Page 237 - The Creative Training Idea Book Inspired Tips and Techniques for Engaging and Effective Learning

lucas chap 06 11/20/02 12:21 PM Page 226
226 The Creative Training Idea Book
BRIGHT I DEA
Symbols of Office
®
se Mondo Koosh or foam rubber/sponge balls as symbols of office for your
Uleaders. Place one ball at random locations so that each group will have a
leader for your first activity. For you second activity, have the former leaders gently
toss their balls to anyone else in their group. That person just “volunteered” to
be the new leader. Have the scribes similarly pass their symbol of office.
A variation on this is to allow the leaders to “delegate” their leadership
responsibilities to another member of their group. Before starting an activity,
identify who the group leaders are for each group. Next, announce that one of
the competencies of a good leader is to be able to delegate tasks effectively. Tell
them that the leaders may now delegate their leadership during the activity to
anyone else in their group, if they so desire. This technique usually generates a few
chuckles and a flurry of activity as people quickly transfer their symbol of office to
someone else.

Identifying Traits or Characteristics
Dozens of participants’ traits or characteristics can be used to designate them for spe-
cific tasks. However, be cautious not to choose something that will embarrass an indi-
vidual, such as a physical characteristic that he or she cannot change, for example,
weight, height, nose/shoe size, or eye/hair color. Nor should you focus on items related
to a group that they represent, for example, religion, sexual preference, or race. Doing
so might even lead to charges of discrimination or favoritism.
Some more acceptable possibilities include:

Birth date closest/farthest to the date of your program
Most/least pets

Longest/shortest time with organization
Person who most recently purchased a particular item (e.g., car, electrical appliance,
piece of clothing)
Person wearing the most of an item or color

Person carrying the most coins
Person with the most/least siblings
Person who traveled farthest/least to get to the program location
Person with decorative metal on his or her shoes
Person who has most recently participated in an athletic event