Communication Excercise

The intention with this exercise is to practice the importance of focus, presence, listening, working together and communicating clearly in a chaotic space.

How:

Introduce that we are going to play a game to practice communication. We are going to create three different patterns in the groups that we are going to remember and practice during three rounds.

Instructions:

Form circles with 5-6 people in each circle.

First pattern is world cities. Everyone raises one hand up. One person starts by pointing(with the hand they had up) to another person and say a city they think of. The person being pointed at responds with the same city name, then points at another person who has their hands up and says another city name. The person that was pointed at now responds with the same city name and then points to another with another city name. This goes on until everyone in the group has sent and recieves a city name. The first person that sent the city name recieves a city name from the last person in the group. Now the group have made a pattern. The group have to remember who they sent their city name to and who they recieved it from. Let the group practice this pattern a few times.

Now the groups are going to practice the second pattern. Its going to work just as the first pattern but instead of city names they have to send animals. But now they have to make a new pattern in the group, meaning that they cannot send to the same person they sent to in the first pattern. Let the group practice a few times to establish their second pattern.

Now the group can practice their third pattern. This time with colors. Again important that they make a new pattern, meaning that they have to send to someone else they havent sent to before. Let them practice this also a few times.

Now the game really begins.

Tell them that we are now going to practice doing all the patterns at the same time. They can start with the first pattern and when you say Now they have to start the second pattern at the same time.

Let the game begin and after they have done a few rounds in the first game say now to make them start the second pattern. Let them continue doing this for a little while before you stop the game.

Reflect together around: How can we make this game easier for ourself? What works better?

This time we are going to do all the patterns. Begin with the first. Then introduce the second and when they are in a good flow introduce the third pattern.

Stop the game after alittle time and reflect on the same questions as above.

Now we are going to take the game up a notch. This time we are going to introduce a 4th pattern. This time anyone in the group can point to someone and say "you!". Then the person that pointed have to start walking towards the person they pointed to. The person they pointed to now have to point to someone else and say "you!" and walk towards them. And so the 4th pattern continues. By this time if the groups managed to do the first 3 patterns pretty well its most likely going to be chaotic for them. Continue alittlebit and the stop the game to reflect together around the same questions as above.