I.

Note to Self

Objective
To evaluate our pertaining skills
To set expectations for ourselves as a result of the training
To notice a change in perspective as a result of what was experienced in the program
Group Size
Any
Materials
Copies of Note to Self handout (provided), paper, pens, one envelope for each person
Time
10 to 20 minutes
Procedure
Ask participants to write a letter to them using the handout as a guideline. After the letters are
completed, have each participant place his or her letter in an envelope and write his or her
name on the envelope. Collect all the envelopes. At the conclusion of the program, give
participants their envelopes and have them assess their progress by completing the PostProgram sentences.
Tips
With large groups, have small teams of four to seven debrief by discussing the post-training
portion of the handout.
Discussion Questions
1. How were your expectations met today?
2. What are some things you need to work on?
3. What is your plan to improve those skills?
4. What were you surprised to discover?
HANDOUT
Pre-Training
1. What do I need from this training?
2. What are some things I already know about this topic?
3. What do I expect to be able to do that I cant do now?

4. What do I need from the other members of my team?

5. What can I contribute to my team?
Post-Training
1. My expectations were met by . . .
2. I need to work on . . .
3. I was surprised to discover . . .
4. I commit to improving these skills . . .

II.

Its a What?

OBJECTIVES
To understand obstacles to collaboration
To experience the collaborative process
Group Size
Any
Materials
Paper, markers
Time
10 to 15 minutes
Procedure
Split the group into teams of three to five participants. Give the group the
following instructions:

One person in each team starts by drawing a shape or outline. The

drawing is then passed to the next team member who must add to the
drawing, and so on.
Time spent by each person in turn on the drawing is limited to five
seconds. (The facilitator can shout change when the time is up.)
No discussion is permitted during the drawing, or any agreement
before the drawing of what the team will draw.

The drawing must be completed in one minute.

Discussion Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Did your team draw anything recognizable?

How easy was the understanding between team members?
How did team members work differently on this task?
What was the effect of time pressure?
Was there a natural tendency to draw supportively and harmoniously,
or were there more conflicting ideas?
6. What was your expectation of the completed drawing?
7. Did your expectation change? Why?
8. Why was it important to maintain an open mind?
9. How does flexibility relate to collaboration?
10.
What pressure did the time element have on your experience?
11.
How does stress and pressure affect our willingness to
collaborate?
12.
Why may it be important to collaborate during times of stress
and pressure?

III.

Monumental

OBJECTIVES
To create collaboratively
To review and recap the concept of conflict resolution
Group Size
Any
Materials
Random items provided by participants; a camera is optional
Time
15 to 20 minutes
Procedure
During a break, ask everyone to bring back one or two random items (rock, a
stapler, a plant). Make sure to tell them they will be able to retrieve their
items at the end of the session.

At the conclusion of a conflict-resolution program, split any large groups into

teams of about seven or eight participants. Tell team members they are to
create a monument to the concept of conflict resolution, which they will be
presenting to the group. Each part of the monument needs to represent
something specific they learned about the concept. Each person must
contribute at least one random item, and its up to the team to creatively
make it fit with the theme of the monument. Allow 10 to 15 minutes and
begin the presentations.
Tips
Take a picture of each team with their monument as a takeaway and a great
memory trigger.
Discussion Questions
1. In what ways did you collaborate to build your monuments?
2. What was challenging? What was fun?
3. What will you remember?

IV.

Salt and Pepper

Group Size
6-40 people

Materials
Sheet of paper
Time
15 to 20 minutes
Procedure
This activity is fun, excellent for energizing your team, and also great as a get-to-know-one
another exercise. It doesnt take up a lot of time and requires a few simple materials like a pen,
tape, and small sheets of paper. Recommended group size can range from 6-40 people.

1.

A sheet of paper for every person.

2.

As manager, come up with pairs of things such as, salt and pepper, yin and yang, shadow
and light, peanut butter and jelly, Mickey and Minnie mouse, male and female, and so forth.

3.

Separate the pairs and write only one of them per piece of paper. (Salt on one paper,
pepper on a completely different paper).

4.

Tape one paper on the back of each person, making sure they cant see it.

5.

When you say go, everyone must walk around asking yes or no questions in order to find
out what word they have taped to their backs.

6.

Once they figure that out, theyll be able to find their other pair. The two will sit down
and learn three to five interesting facts about one another.

7.

Optional step: have the pairs introduce their partners and the interesting facts they learned
about them.
This exercise will encourage communication and creativity among the participants. Learning
how to ask the right questions will be a challenge. It will also encourage teamwork as interacting
with the other team members is necessary.

V.

Audio Tic Tac Toe

Everybody knows how to play Tic Tac Toe. This is a variation of this universal paper-and-pencil
game to play with 2 or more trainees. We need 5 people to play it.
This is how the game goes:
Supplies:

Paper
Pen

Time:
10 - 15 minutes
Number of trainees: 4
One player is the recorder and has a piece of paper with a 3 x 3 grid that has spreadsheet-like
labels for each box:

A1

B1

C1

A2

B2

C2

A3

B3

C3

The recorder marks every move made by the other 4 trainees in this grid but keeps the grid
hidden.
Trainees visualize the 3 x 3 grid with its numbered boxes. They take turns calling out the box
where they want to put their symbol in. The recorder does not say anything until all the boxes are
filled or a trainee claims victory.
A trainee wins if he/she places his/her symbol in three boxes in a straight line (as in the usual
game of tic tac toe) and announces that he/she has won.

A trainee loses if

She tries to place her symbol in a box that is already occupied

She incorrectly claims victory

She gets three in a straight line and fails to announce that she has won

VI.

Take What You Need

Materials
A bag of sweets, or alternatively, a roll of toilet paper!
Timing
10 - 15 minutes
Procedure
This exercise is an excellent get-to-know-you activity that doesnt take up too much of your
teams time. All you need is a toilet paper roll or two depending on the size of the group (you can
use pennies as another option). Recommended group size is 10-30 people.
1.
Ask everyone to sit around in a circle.
2.

Pass around the roll of toilet paper or pennies and tell them to take as much as they think
theyll need, without disclosing what the items will be used for.

3.

If your employees ask further questions, simply answer them with, take as much as you
think youll need.

4.
5.

Once thats done, ask them to count the number of squares they each have.
Going around the circle, each person has to share a fact about themselves for every
square of toilet paper or penny they took. So, if someone takes 10 squares, they need to share 10
facts about themselves.