Library of facilitation techniques

The Thiagi Group

Workshop Activities and Training Games from The Thiagi Group.
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Thiagi Group

Name That Tune

communicationlearningthiagiskills
In his book, You Are Not So Smart, David McRaney describes an experiment by Elizabeth Newton that explains the illusion of transparency. This happens during the communication process when others are not privy to same information as we are. While we may think all of our thoughts and feelings are visible to others, we often overestimate the actual transfer of information. The participants pair up and one partner taps out a familiar song with fingertips. The finger-tapping partner predicts the listener will be able to guess the tune. These partners are surprised to discover that while the tune is obvious to them, their listening partner is unable to guess it.
Thiagi Group

Little Known Facts - I

get-to-knowicebreakerthiagiteam
People enjoy learning little-known facts (LKFs) about each other. (E.g. I have a twin brother / I always need to know which direction North is / etc.). They also enjoy revealing such facts to total strangers--perhaps because it makes them feel like celebrities. Participants guess LKFs about other people by asking Yes/No questions.
Thiagi Group

The Anchor Effect

anchoringproblem solvingthiagiissue analysis

This jolt demonstrates how the natural human tendency of becoming heavily attached to a starting value can influence our decision making.
The participants work with two different versions of the same questionnaire. One version asks a series of questions that provide low anchor values, while the other version provides high anchor values. The debriefing discussion examines how anchoring affects our decision making.

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Thiagi Group

Distance Makes The Brain Grow Stronger

creativityproblem solvingthiagiaction
This interesting exercise replicates research done by Evan Polman of New York University and Kyle Emich of Cornell University on construal level theory. You can find more information about this theory by visiting this page in Psychlopedia: http://www.psych-it.com.au/Psychlopedia/article.asp?id=79 The participants work with two different versions of the same problem. One version describes a problem faced by someone else while the other version identifies the problem confronting the reader. The debriefing suggests that it is easier to come up with creative solutions when people are thinking for someone other than themselves.
Thiagi Group

Playing with Status

teambuildingcommunicationteamthiagiself-awareness
Participants are given a short script of 8-10 lines of neutral dialogue. The scene may depict a job interview (see the sample below) or a coaching session. Pairs take turns enacting the scene, playing with the status relationships through non-verbal behaviours.
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Long Words

thiagistrategic planningstrategyaction

The real name of this jolt is Proactive Planning, but using that name will give away the key point that we want players to discover. Presented as a word game, this jolt lulls lures players to go after immediate gains in a mindless fashion only to regret the action later.

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What Do You Do?

actionthiagiopeningget-to-know

I dread the moment when people ask me, “What do you do?” I don't know how to explain that I am a performance technologist, or an instructional designer, or a facilitator. So I cheat by saying that I am a trainer.

Here's an activity that helps you become more fluent in explaining what you do for a living.

Thiagi Group

Words and Pictures

thiagiskillsreviewissue analysis

This is a modification of an interactive lecture activity that is transformed into a textra game. This activity can be inserted after participants finish reading a handout. It involves a poster preparation contest that taps into the listeners' linguistic and visual intelligences.

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