Selective Listening

Selective listening is the act of hearing and interpreting only parts of a message that seem relevant to
you, while ignoring or devaluing the rest. Often, selective listeners will form arguments before theyve
heard the full story, making them not only poor listeners, but poor speakers too!
To confront this in a group environment, one moderator should compose a list of objects or ideas, all
similar in theme. For example: turkey, lettuce, tomato, mayo, mustard, cheese, etc. These are all
sandwich components, and most people will recognize this. The list should be relatively long, maybe
15 to 20 words, and have some repeated words. For example: turkey, lettuce, tomato, mayo, mustard,
cheese, ham, lettuce, pickles, onion, olives, lettuce
The moderator should read this list to the group, and then allot them 30 seconds to write down as many
words as they can remember. Most people will remember the word that was repeated the most, and a
notable amount will most likely write down words that were obvious, but not actually stated in the list.
For example: bread, sandwich, or food.

Group Storytelling
A good listener should be able to view a discussion as a whole, and not just its most immediate parts.
The group storytelling activity is a fun, potentially silly, but incredibly valuable exercise in active
listening and comprehension.
This activity should have one group moderator, who will deliver the storys first line. It should be
something simple, and open for many possible continuations, such as, So the other day, I went to the
store.
Each participant in the group is responsible for making up their own contribution to the story, a single
sentence that logically continues from the last. Meanwhile, the group moderator should be keeping
track of the story on a computer or in a notepad, checking each addition for possible continuity errors.
Most of the time, there will be a few additions that contradict previous parts of the story. The moderator
should hold out on identifying these until the full story has been written, and can be read aloud to the
group. Then, the group can discuss how these mistakes were made, and what sorts of listening skills
they should practice to ensure important information is never forgotten.

List-less
Here is a quick one that I use in my workshops: List about 18 related words, pick any topic, for example,
sleep, mattress, pillow, snore etc. pick one word to be intermingled in the list three times, such as, the 3rd,
7th, and 12th word will be sleep. Leave out one obvious word from the list such as bed. Ask
attendees to listen as you read the list to them.
Give them one minute to write as many words as they can remember that you said. Usually 60% will
remember the first word, 75% will get the last word on your list, 80% will remember the word that was
repeated three times and 20% will write down the obvious word you never said. Debrief why all this
happened and what we can learn from this. Posted by Glen Mountford TuckerAll Posts
 Selective Attention
This is great for groups of 10 or more. Ive found that only about 20 percent of the people actually pick
up the gorilla. Good luck! Posted by Clint Babcock
http://www.theinvisiblegorilla.com/gorilla_experiment.html

Interpretation of Meaning
Use a series of words/phrases and ask the group to write down what the words/phrases mean to them. For
example, this material is outdated, and Ill get back to you in a bit. These phrases mean different
things to different people and thats why we must be specific when we communicate. The responses are
very interesting! Some thought that a bit was five minutes, while others thought a day or so. For the
material being outdated, the same applied. Some participants thought outdated material could be a month
old, while others thought at least a year. Its interesting how we interpret different things from everyday
phrases. Posted by Victoria L. McDevitt

Paper Folding
Give everyone a sheet of paper.
Tell everyone to close their eyes and follow your instructions.
Start giving instructions about what to do with the piece of paper examples :
fold it in half
fold the lower left corner over the upper right corner
turn it 90 degrees to the left
fold it again
rip a half-circle in the middle of the right side
etc.
Once you have given quite a few instructions (more then 10 at least for a great success), tell
everyone to open their eyes and unfold their piece of paper.
Even though they all received the same instructions and had the same starting material, pretty
much everyone will have a different result.
Conclusions :
We dont all start with the sames base (some held their piece of paper vertically or horizontally)
so we dont all have the same results
Some interpreted to rip a piece of paper as removing a big piece, some as a small piece
Having eyes closed = not receiving feedback on our performance
Some instructions appear vague to some and clear to others.
Many other conclusions can be drawn on the fly from this
Draw what you hear
Pair people up and ask your couples to sit back to back. One person in each pair should have a piece of
paper and a pen or pencil. Once everyone has settled, give the other person in the pair an abstract drawing
(different shapes maybe joined up together) to describe to the other person in the pair. Give them two
minutes to describe and draw without asking or answering any questions. Then you allow another minute
for the drawer to ask questions.
Debrief: When the time is up, ask them to compare the drawing to the original. Discuss why there were
differences (there always are!). Was it the describing or was it the listening? Was it because they couldnt
ask questions to clarify what was being described and what about not being able to see the person to get
the visual clues of looking for understanding of what one is saying e.g. nodding or frowning etc What
about the noise in the room is it a distraction when you want to listen to someone properly? What
should you do to create a good environment for listening; how should you behave to show you are
listening? etc . Posted by Sandie Gay
Variation: Conduct the exercise in a series of rounds. In every round the communicator will describe a
picture we give them of assorted geometrical shapes. In the first round the listener/drawer cant ask any
questions, just listen and draw based on what they hear. The second round a different picture of geometric
shapes is described and the listener/drawer can only asked closed-ended questions. The third round a
different picture of geometric shapes is given and the listener/drawer can use his/her active listening
skills. We discuss how accurate were the pictures? How well the communicator describes the picture will
determine how successful they want to be with a customer. Posted by Annette West

