Group Activities
Structured group activities within a workshop’s design can build teamwork and relationships.
Group activities are a great way to give social interaction and show how cooperation can produce amazing results. Multiple minds working together can produce amazing results!
Flow Charts
Creating a flow chart is a great idea when you are introducing a new process or procedure to staff. Give them shapes of coloured paper (sticky notes work well) and flip chart paper to map out a sequence of events. Show them that they can have various side paths in the flow chart that are determined by the answer to a yes or no question. Flow charts are great for visual learners and the activity of building one appeal to kinaesthetic learners as well.
3-D Construction
Provide the supplies and ask the group to construct something. There are two objects to this activity; to emphasize a key message and to build cooperation and teamwork towards a goal. For example, if your workshop is on leadership, ask them to design the CEO's office and ask them to unveil their design to the group and answer questions about why they chose certain furniture and placed them in the office as they did. It is interesting to see how they depict a leader's role through their office. If your workshop is on communication, you can ask them to construct a bridge, building or a piece of clothing or furniture using an odd assortment of objects and fasteners (glue, paper clips, tape etc.) but they must communicate non-verbally throughout the process. Use your imagination to relate the construction to your key messages
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If you liked this blog entry, try the articles Keeping Workshops Practical or Focused Workshop Design
Blog series on active training methods:
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