Tag: 10 – 15 mins

Categories
Getting to Know You

Wishful Thinking

Duration:          15 minutes

Group Size:       Section Level

Resources:       1 die

Purpose:     To uncover each other’s values/ priorities/ thinking, as part of getting to know each other better.

Overview:    To spontaneously come up with quirky responses to unlikely questions.

Conduct:

  1. Form a circle.
  2. Get each participant to throw a die & respond to the statement that corresponds to number on the die.
  3. If I were OC for this ICT, I would ….
  4. One fantasy I have is ….
  5. If I have 24 hours left to live, I would ….
  6. TWO things I would love to have if I get stranded on a deserted island ….
  7. If I had superhero powers, I would like to have the power ….
  8. My dream date would be ….

It is also possible to craft other statements that might appeal to the men.

Debrief Questions:

No debrief necessary.

Categories
Team Building

Small Change

Duration:          10 – 15 minutes

Group Size:       Platoon Level (min: 20)

Resources:  Post-it pads & markers

Purpose:      To emphasize that everyone in a team matters, no matter how big or small a role the person has.

Overview:    To avoid elimination and be the last few persons to remain in the game.

Conduct:

  1. Divide the group into 2 or 3 smaller groups e.g. based on some criteria like age, height etc. Group size may vary.
  2. Assign each group a monetary value. Every member will take on this monetary value. For a 2-group situation, the suggested values are 10 cents for each member in one group and 15 cents for each member in the other group. For a 3-group situation, the suggested values are 10 cents, 15 cents and 35 cents. Hand out post-it notes. Members are to write their assigned values and stick it on their foreheads.
  3. Tell the group that you will call out a value e.g. $0.55 cents. When you do so, everyone should try and get into groups to form that exact value. For a 2-group situation, this will mean 4 x 10 cents plus 1 x 15 cents. It could also mean 3 x $0.15 cents plus 1 x 10 cents. Have a trial round if necessary to demonstrate the mechanics of it.
  4. Give the group about 1 min to organise themselves after you have called out a number. Anyone who is not part of a group with the exact value will be eliminated from the game.
  5. Call out a new value with each round until most of the people are eliminated from the game and only a few people (around 5) remain.
  6. Declare and congratulate the winners.
  7. Run another round of the game if time permits.

Debrief Questions:

  1. What does this activity tell us about the contribution of every member in a team?

Notes: Every member has a role to play in a team no matter their perceived value. Sometimes, the lower value makes all the difference. The team is only able to complete and fulfill its task/mission when everyone plays his part.

Categories
Team Building

Bull Test

Duration:          10 minutes

Group Size:       Section or Platoon Level

Resources:  Paper, drawing materials, masking tape

Purpose:      To get to know each other by discovering some common personality traits.

Overview:    To enable group members to find out which of them share certain personality traits.

Conduct:

  1. Each person is given a sheet of paper and drawing materials and told to take 5 minutes to draw a bull. They should be discouraged from looking at each other’s drawings, to avoid being influenced.
  2. After 5 minutes, give out sticky tape and ask them to stick their drawings (with their names clearly written on the drawings) onto a wall. All should gather around the drawings.
  3. The facilitator will then read out what the various drawing styles (see Interpretation below) reveal about the person who drew it. 

Interpretation of Bull Drawing

When everyone has finished drawing, mention that how their bull has been drawn, serves as a useful personality test. Read out the script below:

If the bull is drawn:

Towards the top of the paper – you are positive and optimistic

Towards the middle – you are a realist

Towards the bottom – you are pessimistic and have a tendency to behave negatively

Facing left – you believe in tradition, are friendly and remember dates (birthdays, etc)

Facing right – you are innovative and active, but don’t have a strong sense of family, nor do you remember dates

Facing front (looking at you) – you are direct, enjoy playing devil’s advocate and neither fear nor avoid discussions

With many details – you are analytical, cautious and distrustful

With few details – you are emotional, you care little for details and are a risk taker

With fewer than 4 legs showing – you are insecure or are living through a period of major change 

With 4 legs showing – you are secure, stubborn, and stick to your ideals

If there are more than 4 legs – you are just plain stupid!

The size of the ears indicate how good a listener you are, the bigger the better.

Ok now we come to the interesting part. Who didn’t draw horns? In other words, who drew a cow? Or is it a gay bull?

The horns… well, that’s about how horny you are.The length of the horns indicates the quality of your sex life. Again, the longer the better.

Categories
Team Building

Touch the Fox

Duration: 15 minutes

Group Size: 2 or more Sections

Resources: NIL

Purpose: To discover how individual proficiency affects teamwork.

Overview: To get members of opposing sections to successfully tap the “fox”.