Telling vs. Showing

This quick exercise can be used as a closer or as a listening exercise, to reinforce the message
that actions speak louder than words. I say: Please follow my words. Raise your right hand over
your head. Keep following my words. Make a fist. Please make sure to follow my words. Round your fist
three times and then put your fist on your forehead! (just before this moment, you put your own fist on
your jaw!) You would find most of participant would follow your action and put their fists on their jaws!
Someone would find their mistakes and reput thier fists on their forehead, Then you can say: What
happend? Ive asked you to follow my words for three times, but you follow my actions! Why? Posted
online by Mark Guo
Great example of telling your group to do one thing and showing them another. Interesting to see how
they hear your instructions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNA1278Y7ZM Posted by Denzal Sunny

Building a model
Materials and Preparation 2 matching sets of childrens building blocks (e.g. Lego), with 10 blocks and
1 base board in each set. Using one set of blocks, build a random object using the 10 blocks, onto the base
board. Optional 2 bags to contain each set of building blocks.
Time 45 mins
Group Size minimum 3 people, up to about 7.
(You can have duplicate exercise running in parallel if group is larger, but will need more sets of building
blocks).
There are 4 roles in this communication skills game.
Person A director
Person B runner
Person C builder
Person(s) D observer(s)
Person A is given the built-up set of blocks, and is the only person who can see the object. It is the
directors job to give clear instructions to person B, the runner, so that person C can build an exact replica
of the model.
Person B listens to the directors instructions and runs to a different part of the room to where person C is
sitting. The runner then passes on the building instructions, without seeing the building blocks, to Person
C, the builder. The runner can make as many trips as required within the time allowed for the exercise.
Person C listens to the runners instructions and builds the object from the set of building blocks. The
builder is the only person who can see the object under construction, and building materials.
Person(s) D observe the communication game, and make notes about what works, what doesnt work, and
how people behaved under pressure etc., to pass onto the group later.
Set a time limit for the exercise of 10 minutes.
When the time is up, allow the group to compare the model and the replica, and see how closely it
matches. Generally, the replica will bear little resemblance to the original, which usually causes heated
discussion!
Allow the group to reflect on how the exercise went, and agree 1 thing they did well, 1 thing that didnt
work, and 1 thing they would do better next time.
Run the exercise again, either switching or keeping original roles, and see if any improvements have been
made. Make sure you de-construct the original model and create a new design!
This simple communication skills game can be run many times without losing learning potential. Teams
can add layers of sophistication to their communication by making use of aids such as diagrams, codes,
standard procedures and using active listening techniques. Posted by Najeeb Muhammad

Here are a few other takes on this one:

One that works for both listening and communicating is to divide into two (or more) teams and have each
team select a leader. The leader is given a set of tinker toys, blocks or Lincoln Logs and an picture of an
item that can be built with them. It is his job to communicate to his team what they need to do to build the
object without showing them the picture. It is their job to listen and do. The competition between teams is
to see who can get their object done first, and closest to the picture. Same object, but in different parts of a
large room. or different rooms.Posted by Linda Williams
We use Tinker Toys. Have 2 people sit facing away from each other. One (the leader) has a series of
photos of an object created with tinker toys. 3-4 photos of the object from different angles. The other
person (the follow) has the toys in front of him on a table. The leader must get the follower to make the
toy within 10 min without either of them turning around. Be sure to call the time at 5 min and then again
at 2 min as many will rush to complete the task. The outcome rarely comes put 100% correctly. Discuss
the communication that occurred via observers of what they saw (body language) and heard from the 2
performing the task. Get the 2 doing the tasks input on how it went first. Debrief that even a small error
could be an injury, accident, or significant issue to throw off a project or someones work. Discuss the
various terms used to describe things and how something as simple as explaining the color to someone
can devert the outcome. We start the discussion of communication with this exercise and then talk back to
it most the week with other things that come up. It can be used as a simple 15 exercise, however, on the
importance of communication and that if the outcome isnt what you wanted (picture = your vision) then
its generally the leaders fault for not giving good expectations of what the project should look like in the
end and show to sucessfully get there. Its powerful. It works well with those that think theyre great
leaders/communicators. Posted online by Barbara Cates

