, Bigman & Hillyer (an amazing book!). Digging through the book I came across the activity, Human Camera (Rohnke, Silver Bullets). In the Diversity Skills section of the activity the authors state, "This activity lends itself well to discussions about how each of us perceives the world differently."

Based on the environmental context where the curriculum was going to be delivered (the school's indoor and outdoor spaces), I knew Human Camera was not going to be as 'rich' as it needed to be. How could I do something similar to make the point about perceiving the world differently? Image cards came to mind. Here's what I'm thinking (another Beta Test my friend!):

Image Perspectives

Set Up: Scatter out your set(s) of image cards, images up, on the floor or a few tables. When working with six or more participants, form small groups of three or four in a group. (This is a good activity for small groups of six or less.)

Frontload: (Using some of the language from Diversity in Action) "This activity lends itself well to discussions about how each of us perceives the world differently. People who look at the same 'image' often see it differently. Let's try out this idea."

Directions:

Sit together with your small group around in the program area. Give yourself a little space away from other groups so you can carry on a discussion without interrupting each other.
One person from your small group is invited to find an image from the pool of cards that is the backdrop for a story that happened in the person's life.
The image/card chooser returns to her/his group and shows the image.
First, each of the choosers group members is invited to share a story this image brings up for them - something from their lives. [In most cases, I'm guessing, something will come up for everyone. If someone needs to "Pass" it's okay.]
The person who choose the image/card will then tell the story about what the image means to her/him.
After this sharing, each small group is given the opportunity to discuss the similarities and differences between their stories. Their perspectives of the same image.
Then, someone else from the small group is invited to choose an image/card from the pool that tells a story for him/her.
The process continues for each participant within each small group. (If others are still working through their first turn, the groups done with their first turn can invite someone from their group to take another turn - pick a new image/card that tells another story.)

Group Processing (These two question are what I would like to explore with the whole group. Inspired by the Human Camera activity in Diversity in Action):

How do our different perspectives, or stories, about the things we see influence how we react to the world around us?
Please share some first hand examples of this idea?

Let me know if you try this one. How did it go? What did you change?

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

Small Group Team Building: Mini FUNdoing Blog Index, Vol. 2

4/22/2021

We're back with another collection of small group (2 to 8 participants) team building activities found within the FUNdoing Blog pages. For some context, check out the post:

Small Group Team Building: Mini FUNdoing BLog Index, Vol. 1

Small Group Activities: Mini-Index Volume #2

What's Missing? - A fun engaging communication activity using wooden pieces or cards from a Qwirkle table-top game. Super easy to lead and very adaptable to many difference sized groups. Plays well with 4 to 18 participants, middle school and older. (The least expensive way to play is picking up a deck of Qwirkle Rummy cards (less than $10). I've seen them at Walmart and Barnes & Noble. You can also pick them up through Mindware - link provided in the Blog post description.)

Baker's Dozen - All you need for this one is a standard deck of playing cards or any size. A small group (2 to 4) only needs one suit from the deck (13 cards) - multiple small groups can play at the same time. This one's a cognitive creativity-building sit down activity. Each small group is challenged to figure out the 13 different card 'orders' that are included on the Bakers Dozen Checklist the facilitator is holding (download at the Blog post). Good for upper middle school and older.

Hooper & Hooper Dooper (Revisted) - (Video included in Hooper Dooper) Each small group of 4 to 6 participants are challenged to "Hit" a beachball through a Hula-Hoop as many times as possible within a given time limit. Lots of potential for creative exploration. Self-Directed instructions are provided (download) if you want to hand off the directions and let the group(s) go. Good for middle school age and older - fine motor skills are beneficial.

Balloon Frantic Too (with Video) - A small group of 4 to 6 players are challenges to keep six inflated balloons aloft as long as possible (you'll also need some game spots). Lots of room for process improvement and reliance on team mates. I would do this one with older elementary and above. This is a good one to explore the idea of, "When is it your best?" Or, "When are your efforts good enough?"

