Don't spill it!
Featured in the The Team Working Activity Pack training manual
By Rod Storey
Category: Team Building
Credit price: 3 download credits (Single user)
In any team the members need to be able to use initiative and creativity in order to solve problems. In addition they need to consider and evaluate several different ideas, often from different team members, before deciding on the best course of action. At the same time they need to involve all the members of the team in order to build commitment and ‘ownership’ of the problem and solution. This exercise gives a realistic way of developing these skills, with a lot of fun as well!
You begin the training activity by explaining the need to examine a range of ideas when faced with a problem, the need to evaluate each one, and to make team members feel involved and needed by the team. In teams, the participants plan and build an apparatus to complete an ‘impossible’ task requiring ingenuity, creativity, communication and co-operation from each member of the team. During the preparation stage you and/or a colleague act as observer and provide independent feedback for the participants at the debriefing. The transportation devices produced by the teams are judged and awarded points by you based on four factors. The winning team is the one to score the highest mark for construction and operation of their device. The participants share what they have learned in a team debrief, or there is a final discussion all together to explore the learning points. Variations of the exercise focus on leadership and planning skills.
Who is it for: This training resource is intended for use by trainers to enable participants to use creativity to solve a problem. As well as creativity and problem solving, the exercise emphasises the need for good planning.
| Resource Type: | Activity |
| Min Group Size: | 4 |
| Max Group Size: | 8 |
| Typical Duration: | 01:20:00 |
| No of Pages: | 13 |
Resources: View standard resources for Fenman training activities
Additional resources: Various items for each team (see activity for full details), Stopwatch, Masking tape
Purpose: This training resource is intended for use by trainers to use part way through a team-building course or programme. A useful follow on to ‘The clock’, it requires creative thinking. It can be particularly effective at the end of a day or in the early evening if wine is used instead of water – participants tend not to spill much of that!
Download the training activity, Don't spill it! as featured in the Fenman training manual; The Team Working Activity Pack