PBJ Sandwich Instructions

Participants are given recipe cards and instructed to write directions for making a peanut butter and jelly
sandwich for someone who has never, ever, made a sandwich before and will be following your
instructions exactly.
Pick one or two recipe cards and follow directions literally.
Note: I have put a plastic tarp down under table with ingredients, wear a smock and sometimes rubber
gloves to follow the directions.
Enjoy taking instructions like: spread liberally a little some a lot and my personal
favorite.smash them together, literally.
Debrief: Discussions about new employees need for details, can we have too many details, different ways
words can be interpreted, need for measurements (3T vs. a lot)
Great just before a breakeveryone can make themselves a snack. Have plenty of cold milk on
hand. Posted by Jeri Mae Rowley

Pass the Ball

I created an exercise where the class participants had to pass a ball back and forth to one another. It
started out that the group was completely blindfolded and could not speak, next they were still
 blindfolded but were allowed to speak to one another, and lastly all obstacles to communication were
removed, and of course this allowed them to pass the ball freely to one another, even clear across the
room with great success. It works really well whenever I use it. It serves as a great demo, and also gets
people charged for a participative session.

Hear it. See it. Do it. (a.k.a. Simon Says)

Tell the group that they need to listen to whatever you say and do accordingly.
Then tell them a few things like stretch your right arm, touch your knee etc and while saying these
instructions, do them yourself. Most participants will look at what you are doing rather than listen to what
you are saying.
After a few instructions, tell them that they need to touch their cheek but make sure that with your actions
you have touched your chin. Most participants will touch their chin instead of the cheek. Posted online by
Rohini DSouza

Shhhh. Just listen . . .

Put the class into dyads. One of the two is selected as the listener. The listener may make only 3
statements during the 5 to 10 minute time allocation. The listener must somehow get the speaker to
continue talking without saying much. I ask the speaker to relay a situation that should be comfortable (an
award, a special event, etc.). After the time allocation, I then ask the dyads to switch roles. The discussion
that follows concentrates on:
How the speaker felt when the person just listened and did not exchange information
How the nonverbal signals encouraged the speaker
How uncomfortable the silence was
How it felt to just listen without having the pressure to contribute
How the speaker felt having the freedom to say whatever he/she felt.
Posted online by Leslie Orr

Draw it
Another simpler exercise that Ill use involves asking a volunteer to perform a task for me, but with
minimal instructions. (ie. draw my house.) Repeatedly, theyll make submissions and Ill mockingly
berate them for poor job performance. Eventually Ill ask them to sit down. Ill then ask for another
volunteer to perform the task, but this time I provide them with great detail. Of course they are able to
complete the task with much more success.

Chinese Whisper Game

Sentences to use:
 A writer writes not because he is educated but because he is driven by the need to communicate.
Behind the need to communicate is the need to share. Behind the need to share is the need to be
understood.
Hello, I am in Room 701. May I please have the sirloin steak, cooked medium rare, garlic
potatoes, and salad with the dressing on the side? (NOTE: Add in some emotion, such as dissatisfaction
by the customer, and it becomes even more challengingand a wonderful opportunity to practise the
more difficult interactions with guests.)
I have customers requesting different things, all of which include either numbers, sizes, shapes,
colours etc. For example, one lady has ordered a special occasion cake of a certain weight and type with
specific writing, such as Happy Birthday Joaquim (the names are always of different nationalities and
require spelling) and she is asking when it will be delivered and to confirm the price. Another customer
has requested a pair of trousers to be shortened and gives details and complains as they are now too short,
etc. etc.
Ive used the Chinese whispers exercise in a slightly different way: I get six volunteers from a class of
about 20. The six all go outside. The first person then comes inside. I have a prepared script of about two
long sentences which I read to the class and the volunteer and then put the script away. I then invite the
next person into the room and ask the first person to tell them what was read out. Then the second person
invites the third in and repeats the information until all the volunteers have entered. What is so
fascinating is for the class to watch how the individuals morph the message by leaving bits out or by
altering words etc until the end result is very different from the first. The script of course is shared with
the other volunteers after the end of the exercise for their information, and causes much amusement.