Riddle Me This 1 & Riddle Me This 2 - Two sets of Riddles to help you and your group explore asking good questions, listening for the data and extending upon the Riddle content in order to get to know each other a little better. A nice quite-time sit down activity. Good with middle school and older.

Story Line Processing with Chiji Cards - Use any type of image cards for this one. (Chiji Cards are my favorite.) Reflect back through a program day in order to create a picture timeline of the experience. Groups of 2 to 8 with one deck/set of image cards works well with older middle school and above. (There is also a link in this post to a Dixit Cards version of this one for older groups - pictures are a bit more complex.)

We do hope these serve you well. Future FUNdoing Blog post activities that work well with small groups can be accessed quickly by going to Categories (down the right side of the Blog page) and clicking small group activities.

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

ICON Circle Puzzles (mini kit 2)

4/9/2021

ICON Circle Puzzles are the latest evolution of Word Circle Puzzles. A few posts ago I shared a couple ICON Puzzles and I recently was moved to create a couple more - I wanted to add more to my ICON set so I can have challenge options when showing this version. (Puzzles sizes now include: 8 cards, 9 cards, 10 cards & 13 cards.) In this Kit 2 I added a separate HELP Cards page so we can print this off on different colored paper - I like to print my HELP Cards on light green paper.

For Your Reference:

ICON Circle Puzzles Mini Kit 1 - FUNdoing Blog with play details and Word Circle Puzzles links and a link to the second evolution of circle puzzles - Picture Circle Puzzles.
Use the 'Search' feature (top of this blogs right column) to find TONS of 'Word Circle Puzzles' ready to use.
TheNounProject - This is where I get my ICONS (free for some ICONS, pay $40/year for unlimited).
Circle Puzzles Print-N-Play Kits - Check out the Circle Puzzles Kits, both Word and Picture Word Circles Kits at the FUNdoing store. PDF downloads ready to print and play!

ICON Circle Puzzles - Kit 2

iconwordcirclepuzzles_set2_kit.pdf
File Size:	575 kb
File Type:	pdf

Have FUN out there...

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

ReZOOM the Order (Face-to-Face & Virtual)

3/18/2021

Before the video conferencing platform ZOOM became a household word, there was ZOOM - the book by Istvan Banyai. I included a short historical reference in my book, Portable Teambuilding Activities (2015) about how the pages of ZOOM were used as a communication-focused team building activity as far back as 1999. More recently, I included two different FUNdoing Blog posts about using ZOOM Basics and ZOOM On the Spot (including a video).

Recently I was working on the sequential one-page answer sheet to Banyai's followup to ZOOM, ReZOOM. A single page answer sheet is nice to have along with the picture pages for quick reference to the answer (and a quick check to see if any pages are missing before leading the activity). I've included this PDF for you below. (If you haven't (book) ZOOMed yet, be sure to read the ZOOM Basics post linked above before reading the new variations I'm presenting below.)

New Ideas for ReZOOM & ZOOM

During my construction of the ReZOOM answer page (link below), a couple of ideas floated into my awareness - happens a lot, for better or worse! One is a small group ZOOMer (emanated, no doubt, from the last FUNdoing Blog post on Small Group Activities) and another is a virtual idea.

ZOOMing from Memory (with small groups)

I have yet to try ZfM, so this is an idea in the making (help me out with the details). I'd say 5 to 8 participants. You'll need one ReZOOM (or ZOOM) page for each participant. For example, if you have 6 people, 6 sequential pages from the book. (I'm staying with sequential pages at this time.) You'll need an activity spot (or a chair) for each person. Set the chairs out in a nice big circle. Shuffle up the ZOOM pages and put one, picture-side down, on the top of each spot/chair (like the diagram shows).

