Facilitation Techniques and Workshop Activities | Library

Customer Service Categories

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Players take turns to supply items that belong to a specific category related to customer service. Any player who hesitates too long, repeats a previous item, or supplies an inappropriate item is eliminated. The last player left standing wins the game.

Free Time

thiagi issue analysis action

To explore how it feels to be excluded—and to be excluding.

Name That Tune

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In his book, You Are Not So Smart, David McRaney describes an experiment by Elizabeth Newton that explains the illusion of transparency. This happens during the communication process when others are not privy to same information as we are. While we may think all of our thoughts and feelings are visible to others, we often overestimate the actual transfer of information. The participants pair up and one partner taps out a familiar song with fingertips. The finger-tapping partner predicts the listener will be able to guess the tune. These partners are surprised to discover that while the tune is obvious to them, their listening partner is unable to guess it.

Job Description in 99 Words

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Ask the participants to write what their job means to them in exactly 99 words (no more, no less), and then divide participants to explore and discuss the perception of their jobs.

Little Known Facts - I

get-to-know icebreaker thiagi team

People enjoy learning little-known facts (LKFs) about each other. (E.g. I have a twin brother / I always need to know which direction North is / etc.). They also enjoy revealing such facts to total strangers--perhaps because it makes them feel like celebrities. Participants guess LKFs about other people by asking Yes/No questions.

Circles in the air

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Draw circles up in the air with the index finger and observe the way the direction of the circles changes, as we change the vantage point.

Distance Makes The Brain Grow Stronger

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This interesting exercise replicates research done by Evan Polman of New York University and Kyle Emich of Cornell University on construal level theory. You can find more information about this theory by visiting this page in Psychlopedia: http://www.psych-it.com.au/Psychlopedia/article.asp?id=79 The participants work with two different versions of the same problem. One version describes a problem faced by someone else while the other version identifies the problem confronting the reader. The debriefing suggests that it is easier to come up with creative solutions when people are thinking for someone other than themselves.

The Anchor Effect

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This jolt demonstrates how the natural human tendency of becoming heavily attached to a starting value can influence our decision making.
The participants work with two different versions of the same questionnaire. One version asks a series of questions that provide low anchor values, while the other version provides high anchor values. The debriefing discussion examines how anchoring affects our decision making.

Three Questions

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Even though Three Questions takes just a few minutes, it provokes the participants into reflecting for a long time.

Working the Room

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A major purpose of an opening activity is to help participants get acquainted with each other. Here's an opener that identifies and rewards participants who would make good politicians.

Perservarence

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When does perseverance become foolhardiness? Here's a jolt that explores this question.

Playing with Status

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Participants are given a short script of 8-10 lines of neutral dialogue. The scene may depict a job interview (see the sample below) or a coaching session. Pairs take turns enacting the scene, playing with the status relationships through non-verbal behaviours.

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