Energizer: the secret triangle

“The secret triangle” is an energizer or team-building activity designed to promote team bonding and encourage participants to work together.

Objective: The goal of this activity is to foster better team cohesion and make participants think strategically and cooperate without revealing their choices. Minimum group size: 6

Instructions:

  1. Scattered Participants: Initially, have all the participants spread out or scatter themselves around the room. This is to ensure they are not close to each other when they start the activity.
  2. Select Two People: Each participant is instructed to choose two people from the group in their mind without revealing their choices to anyone else. This is the secret part of the activity.
  3. Create an Imaginary Triangle: As everyone continues to move around, participants are asked to position themselves in a way that creates an imaginary triangle using the people they’ve chosen in step 2. This means they need to strategically move so that the two people they’ve selected become the three points of a triangle with themselves as the third point. It’s important that they do this without discussing their choices with others or revealing who they’ve picked.
  4. Surprising Outcome: The fun part of the activity is letting the participants create the triangle and then observing the result. This activity often leads to unexpected arrangements and interactions as people try to form the desired triangle while avoiding revealing their choices to others.
  5. Evaluate: After participants have successfully formed their imaginary triangles without revealing their choices to others, it’s time to gather the group and reflect on the activity. This step is essential for the participants to discuss and learn from the experience. Here’s how it can be done:
  • Guess Who The Two People Were: Ask each participant to reveal the two people they had in mind when forming their imaginary triangle. This step is crucial because it allows participants to see if others correctly guessed the people they chose. It can be surprising to find out if others guessed correctly or not.
  • Share Experiences: Encourage participants to share their experiences during the activity. Did they find it challenging to position themselves without revealing their choices? What strategies did they use to create the desired triangle? Were there any surprises or unexpected interactions? This discussion helps participants understand the dynamics of the group and how different strategies were employed.
  • Discuss Strategies: Encourage participants to explain the strategies they used to position themselves in the triangle. Some participants may have opted to stand still, while others might have decided to move strategically to achieve their goal. Discussing these strategies can lead to insights into how people approach problem-solving and cooperation.

Purpose: This energizer encourages participants to work together non-verbally to achieve a common goal. It promotes team bonding, trust, and collaboration as participants need to carefully analyze the group dynamics and strategically position themselves without direct communication. The surprise element adds an element of fun and challenge to the activity.

by cxunraveled

Energizer: postcard

Objective: The goal of this activity is to establish creative confidence, encourage effortless collaboration, and build the capacity for working together as a workshop group. Minimum group size: 2

Materials:

  • Markers (1 per participant)
  • Paper, preferably in postcard-sized sheets

Steps:

  1. Preparation: Participants can sit around a table or in a circle, but this arrangement is not mandatory. Hand out a sheet of paper or a postcard and a pen (marker) to each participant. Ensure that all pens are identical in color and size, not too thick nor too thin, as this consistency tends to yield better results.
  2. Invitation: Announce to the group that you'll be creating something together in the next few minutes. Let them know you'll guide them through a series of simple tasks, and it's important to follow instructions precisely, especially in the last two steps.
  3. Instructions for the Group:
    • Draw a Form: Each participant starts by drawing a random form on their paper. Once they've completed their drawing, they pass their paper to the person on their left or right. Stick to one direction consistently (left or right).
    • Create Something: The next participant, using the form they received from their neighbor, turns it into an object, person, or animal. Then, they pass the paper on.
    • Add Context: The next participant adds a context or setting to the drawing they've received from their neighbor and passes it on.
    • Add Action or Drama: The subsequent participant adds an action or some drama to the drawing. Emphasize that they should refrain from using text at this stage. After this, they pass on the paper.
    • Add Text: The final participant adds text to the drawing, which completes the postcard. You can encourage them to be creative with their text.

Additional Idea: After becoming familiar with the activity, you can introduce some variation:

  1. Themed Doodling: Play a certain style of music during the creative process. For example, using Christmas songs may lead to interesting holiday-themed postcards.

This activity is a creative and collaborative exercise that encourages participants to think outside the box and fosters creative confidence while emphasizing the value of working together as a team.

by cxunraveled

Energizer: up, down, left, right

Up, down, right, left

Objective: The goal of this activity is to help participants experience the challenges of unlearning previous associations, emphasizing the need to unlearn to learn something new. Minimum group size: 2

Instructions:

  1. Brief the Participants: Ask all participants to stand up. Let them know that they will be given instructions on which direction to look, and they should respond by tilting their heads in the indicated direction. Emphasize that only the head should move, not the entire body.
  2. Explain the Details: Provide clarity on how to respond to the instructions. When you say "Up," participants should tilt their heads to look at the ceiling or sky. When you say "Down," they should lower their heads to look at the floor or their feet. "Left" and "Right" require participants to turn their heads accordingly.
  3. Give Directions: Start giving instructions using the words "up," "down," "left," and "right" in a random order. Encourage participants to follow your directions, keeping the pace fairly rapid.
  4. Change the Meaning: After about a minute of following the initial instructions, inform the participants that you are going to make a change. Explain that from now on, "up" will mean "down" and vice versa. So, when you say "Down," they should actually look up at the ceiling, and when you say "Up," they should look down at their feet. Make it clear that "left" and "right" will remain the same. Continue to call out the four directions in a random order and ask the participants to follow the new instructions. Expect many "mistakes" and laughter.
  5. Conclude the Session: After another minute or so, announce the end of the activity.

Learning Points:

  • Unlearning is a Challenge: This activity illustrates that unlearning old concepts is not easy and can be confusing. It demonstrates that you need to let go of previous knowledge or habits to adapt to new procedures or ways of doing things.
  • Interference of Old Ways: The old way of doing things can interfere with learning new procedures. Participants experience firsthand how their pre-existing associations and habits can affect their ability to adapt to new instructions.

This activity is a fun and engaging way to highlight the cognitive challenges associated with unlearning and adapting to new information or processes. It promotes self-awareness and underscores the importance of being open to change and receptive to new learning.

by cxunraveled