Initially, ask each participant to stand behind a chair, pick up the picture (ZOOM) page on their chair, look at it for 30 seconds and then place it back, picture-side down, on their chair. Then, have the group form a small circle inside the circle of chairs (as show in the diagram) - each person is standing about 10 feet in front of her/his chair. Tell the group that all the pictures in their set create a sequential storyline. At the moment the storyline is out of order. Their task is to put the pictures in sequential storyline order.

RULES (so far):

Participants may only talk to each other when they are standing together in the center circle - we'll call this the 'talking circle'.
Each person may look at her/his picture page 6 times during the activity - we'll call this, 'data gathering'.
No more than 2 people may look at their picture page at one time.
Picture pages may not be shown to anyone - only verbal descriptions can be used.
Only 2 people are allowed to swap picture spots (activity spot or chair) at a time. This swapping must take place moving around the outside of the spots/chairs. Participants then take their new spots in the talking circle (in front of her/his picture page).
Once all participants have used up their 6 data gathering turns or time allowed is up (e.g., 20 minutes), picture pages may be adjusted, but not looked at, for another few minutes if needed.
When everyone agrees, reveal the pages in order to see the result.

The main dynamic I'm going for here is listening and talking. Depending on how they use their data gathering turns and talking circle time, who will be able to listen to what is being shared while trying to remember her/his picture page data (description).

Out of Order (virtual idea)
This idea involves creating a Slide (the one above was created in Google Slides) like the one at the header of this post. I took (pictures of) 6 sequential pages from ReZOOM and then placed them on the Slide out of order. When I lead this activity, I'll share my ZOOM (video conferencing platform) screen with this opening Slide:

I will explain to the group that they will be placed into Breakout Rooms of 4 to 5 people after they initially get to look at the 6 pictures for 30-seconds. Then, they will have 90-seconds in their Breakout Rooms to discuss the Task with their group. After 90-seconds everyone will return (forced-return) to the main room to look at the 6 pictures again for 30-seconds. Then, 90-seconds in Breakout Rooms again with their group. These 30/90-seconds cycles will go on as long as needed until one group claims they have an answer.

After an answer is reached by at least one group (I'll be asking when participants returns to the main room), one more cycle is completed - 30-seconds with the pictures, 90-seconds in Breakout Rooms. All groups are asked to come back with their numerical answer after this last 90-seconds.

Based on the way the Task Slide is worded, there are two possible answers - whether pictures are ZOOMing in or out. I've created Slides with both possible answers. My guess is, depending on how each person is decoding the pictures, there could be some miscommunication and problem-solving that needs to take place before arriving at an answer.

All Beta testing at this point.

If you get the opportunity to try either of these ZOOMs, let us know how it goes! Leave a Comment below.

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

ReZOOM Answer Page

rezoom_answer.pdf
File Size:	10069 kb
File Type:	pdf

Small Group Team Building: Mini FUNdoing Blog Index, Vol. 1

3/5/2021

One question I'm asked a lot (most recently by Dawn C.), is about what team building activities can be done with small groups - always accompanied with, "Is there a good book I can purchase?" Cutting to the chase, I don't know of a 'team-building-focused' book that is specifically written for small-group work (this would be a useful resource if someone put it out there!!). However, as you might already know, there are lots of good small-group activities scattered among the plethora of team building activity books available to us.

A way I can help answer this question right now is to share some of the team building activities already posted here at the FUNdoing Blog, ones that can be done with smaller groups. They will be posted in this one, and other, 'mini-indexes' initially and then end up in the Master FUNdoing Blog Index I'm working on as we speak. A 'Small Group Activities' Category has also been added to the Categories located in the right sidebar of this blog in order to include new small group activities posted in the future.

As always, we would love to hear about your favorite small group activities. Leave a Comment below.

Small Group Activities: Mini-Index Volume #1:

Flip Flop Towers - (Video Included) I've used this one successfully with (middle school age and older) groups of two to four. Multiple groups can play at the same time. Each group needs a set of 30 Plastic (e.g., Solo) Cups. Great for working on the 'Success/Failure' paradigm, taking risks and process improvement.

