Perfect Square
Team Building Activity
Participants: 8 - 36 The Perfect Square is another easy event that can be very powerful because of the experience the group will go through. Incredibly simplistic in design, most groups do not take the time to plan correctly or set groundrules for communication, which will create frustration levels due to the lack of clear communication. Interdependence is clear in this activity and group consensus can be difficult to reach, but very important. Also, the need for open and controlled communication is necessary to accomplish the task.
Want to Facilitate like a Professional? Attend our 2.5 day Effective Facilitator Training Workshop! San Diego, CA This exercise runs equally well inside and outside. A glimpse into Perfect Square: Wearing eyeshades, the group must pick up the rope and create a PERFECT square. You can let them begin with the rope in a big pile, intentionally put knots in it or, to save time, let the group begin in a circle with rope in hand. Whiel it may seem simple, this activity is very challenging. Who should go for this activity? If you need a great activity to help the group to experience the effect of good (or very poor) planning, the challenge of communication and the need for leadership. One or all of these are fantastic outcomes that can create wonderful dialogue. What will the group learn from Perfect Square? Problem Solving Creating a perfect square is a simple challenge. Everyone knows what the result looks like but the 'how' is the problem to solve. Another problem is having no sight and needing to solve the larger problem. How does the group plan and strategize? Do they jump right in? What is the process the group uses to create the best solution? Experiential activities show us what we DO, not what we KNOW. So, how the group operates and creates the solution will be very similar to how they operate in real life. Communication With eyeshades on each person, communication becomes an incredible challenge. We take for granted all of the visual cues for communication and people talk over one another, creating frustration among the group due to lack of planning and strategizing. This lac of planning BEFORE putting the eyeshades on means that all of that now must be done with the eyeshades on! While this team building actvity requires perseverance from the group, there is a great deal of learning that occurs as a result. Communication, or lack of good communication, creates very rich dialogue during the debrief. Leadership The leadership that will emerge and the group participation (or lack thereof) will always reveal interesting insights and draw out learning from the team members. Often, the leadership role will not change, even to the detriment of the team and accomplishing the exercise. Does this sound similar to work and/or life? The comment most often heard is that the leader wanted to give up the role, but felt uncomfortable telling the team they did not know what to do. Similarly, the team was frustrated with the leader due to lack of direction. Sound similar yet? Obviously, this does not happen in every group, but often once certain 'rules' are created, spoken or unspoken, they are difficult to break even when the team wants to. DIY Team Center Access Videos, photos, current tips and up-to-date activity usage is included on the activity page on our DIYTeamCenter.com website. After purchase, you will be emailed a login and password with a membership for the activities you have purchased. We couldn’t give you any more unless we were there in person to help you run it! What do I get with Perfect Square? The team building activity comes in an easy-to-use storage bag and includes the following:
It includes everything you need to provide a good quality, well thought out and meaningful learning opportunity. With each team building purchase, you also receive:
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