Happy & Sad Behaviors

Split the entire team into two groups. Send one group outside the classroom.
Tell the group (Group 1) inside that classroom that, people from the group outside the classroom will
come in and share a happy incident/experience with them. They must not listen to what is being said.
Give participants hints about not listening no eye contact, talking with someone else, fiddling the
mobile, writing something in their pad, asking irrelevant questions, etc.
Now instruct the group outside the classroom to think of a happy incident in their life and share it with
anyone whom they are comfortable with inside the classroom.
Let the participants interact. Give them about 5 minutes.
Now ask Group 1 to go out of the classroom. Tell the group (Group 2) inside that classroom that, people
from the group outside the classroom will come in and share a sad incident/experience with them. Give
participants hints about listening carefully Eye contact, Body Posture, Rephrasing, Relevant Questions,
Empathizing, etc.
Now instruct the group outside the classroom (Group 1) to think of a sad incident in their life and share it
with anyone whom they are comfortable with inside the classroom. They can choose a different partner.
Let the participants interact. Give them about 5 minutes.
Now divide the whiteboard into two. On the left side, write Group 2 and right side Group 1.
Ask Group 2, if they felt their partners listened to them. When they say NO, ask them how they found
out that their partners did not listen to them. List them down in Group 2 side of the white board.
Ask Group 1, if they felt their partners listened to them. When they say YES ask them how they found
out that their partners listened to them. List them down in Group 1 side of the white board.
Then take real life scenarios from their work place and identify potential situations when they may not be
listening actively and the its impact on their work. (Example, when working on an urgent report that has
to be submitted and a colleague interrupts them. Ask them do you stop working on the report or do you
keep working on the report while asking the colleague to continue talking?)
I find this activity works great in all my workshops.
Let me know if you need more information.
Posted by Sridhar R

Dominoes
One of the listening skills activities that I do is that you have people get in groups of 2, you give one of
them a pack of 8 dominos and the other a shape diagram of rectangles (dominos) in a random pattern.
Only the person without the dominos should see the pattern. They sit back to back on the floor or the one
with the dominos at a table and the other in a chair back to back. The one with the diagram instructs the
other on placing the dominos to match the diagram. The one with the dominos cannot speak. They get 2
min. I usually do this in a big group where they are all working in pairs at once.
Then they switch roles, get a new pattern and do the exercise again, this time the person with the dominos
is allowed to speak. 2 min. usually successful.
Then we debrief looking at challenges, jargon words used, analyze how they provided instructions
without being able to watch the person, tone, questions asked, etc. ( I have this all in a document if you
want it) It is quite fun and enlightening for those who are training to be able to be in a support role with
technology. Posted by Karen McRitchie

Question challenges
I have found it useful to use creative thinking questions as a good way to stimulate listening. Here are
just a few that I use (with answers in brackets!)
Carl Wins: Carl wins race after race, he is the fastest runner, yet he gets no trophy, why? {Carl is a
horse.}
To Light a Fire: You are hiking with a friend in the deep woods of northern Canada. A cold front quickly
approaches and you find cover behind a sheltered boulder. A fire will be necessary if you are to survive
the storm. In your pack you have only one match, a candle, a tightly wound ball of birch bark and a roll of
toilet paper. Which would you light first? {The Match}
A Good Guess?: There is a man who guesses the score of every football game before Kick-off. How can
he do this? {Before the game starts the score is always 0-0}
Digging Dirt: How much dirt is in a round hole that is 7 feet deep with a diameter of 4.5 feet? {None at
all. The hole is made by digging dirt out, so the hole is empty.}
The Crazy Cat: A cat jumped out the window of a 30 storey apartment building and lived. How? {He
jumped out the ground floor window.}
The Pilot: There is a boy and his father on a late flight from New York to Denver. Part way through the
flight the boy becomes curious and asks to see the plane controls. They allow him in the cockpit, the pilot
shows him the controls and after the boy goes back to his seat the pilot tells one of the attendants, thats
my son. How is this possible? {The pilot is the boys mother, and you thought all pilots were men!}
Frequent Occurrence: It occurs once in a minute and once in an hour, but never in a second. What is it?
{The letter U.}
One-Way Street: A girl who was just learning to drive went down a one-way street in the wrong direction,
but didnt break the law. How come? {She was walking.}
Saw Purchase: A profoundly deaf person decides that he wants to build some shelves, so he heads down
to the hardware store to buy a saw. How does he let the assistant know that he wants to buy a saw? {He
says, Hello shop assistant, Id like to buy a saw please.}
Posted by Mark Crawford