Word Circle Puzzles - 'Puzzles' of all kinds are nice small group team building activities. The link here takes you to the basic idea of Word Circle Puzzles - including several puzzles to start with. Use the Search feature at the top of this blog page - type in Word Circle Puzzles - to access LOADS of free Circle Puzzles. For a more challenging version of Circle Puzzles, go to the free (and first) print-n-play Picture Word Circle Puzzle. (You can also pick up the Word & Picture Word Circle Puzzles Print-N-Play Kits at the FUNdoing Store. The Word Circle Puzzles Starter Kit has 12 Presentation Ideas and over a dozen puzzles to print and use right away. There is also an Assets Package from a Virtual Circle Puzzles training I presented - How to use Circle Puzzles in virtual settings.)

Play Time Puzzle Cards - Here's another easy puzzle to present to small groups. This one takes a lot of collective wisdom to get through.

Team Building Cards - Here is a (print-n-play) set of 24 team building behavior cards that can be used with small groups to prompt conversations about, well....team building. They can help a group create norms for themselves, solve a current problem or bring to light new behaviors they might want to incorporate. The cards can be brought out any time some team thinking will be useful.

Box Cards - All you need is a deck of cards and at least two players. It's a timed challenge that I've done with fourth graders and older. Lots of communication and planning. Then, process improvement through compromise and practice.

The Big Question - This one is a community building activity for any size group. In most cases, when I'm working with a large group, I divide them into smaller sub-groups of two to five people. Each group can be handed a list of Big Questions to talk through or all the sub-groups can be given (verbally) a Big Question to discuss for a certain amount of time - say, three minutes. After every three minutes (in either variation) stop to let sub-groups report out some memorable findings. There are question suggestions in the post, or, of course, create Big Questions relevant to your particular group(s).

I hope this initial list is useful. Please share a small-group favorite of your own - add it into the Comments below to grow our list. And, there's at least one more mini-index on the way - maybe more.

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

ICON Circle Puzzles (mini-kit 1)

2/5/2021

Here is the next iteration of Word Circle Puzzles - ICON Circle Puzzles. (NOTE: Use them virtually too - see below for details.)

If you are a long-time Circle Puzzler, just go download to the mini-kit (print-n-play) below and make the magic happen.

If you are new to the 'Circle Puzzle' world, I suggest you check out these FUNdoing Blog posts:
Silent Word Circle Puzzles: Variation
Word Circle Puzzles: December 2013

After you get the idea of Word Circle Puzzles, there are (lots) more puzzle sets - use the Search feature in the top right corner of this blog page. Type in 'Word Circle Puzzles' for tons more fun.

The second iteration of Word Circle Puzzles can be found in this FUNdoing Blog post:
Picture Word Circle Puzzle: Set 1

If you want a deep dive into Circle Puzzles, you can find the Print-N-Play versions (PDF downloads) of the Word Circle Puzzles Starter Kit (including 12 Presentation Ideas), the Word Circle Puzzles Expansion Pack and the Picture Word Circle Puzzles kit at the FUNdoing Store.

There is also 'The Ultimate Slide Deck of Circle Puzzles for Virtual Team Building' Assets Package available at the FUNdoing Store. This includes 2 Video Replays of the live workshop and downloadable copies of the Google Slides Instructor Deck and the Circle Puzzles Participant Slide Deck. Hours of virtual team building with Word Circle Puzzles and Picture Word Circle Puzzles.

ICON Circle Puzzles
This new version of Circle Puzzles plays just like Picture Word Circle Puzzles. The clean 'look' might be better for particular groups.

The Basic Gist: Look at the set of eight ICONS in the header picture above. Each ICON can be named with one word. Once you decide on what the ICONS can be named use those words to make a Circle Puzzle. Easy right? (Maybe not!) If you name something incorrectly it will be difficult to solve the puzzle. (Don't forget, the magic happens in between the directions and the solution.)

