Chiji Get It Back

AI Generated Image

---

Listening types of activities have been on my mind. How can I encourage better listening through experiences? Planning a ‘Teambuilding with Image Cards’ workshop an idea surfaced. After some thought, I determined this idea can be a program Beginning and an Ending activity. There’s some reflection, sharing with listening, and a challenge for either programmed area. We’re in Beta Testing, so help me determine what works, what doesn’t, and what might we add. (I’m going to try it at my workshop and get back to you.)

​Beginning of a Program

Needs & Numbers: Use image cards (e.g., Chiji Cards) that have a generic back – a back the same on all cards. I would play with up to 30 in a group and one deck of cards for up to 15 participants. If you have more than 15 in your group, creatively divide them in half. You will also need a timing device.

Process:

• Lay out the image cards, image side up, on the floor or a table (or two, if you have a larger group).
• Ask everyone to: “Choose, and pick up, an image that represents a skill or ability you bring to a group you plan to be working with.”
• Provide time for everyone to choose and pick up a card.
• Ask the group(s) of 8 to 15 people to circle up. If there is more than one group spread the circles out a bit, so the participants are not talking over each other.
  
• Instruct participants in each circle to take turns sharing the cards chosen by each one. Encourage everyone to keep it short and sweet so it will make the information easier to remember. Emphasize that remembering what people have said will help them be more successful with the challenge they will have shortly.
  
• If one circle of people is done sharing before other circle are done, simply let them know they have extra time to check in with everyone to see if they remember the information.
  
• When everyone has finished sharing about their chosen image, ask them to hold their card so the image side is facing the floor/ground and start exchanging cards until you tell them to “STOP!” (10 or 15 seconds should do it.) This is called a ‘blind shuffle’. Ask them not to look at the image on their card until instructed to do so.
  
• The Challenge: After you say “GO,” everyone can look at the card they are holding, and then, ‘remembering’ what was said about the card they have, and who said it, participants return the card to the person it belongs to.
  
• Participants are allowed to ask others in the group if they remember what was said about the card they are holding and who said it.
  
• When everyone, in each group, is standing back in a circle formation, the time stops. Yes. It’s an ‘all-group’ timed experience.
  
• Share the overall group time and then give everyone a moment to quickly share their card information with everyone in their group once more. Maybe it’s a simple one or two words. It might even be a good idea for everyone to repeat back what was said.
  
• After a few minutes, ask the group(s) to do another blind shuffle until you say “STOP!” Then, “GO!” for another timed attempt. I’m thinking three attempts will prove to be enough to show marked improvement.

Take a little time to process the behaviors the group used to be successful and what behaviors they would like to change to be even better as a cooperative team. If it’s the first ‘processing’ session for the group, keep it short so they get the idea of what will be happening after future activities.

Here’s what I like about this idea:

• When we listen with intention, it can lead to positive outcomes.
• Participants will have the opportunity to anchor information about each other after practicing and listening ‘deeper’ before the additional timed attempts.
• There is an opportunity to share ideas (best practices?) between groups. Strategies might be helpful across groups.
• This is a relatively ‘simple’ task to warm up the group for future challenges. It gives us a chance to introduce the kinds of things they will be doing together.

Ending (or closing) a Program
As a closing activity, you can give participants I chance to share a take-away and the group one more opportunity to show how well they worked together (we hope) during a program. Simply change the prompt.

Ask everyone to: “Choose, and pick up, an image that represents something important you learned about your group.” Or “Choose an image that represents a positive behavior you want to see continue within the group in the future.”

Use the instructions provided above to move through the experience.

If you led this activity at the beginning of your program, you can remind them of the skills and abilities they used to improve the first time (and throughout the program). I’m betting, following their learned process, making just two attempts at the end will show improvement over their first best time.

Let me know how you would run this one. Changes? Additions? 

All the best, 

Chris