It is said (and sad) that we hit an age where we have to be all grown up and even the Bible says that there is a time when we should 'put away childish things'. But I've recently found myself at odds with this idea and verse as I have found myself getting childish things out, to turn them into a lesson for grown up's!
I was asked to come up with a brief in-room activity to take a 'comfortable' team up a gear - with limited time, space and resources (well, it was a charity!). So I set about deciding on a couple of activities to be sandwiched in between presenting some theory and generated discussions.
In a nutshell I had the team complete a jigsaw puzzle, designed for toddlers, somewhat limited by the blindfolds and rules representing real life challenges. The aim was to encourage some self awareness and extract some key team lessons... And then I finished by telling the story of 'The three little pigs' (also useful for project management!) to illustrate a few more points.
And the use of kids stuff wasn't where the 'childishness' ended, as I have to confess I did giggle a little watching the team undertake the challenge (which they had been warned might occur*)!
*More real life representation.
The result = The team learnt a lot and laughed a little; I learnt a little and laughed a lot. I got great feedback, and they got a simple activity they can work with again to continue improving as a team.
To try this in your workplace you will need:
- A willing team, with a sense of humour and adventure!
- A child's jigsaw puzzle
- Some blindfolds
- A stop watch
- Me! (so you know all the rules and get all the learning!)
To find out more about using kids stuff to get adults learning - or about my more sensible approaches to training -
Call me on 07887 643807.
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