In the print-n-play mini-kit (PDF download below) you will find an 8-ICON Puzzle, a 10-ICON Puzzle, an Answer Card for each puzzle and four 'Help Cards'. (You simply need to download, print, cut out the cards and off you go....)

Help Cards: You can choose to hand out as many of the Help Cards as you want or don't give your group any Help Cards - this depends on your program outcomes and learning opportunities. Using Help Cards is a way to provide 'resources' to the group which they may, or may not, use. This is always an interesting topic to discuss. (Full details about using Help Cards can be found in the Word Circle Puzzles Starter Kit.)

Virtual Application: The header picture above came from a Google Slide I created. After you download the PDF, image capture each of the ICON cards for a puzzle and upload them into your platform of choice (e.g., Google Slides, Google Jamboard, MURAL.....). I provide a link to a deck of slides (or playground area, like MURAL) to each of the small groups I form (e.g., Breakout Rooms in Zoom) and send them off to work.

Before they go off to their groups I tell them how many 'Help Cards' they have. They can call me into their room to ask me a question or they can come back to the main room to ask me a question. I can also jump around from room-to-room to check out their progress or click into their Slide Deck to see the work they are doing.

Here's your mini-kit:

iconwordcirclepuzzles_set1_kit.pdf
File Size:	456 kb
File Type:	pdf

Have fun my friend! Reach out if you have any questions: chris@onteambuilding.com

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

Commonalities Revisited (for Face-to-Face & Virtual)

1/8/2021

Happy 2021 to you!! For me, so far so good. Let's make this year amazing....no matter what!?

The recent book I'm diving into is, Social and Emotional Learning in Action: Experiential Activities to Positively Impact School Climate, by Tara Flippo. Early on in the book I came across the activity Commonalities - one of those activities that's been around for a while and still super-useable, super-engaging (Quicksilver, Rohnke 1995).

Still in the "what-activities-can-I-do-online" mode, Commonalities can be a good one. Here's how I intend to use the activity online with groups of 10 to 25 participants (pretty much the same way I use it face-to-face):

Tell everyone they will be going into 'breakout rooms' for about 2 minutes with a few others (groups of 3 to 4) to discover things they all have in common - everyone in the group has done or likes, for example. (While face-to-face, they just get together in groups and go off somewhere to talk.)
During the exploration, someone in the group will keep notes (make a list) of the things they have in common with each other.
After 2 minutes, everyone is brought back into the main room.
The facilitator then asks for people to share, verbally, something his/her group has in common that is interesting or not-so-common. After something is shared, the facilitator can ask for anyone in the 'Gallery' (main room) to raise a hand if they too have that in common with the group that just shared. (Building awareness of others like you.) Take about 1 to 2 minutes for this exchange.
After this verbal sharing, send everyone back into their breakout rooms and continue the process - same thing. Discover more things they have in common with each other. Add these commonalities to the list.
After two minutes, bring them back to the main room to share interesting and/or unique commonalities.
Then again. After some verbal sharing, send them back to discover even more commonalities they share - another 2 minutes.
Bring them back to the main room to share out these new findings.
And so on....

[NOTE: If I'm working with a group of 12 or less, I'm sure to ask each small group to share one or two of their commonalities. When the group is bigger, I do the volunteer sharing and only spend up to 2 minutes with it.]

When face-to-face, I've done this up to 6 'discovery-and-share' rounds. And, I'm pretty sure I'll shoot for 6 rounds online as well (the more rounds, the deeper the exploration). You might be thinking, "Are you kidding! There's no way a group will want to do this that many times!" Exactly! Getting to REALLY know others is hard work. And, what does it take to really get to know someone?