Building Blocks
I have found childrens blocks to be very usefull in learning to listen. I put together 8 blocks of different
shapes and sizes into bags. Then I have people partner up and one person empties the bag while the other
is blindfolded and sitting at the table waiting for directions on how to build a specified object with the
blocks. As the one without the blindfold gives directions on how to use the blocks to build the specified
structure the blindfolded participant has to listen very carefully to the directions and use their sense of
touch to determine which block to use and how. I find that when they are under a time limit and given
incentives to do their best, people really listen well and get very close to the required structure. We
debrief after the exercise and I find alot of people realize they hear so much more than just the directions
when they are blindfolded. Its also alot of fun. Posted by Jeff Trimble

Situational Awareness AND active listening

Listening with situational awareness is critical in our field, in which emergency services call-takers and
dispatchers must both actively listen to their call as well as scan the other call-takers so as to be
aware of other incidents occurring. This is an extremely difficult field and the number of people who can
both actively listen and still maintain a situation awareness is very small. When I train I want to
incorporate as many exercises as possible to help them learn this challenging skill.
I have great success with this situational awareness listening technique. I pass out topics and pair the
class up. I then have them discuss their topic between themselves for 2 minutes. After the 2 minutes are
up I ask them what each of their neighbors were talking about NOT what they discussed. Most of the
time they cant give me any information at all. We then repeat the exercise with different topics but this
time they are more able to give me feedback on what groups around them were discussing. This has been
valuable for teaching to listen not only to what is being said to the individual but also what is being said
around a situation. Posted by Julie Worthing

Making a fist and challenging assumptions

Take 2 volunteers from the class. Tell one to make a fist and the other to open it. 99% of the crowd fails in
this as one person makes the fist and the other struggles. Why??? Because the person who made the fist
resists. Then I tell my class that I had only asked one to make a fist and the other to open it. Never asked
to resist. This way I teach them the pros and cons of inactive listening and assumption. Posted by Sohini
Mazumder

Good Marker, Bad Marker. Okay, Ready?

This one is a little difficult to explain, but I will try. I take a marker/Highlighter/Dry Erase Marker in my
hand. I have all of the trainees line up at the other end of the room. I tell them all they have to do is tell
me when the marker is a good marker and when it is a bad marker.
I hold the marker in my left hand and say This is a good marker, Okay, I then through it and catch it in
my right hand and say This is a bad marker, Ready. I proceed to do this about 3 or 4 times. As soon as
a person starts to walk towards me I change it up. I have the marker in my right hand and say This is a
good marker,Okay, then throw it and catch it in my left and say This is a bad marker, Ready. This
person still come ups and whispers in my ear, it is good when it is in your left hand and bad when it is
your right. Of course this is not correct and the person will go back in line. I continue throwing the
marker around, setting it on tables, dropping it on the floor and each time I point to it, pick it up or catch
it I will say. This is a good marker, Okay, the next time I touch it I will say This is a bad
marker, Ready.
Here is the trick: (although I am sure most of you have figured it out already). It is a good marker when
I say the work Okay, it is a bad marker when I say the word Ready.
The whole idea behind the exercise is to show people that we allow visual stimulus to get in the way of
our listening. I use the Marker to distract them visually so they are not listening. Most trainees get it
within a couple of minutes; for those who dont, I ask them close their eyes. Once they do this they will
usually get it. Finally, we debrief what happened and why it was so hard to hear what was going on.
We tie this back to active listening. Posted by Thomas Swartwood
Difficult Customer Role Play
Have participants pair up with a partner for a role play. One person can be the difficult customer and the
other the customer service rep, then they can switch roles. The best way to diffuse a tense situation is to
use active listening let the customer know you hear what they are saying. But its important not to make
any promises at that stage of the exchange because that costs money. But acknowledge the customers
frustration and let them vent. Then move on to problem solving get the customer to help in solving the
problem and then work on solving it together. Posted by Tom Lord

Retelling the Story

One exercise I use to show the short comings of poor listening skills is to tell a complicated story about a
non-event. I have several people (depending on the amount of time and size of the group, usually about 6)
leave the room. I read the story to the first person and the remainder of the class explaining that this first
person must tell the story to the next person to come back in the room. The remainder of the class
observes and tracks what was left out or changed in the story. When the first person tells the story to the
second, the second then tells it to the third until all the people outside the room hear the story. The last
person relays what he/she heard. We discuss when and how the information was lost or distorted and
why. Posted online by Leslie Orr

