Using Games and Icebreakers With Groups

[Matt Weinstein]

This is for feedback on Saturday's session!

[Matt Weinstein]

Here is a brief outline of the games we played in the session:

Fingertouch: find partners
Centaur Hello (person behind controls the person in front---greet the other centaurs.)
[Partners: develop a secret handshake]
Incorporations--- forming and re-forming groups:
3, 3+3, find out their names, 3’s make the letter H with your bodies
2’s pushing and pulling. Double the size of your group (4’s pushing and pulling), Double the size of your group again (8’s pushing and pulling)

[Partners: develop your own special dance together]

Changing The Game:

History of The Games Preserve. Bernie DeKoven at www.Deepfun.com
competitive versus cooperative games; win-lose vs. sink or swim games:
Rock, Paper, Scissors (competitive)
What do I like/not like about it? Morphs into….
Hound dog, Fireworks, Person (cooperative) with corporate debrief
Ethics discussion: using other people’s signature stories/games without attribution
Three Positions (group triangular formation, invent your own positions) with leadership debrief

Choose new partners for: Ultimate Rock, Paper, Scissors with one final champion


Inventing Games:
Slow Motion Tag
Amoeba Tag
Hug Tag
10 mins: Goups of Four: Design “Sing Tag,” plus another pair thing like dance and handshake
“Sing Tag” Revealed and facilitated and played

Get back together with Handshake Partner: One thing you learned/re-learned today
Get back together with Dance Partner: One thing you like about being part of this conference so far
Wonderful Circle: final sharing of highlights

[Teresa Norton]

Matt you are a star!!! Thanks for the rundown above. That's just what I need to trigger my memory. I have shared (and attributed) the WWF rock, paper, scissors championship activity and it is almost as fun to recall as it was to participate... now that's a piece with staying power.

So very much looking forward to playing with you again sometime soon.

All good things,

Teresa

[Leif Hansen]

I came to the session in a bit of a funk, knowing I needed to get out of my head. By the end of the session I had (almost) forgotten what I was so upset about -thanks Matt ;)

[Jodi Cohen]

i loved doing the activities and also hearing about how you use them, how you set things up, how you debrief. your work with big groups is mind blowing. (5000 people playing rock paper scissors with one victor!!!) your energy and enthusiasm are contagious. there wasn't alot of time to get thinky about things. the after lunch slot is tricky and it was fun and invigorating to move around, meet new folks and learn and relearn games. i loved the singing games, being invited to create new games right on the spot. impressed by how to translate rock/paper/scissors into something that is cooperative instead of competitive. that triggers me to wonder: how to do that with other things? what can be tweaked to take something divisive and turn it into something that connects us?

it's inspiring to see your resilience, as an experienced improviser, and how open you are to new things. plus you are adorable.

i also didn't write down all the games we played and would appreciate anyone's notes from that session!

jodi

[Simo Routarinne]

Matt!

I just love you! I agree with Jodi with all my heart, it was a pleasure to be in your workshop!
And a funny realization came to me from Jodi's reply: I do not use the word improvisation in corporate surroungings, but instead I talk about constructive or COOPERATIVE interaction as an opposite of COMPETITIVE interaction!

After Thiagi and you Matt I now feel very good creating new games as the need emerges! THANK YOU!

Simo