I've found that after we start discussing the 'point' of the exercise (so to speak - 'exercise' being hard work as well), people start loosening up, realizing that, in fact, it is hard work getting to know each other. If the work can be done, with the appropriate mindset, it can actually be a fun experience. The kind of work you put into something is equal to the kind of reward!

For me, this process has always been a wonderful deep dive into getting to know each other!!

Let us know if you try it out and if you make any useful adjustments. Leave a Comment below.

All the best,

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

BUILDZI - Two for One Team Building Activity

12/18/2020

If you are a gift-giver around this time of year, or any time of year really! (even giving gifts to yourself), here's a fun one you can give to your family and and then 'borrow' it to use for your team building programs. (Or, maybe it's the other way around?)

BUILDZI, comes from the creators of Tenti. (Tenzi is one of my favorite dice games - you can play with any number of people - well, maybe up to 12 around a table - as long as everyone has 10 dice. If you have or pick up Tenzi, don't forget the Cards Deck, 77 Ways to Play Tenzi, with Tenzi challenges).

(UN-SHAMELESS MARKETING: I love repurposing - especially toy aisle games like BUILDZI!! My amazingly creative friends, Michelle Cummings, Trevor Dunlap & Matthew Broda are going to help us out. They are releasing their book, Team Building from the Toy Aisle, in early 2021. I can't wait to see what they've come up with. You can pre-order your copy today at the Training Wheels website - link above.)

Most likely, if you've been team building for a while, you've done a communication activity that involves partnering up players, then each has his/her own set of matching supplies (e.g., playing cards or Dominos). Partners sit back-to-back, one builds something with his/her supplies and then communicates this build to his/her partner - hoping the outcome of the communication to be a 'match' (as close to identical as possible). This has always been a go-to for me when I want to discuss communication behaviors with my groups - everyone is doing something.

BUILDZI can be used for this kind of team building activity. The 'game' includes four sets of building blocks and a deck of long cards (see above). (So, up to 8 players per game is what I would say - four pairs.) In this way, when partnered up, one player has a card, the other has the blocks. And, you can play where partners can be face-to-face or back-to-back depending on the conversations you want to have. (I've found that we can bring up more about 'helping' when face-to-face because we can get visual feedback from our partner if we can see what he/she is doing.) And, what about starting back-to-back and then going to face-to-face? How does the experience change?

Other options of BUILDZI that I love: There is a 'silhouette' of the structure to build. Each card has a colorful block side and the silhouette of the same structure on the other side (see picture above. FYI: two different cards are show). And, you can have players build the structure flat on the ground/floor or vertically. Perfect for changing up the challenge.

Have fun out there! (It IS possible, even during these interesting times....)

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.

Liner Quotes: Growth Set - Macro Version (Print-N-Play)

12/3/2020

This is another generous share from Karen Whittaker (she shared Life Skill Memory Match a couple posts ago). She transformed the Liner Quotes: Growth Set cards (SEE THIS POST for specific details about the Growth Set of Liner Quotes), into a more visually appealing experience. (PDF Download below). In this transformation, she also made each card bigger (full sheet) so the writing is easier to read while we are safely distancing.

The Growth Set of Liner Quotes cards is one of two sets at the moment. The original Challenge Set (set 1) has been the free processing tool for joining the FUNdoing Fridays email list. You can sign up for FUNdoing Fridays below to get some FREE Team Building Resources delivered to your email every two weeks and get Set 1 of Liner Quotes, FREE. (I do not share or sell emails.) If the information in the emails is not your cup of tea, simply Unsubscribe and keep the Liner Quotes - no questions asked.

If you're on the FUNdoing Fridays list and have misplaced your free gift (Liner Quotes, Set 1), email me and I'll send you the PDF (chris@onteambuilding.com).

Below is the full write up for Liner Quotes (either set) so you can see the versatility of the tool. And now, with Karen's version, they are even more engaging!! THANKS KAREN.

linerquotesgrowthset_fromkarenwittaker.pdf
File Size:	614 kb
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Welcome to Liner Quotes – a fun insightful way to get your groups talking. If you find this tool useful please tell your colleagues, friends, and family where to find it – available only at FUNdoing.com. Thank you so much for supporting my FUNdoing adventures!