Not Listening or A-B-C Listening

Divide your group into pairs. For Round 1, give partner 1 the NL Instruction sheet (described below),
then ask partner 2 to tell their mate what the think is most important about communicating and an
example of a time when they felt they were not communicating well with someone else. Stop the group
after a minute or two.
For Round 2, give partner 2 the ABC Instruction sheet, and ask partner 1 sharing their communication
story. After a minute, ask everyone to share how they felt and why. Stop the group after a minute or two.
The NL Instruction Sheet says: Do not allow your partner to read this sheet! Your job is to NOT
LISTEN while your partner is talking. You may do this in any way you like, as long as you stay in your
seat. You may occasionally say something, but it need not relate to whatever your partner has been saying.
Although your partner may realize you are not being attentive, do not tell him or her that you are
deliberately not listening.
 The ABC Sheet Instruction sheet says: Do not allow you partner to read this sheet! As your partner is
talking, keep track of the number of words he or she uses that begin with a, b, and c. Do not count
the words a, an, or and. Do not tell your partner what you are doing. You can take part in the
conversation, but be sure to keep an accurate score while your partner is talking.
Debrief: After each group has experienced non-listening behaviors, what what happened and how it
relates to listening and getting your message across. Posted online by Todd Wilmore

Open-ended Question Challenge

Either split into pairs or, if the group is not too large, work your way around to each participant.
Ask each participant puts a small financial incentive down as their stake in the game (coins, a pen, etc).
Then challenge them to begin by asking you (or their partner) an open-ended question (what, where,
when, why, how). When they get their reply, they must follow-up with four further questions. If they
succeed they keep their money. If they ask a closed question they loose their money.
As you do the exercise, its okay to put on a bit of time pressure, too. They will find that only through
actively listening to the answers can they keep up the open questionning. I have Paul Davies of Sigma
Management Development to thank for this one. Posted by Alex Lever

Paper Cut
This is a 5 to 10-minute, highly effective activity on importance of perception and asking questions in
communication process. The exercise illustrates the importance of giving meaningful instructions to
others and expecting feedback for correct execution of those instructions. It is fun and quickly makes a
point.
Materials needed: one sheet of A4 or 8.511 paper for each participant; scissors are optional
Instructions: Explain to delegates that you are about to give them instructions and they must follow
these instructions as given to them. They must follow these quietly and are not allowed to ask any
questions. They should not get help from others around them or even look at other peoples work.
If anyone asked questions, simply tell them to follow the instructions as they see fit. Present these
instructions:
Hold up the papers please.
Fold the paper in half.
Cut (or neatly tear) off the top right corner of the folded paper.
Fold in half again.
Cut off the top left corner of the paper.
Fold in half again.
Cut off the bottom right corner of the paper.
Fold in half.
 Cut off the bottom left corner of the paper.
Unfold the paper.
Ask delegates to show off their unfolded papers to each other and examine similarities or differences.
Debrief
Simply ask: Did you end up with similar patterns or everyones pattern was different? Why is that? Were
the instructions clear enough? What was missing? Why feedback is so critical in communication? What
happens if feedback is missing? What lessons do we take from this?
Source: Skills Converged; Posted online by Srishty Gajbhiye

Blindfolded Egg in Spoon Obstacle Carry

This out-of-the-box and fun activity is a throw back to when we were kids. Because most people can
recognize the game it, puts them at ease relatively quickly, especially if folks dont know each other well.
It does require a little room but can be adjusted to suit the facilities. I would normally set up 3 4 lanes
side by side over a reasonable expanse, insert obstacles and challenges in each course (these could be
chairs, whiteboards, poles, trip hazards etc.; the number and types of obstacles depend on the site). Then
we break into groups of 2. One person is blindfolded and holds an egg on a spoon and the other guides
them down the course from a distance. Added complexities included getting the blind folded person to
wear thick gloves. We then swap the participant roles and during this process change the course.
I generally run this with operational groups and have received great feedback. We use this exercise to
highlight the importance of communication with so many distractions in workplaces. We also use it to
highlight the importance of ensuring each others safety risk awareness and injury prevention. Every
time we have run this exercise, its a hoot and the feedback is overwhelming good. Posted online by Ann
Russell