Conduct:

  1. Facilitator identifies start and finishing lines, about 5 – 10 m apart.
  2. Each section identifies a “fox” who will stand at the finishing line, facing away from the starting line.
  3. Get members of the opposing section to form up at starting line.
  4. Both teams will start together at the instruction of the facilitator.
  5. Team members move towards the “fox”, aiming to tap him on the shoulder.
  6. During the activity, all members must ‘freeze’ whenever the “fox” glances back.
  7. Any member caught moving in any way (no giggling, laughing) when the “fox” looks back is to return to the starting line.
  8. The first team whose members have touched the “fox” wins.
  9. If time permits, game can be repeated. Facilitator to allow each section to briefly discuss their strategy. Debrief after completion of activity.

Notes:

  • Facilitator serves as referee to decide whether someone was caught moving when the fox turns.
  • Variations in the start and end points are at the discretion of the facilitator. It is even possible to get the 2 sections to criss-cross each other. 

Debrief Questions:No debrief necessary.

Categories
Team Building

Speed Ball

Duration:          30 minutes

Group Size:       Section Level

Resources:  6 tennis-sized balls (or crushed paper) & stop-watch

Purpose:      To solve a problem as a team, learning the importance of adaptability.

Overview:    To figure out, as a team, the quickest way to pass, in a specific sequence, a number of balls from hand to hand.

Conduct:

  1. Participants form a circle. 
  2. Participants must pass one ball around the circle, according to the following rules:
    • the ball cannot be passed to someone directly beside you
    • the ball must be thrown and not handed over to the next person
    • running or diving for the balls is not allowed
  3. Instruct the team to figure out their sequence of passing, and practice it until they are all familiar with it.
  4. Time how long the team takes to pass all the balls to the last person, using the same sequence. The facilitator can stand next to the last person in the sequence, to help free his hands by collecting the balls in a bag or helmet.
  5. Based on the initial timing, get the team to set an optimal timing that the team should attempt to beat.
  6. Challenge the team to modify their positions and technique to beat the timing. The balls must still move from hand to hand in the correct sequence, but they need not stand in a circle any longer.
  7. Once the optimal timing is achieved, set an even shorter timing (e.g. half the timing) to challenge them to think of even faster ways to pass the balls.

Note: Appoint people who have played this activity before as observers or timekeepers.

Debrief Questions:

  1. How did the group perform as a team? [Observable behaviours – effective communication, leadership, sharing of suggestions/ideas, etc.]
  2. Did the team learn well as a unit? What actions helped/didn’t help?

Notes:

Setting stretched targets can challenge teams to find novel and alternative ways to achieve the targets. Merely fine tuning current practices only leads to small incremental changes. In addition, teams need to be receptive to trying new approaches to meet new challenges, despite risk of failure (we can surely learn from our mistakes!).

Categories
Team Building

Tangled Hands

Duration: 15 minutes

Group Size: Platoon Level

Resources: NIL

Purpose: To experience group problem-solving and learn how the team functions in executing a task.

Overview: To untangle a knot of linked hands, thus forming a full circle.

Conduct:

Step 1
  1. Divide participants into small groups (4 – 6 people).
  2. Form a “tight” circle facing one another.
  3. Ask each person to hold out their right hand and grasp the right hand of someone across him, as if shaking hands.
  4. Then, extend their left hand and grasp the hand of a third person, so that everyone is holding the hands of two different people. (Note: They should not hold hands with anyone directly beside them.)
  5. The group is then to try to disentangle itself from the tangled state.
  6. Hand contact must not be broken at any time. 
  7. In the resulting circle, members may end up facing different directions.
Step 2
  1. Get the small groups to form one or two large groups. Maximum recommended group size is 16.
  2. Repeat the similar procedures as explained in Step 1.
  3. Facilitator may choose to help group if it is stuck by allowing the team to make 2 reconnections.

Note: depending on how the setup is done, groups may not end up as a complete circle. Possible formations include two interlocking or separate circles. 

Debrief Questions:

  1. What was the experience like untangling in a small group VS a large group?
  2. What skills do we need to develop in order for us to work more effectively in a large group/team?

Notes:

A larger group requires more coordination. Each member has to play his part well and know how to contribute in the right way. Team skills/tasks that the group would need to develop include: clear understanding of goals, giving and receiving feedback, providing back-up, providing support and understanding own and team members’ roles.

Categories
Getting to Know You

Wallet Game

Duration: 15 minutes

Group Size: Section Level

Resources: NIL

Purpose: To break the ice and get to know each other on a more personal level.

Overview: To share 3 personal things about yourself with the rest of the team.

Conduct:

  1. The team sits in a circle.
  2. Facilitator explains the purpose of the activity.
  3. Facilitator asks each team member to look through their wallet and select 3 items that are of personal significance to them (e.g. membership cards, personal photos, mementoes, receipts to significant purchases) matching the following criteria:
    • Something that is most representative of you.
    • Something that is most precious or valuable to you.
    • Something that is most memorable for you.
  4. Going round the circle, each member shares with the group what the items are and why they are significant. 

Debrief Questions:

No debrief necessary.