Duration: 45 – 60 minutes
Group Size: Platoon Level
Resources: NIL
Purpose: To learn the Battalion’s values in a fun and active way.
Overview: To create 3-person tableaus illustrating the Battalion’s values, and learn them by playing a pointing game.
Conduct:
- Form groups – one for each Battalion value.
- Assign one value to each group and instruct them to come up with a 3-man tableau (pronounced as “tae-bloo”) to illustrate what that value means to them. The tableau should be a ‘picture’, with a clear centre person, left person and right person. (e.g. the value ‘Alert’ can feature a centre person standing upright, rifle at the ready, with the left and right persons in high-kneel.) Encourage them to be specific in their choices, so that the value is distinct and immediately recognizable from seeing the tableau.
- After 5 to 10 minutes, come together into a large circle and get each group to show and explain their tableau and how it illustrates the chosen value.
- Once the tableau is shown, get everyone in the circle to learn it, in threes (i.e. groups of 3 men try to recreate the tableau). Then move on to the demonstration of the next tableau.
- Once all tableaus have been learnt, everyone stands in a large circle (random order, no longer in groups) and the pointing game begins.
- A designated Pointer points at anyone in the circle and calls out a value – the person pointed at becomes the centre of the matching tableau while his left and right neighbors form the sides of the tableau. Once the tableau is complete and correct, the centre person becomes the Pointer and chooses another person and another value.
- The game can proceed with increasing pace to challenge the players to get faster at forming the tableaus. Simple forfeits could be included for men who get the tableaus wrong.
- In subsequent sessions, the tableaus should be recapped (especially for newcomers) and then the game can begin.
Debrief Questions:
- Did the tableaus depict their respective values well? If so, how? If not, how could they have been better depicted?
- Do you see how/why the values are important to the section/platoon/company/battalion, especially in relation to the current ICT? Can you give examples of when the values will be especially important during the ICT?
Notes:
The facilitator should:
- Close the session by reiterating the battalion’s values, possibly with the inclusion of a re-cap of the tableaus used for them in the activity.
- Emphasize the importance of each of the values and perhaps pre-empt the men as to when they might see it in action in the ICT (e.g. all the men need to be ‘alert’ during the upcoming defence exercise as the success of the exercise depends on every person doing his part even though he may be tired).