Over the past few years I have been listening to music a bit differently. It all started when it occurred to me that certain lines in musical lyrics would be great for previewing, midviewing, and reviewing teambuilding experiences – these lines could inspire/remind participants of important moments ahead or moments that happened during their program. To get these “lines” out there to the masses Liner Quotes: Reviewing Cards emerged. You can also find a more detailed description of the Liner Quotes activity in my book, Portable Teambuilding Activities (2015). For the Print-N-Play version, here is what you’ll need to know about using the cards.

Activity Objective: Participants are encouraged to choose and talk about a quote card that, to them, best relates to the experience that is about to take place (previewing), one that is taking place (midviewing), or one that has already taken place (reviewing).

Facilitated Objective: Explore behaviors related to trust, communication, empathy, voice, community, challenge with choice, risk, fear, and rapport.

Needs & Numbers: Print and cut out the 32 Liner Quote cards below on light blue paper (I’m suggesting light blue paper to identify the “reviewing” Liner Quotes sets from the “growth” Liner Quote sets that I suggest printing on green paper – green being for growth). For long-term use I advise that you laminated the cards or get the quotes printed on card stock. One set of 32 cards works well with a group of two to 16 participants.
If your pre-planning and/or programming include giving away the Liner Quote cards to the individuals in the group you might not want to incur the lamination cost. When giving away the quotes you could have participants pick a quote that best represents what they want to remember or take away from the program, or you can have the group as a whole, through nomination or another process, pick a card for each person in the group. In any case, when your cards are printed, you’re ready to go.

Time: 15 to 20 minutes at any time during a program – maybe a little longer for a reviewing session at the end of a program (depending on the number of players of course and how much they like to talk).

Set-Up: Spread out the cards quote side up, on a tabletop or floor, so all the quotes can easily be read.

Procedure: Since my initial set of cards was created, here are a few ways I’ve used them:

Ice-Breaker: Ask each person to choose a quote that reflects a certain value or belief he or she holds. Ask participants to mingle around the room sharing their quotes and the meanings they have with one person at a time.

Previewing a Program: Ask the group to choose, by consensus, an important quote (or two) that will help to remind them of an underlying principle or concept they want to remember throughout their program. You might call this quote the “group motto” or “purpose statement” that will frame the group’s actions.

Previewing an Activity: Ask each person to choose a quote he or she believes will be something important to remember as they move forward into the next part of the program, or the next activity.

Midviewing: There might be times when your group could benefit from a discussion/check-in break during an activity. For example, if they are struggling to move forward. Scatter the cards out, quotes up, and see if any of the quotes inspire some thought around what the group is experiencing and/or might consider doing in order to move forward.

Re-Viewing: At the end of an activity, or your program, ask each person to choose a quote that reminds them of something important/significant that happened during the activity or program. Taking turns, have participants share his or her quote and the meaning it has for them.

Blind Find Reviewing: (after an activity or program) Set the cards out with the quote sides facing down for this one. At the end of an activity, or your program, ask each person to choose a card that is intuitively “speaking” to them – like picking that fortune cookie that speaks to you. After reading their card each participant is asked to interpret the meaning of his or her quote in relation to the activity just completed (or the overall program) and any relevant learning it may hold. Taking turns, have participants share their quotes and the interpretations. If a participant is struggling to interpret his or her quote it can be opened up to the group for its possible – at-the-time – meaning.

Facilitation Notes: The first opportunity I had to put out my complete set (at the time, 52 cards) I found my group more interested in discovering all the quotes than they were at choosing a quote related to their experience. In retrospect there was just too much information to choose from. Minimizing the choices (32 cards) seems to lend more focus to the task.

Be Well!!

Chris Cavert, Ed.D.