Intended for:
This free energiser can be used during a training course related to problem solving. The aim is to help participants think laterally in order to the meaning behind the activity.
The energiser also helps participants understand how frustrating miscommunication can be when we don’t have all the facts and what this can mean in the workplace.
Training course contents:
A set of instructions for the free energiser, ‘Come to My Party’ can be downloaded for free from the link at the bottom of this page. You can also see the full energiser instructions below.
Instructions:
- Ask a participant if they’d like to come to a party? If they say yes, ask them what they are going to bring. It helps if first you tell them what you are going to bring…
e.g. “Hi, my name is Andrew and I am having a party. I am going to bring an anchor. What are you going to bring?”
- The ‘trick’ behind the statement is that the person should bring an item that begins with the first letter of their own name (Andrew – Anchor, Brian – Boomerang, Christine – Comb etc.). However, you will not tell the participants this.
- Work your way around each participant. Those that get the answer right, can come to the party (move them to your side of the room). Those that get the answer wrong, cannot go to the party (move them to the other side of the room).
- You may find that as you progress, you need to provide some clues.
In review:
There are many things you can discuss with this energiser. The main point is problem solving – how did the participants work out the solution? What were the steps to getting there?
Another point is the frustration of not knowing the answer and the miscommunication involved. How did they feel? What helped/hindered?
Objectives:
This free energiser helps participants focus on lateral thinking, problem solving and effective communication.
