E X E R C IS E S , G A M E S & S IM U L A T IO N S

fo r M a n a g e m e n t D e v e lo p m e n t

The Assertiveness Game

A g r e a t w a y t o in t r o d u c e t h e s u b je c t o f a s s e r t iv e n e s s a t w o r k ! A p a r t ic ip a t iv e a c t iv it y b u t d e fin it e ly N O T a r o le p la y .

P a rtic ip a n ts w ill r e c o g n is e t h e d iffe re n c e s b e t w e e n a s s e rt iv e , n o n - a s s e rt iv e a n d a g g re s s iv e b e h a v io u rs d is c u s s a n d a g re e t h e b e n e fit s o f a s s e rt iv e n e s s r e c o g n is e t h e la n g u a g e o f a s s e rt iv e n e s s e s t a b lis h a n a c t io n p la n t o im p ro v e a s s e rt iv e b e h a v io u r a n d s e lfe ste e m

T im in g N u m b e rs P ric e 1 to 1 .5 h o u rs U p to 1 2 p a rtic ip a n ts 350

How it Works
T h e A sse rtiv e n e ss G a m e is a b o a rd g a m e fo r u p to s ix p la y e rs . T w o b o a rd s a re p ro v id e d in th e p a c k s o y o u c a n u s e it w ith u p to 1 2 p a rtic ip a n ts o r, fo r la rg e r n u m b e rs , o rd e r m o re b o a rd s fro m N o rth g a te .
It is e x tre m e ly s tra ig h tfo rw a rd to u s e . S im p ly in tro d u c e th e a c tiv ity u s in g th e P o w e rP o in t p re s e n ta tio n p ro v id e d in th e p a c k . O b s e rv e te a m s in a c tio n a n d th e n le a d a d is c u s s io n a n d d e b rie f a t th e e n d a g a in u s in g th e P o w e rP o in t p re s e n ta tio n a n d th e g u id a n c e n o te s p ro v id e d . T h e G a m e B o a rd p ro v id e s a s tru c tu re to th e a c tiv ity a n d e n a b le s p a rtic ip a n ts to ta k e tu rn s s o th a t e v e ry o n e is a b le to p a rtic ip a te . T h e c e n tra l fe a tu re is a p a c k o f 3 0 c a rd s w h ic h a re d iv id e d in to th re e ty p e s : T ru e o r F a ls e ? G ro u p T a s k s W h a t P e o p le S a y !

P la y e rs m o v e a c ro s s th e b o a rd b y th ro w in g d ic e . A p la y e r th e n ta k e s a c a rd fro m th e p ile o f c a rd s o n th e b o a rd - a n d re a d s it o u t fo r th e w h o le g ro u p to a d d re s s . If th e p la y e r p ic k s a T r u e o r F a ls e ? c a rd th e n th e y m u s t d e c id e w h e th e r o r n o t th e s ta te m e n t o n th e c a rd c a n b e re g a rd e d a s tru e . If th e y th in k it is tru e th e n it is p la c e d in th e T ru e b o x o n th e b o a rd ; if fa ls e it g o e s in th e F a ls e b o x . T h e

s ta te m e n ts a re d e s ig n e d to g e t to th e b o tto m o f s o m e o f th e id e a s a n d m y th s a b o u t w h a t a s s e rtiv e n e s s is - a n d is n o t . If th e c a rd is a G r o u p T a s k c a rd th e n th e g ro u p c o m p le te s th e p a rtic u la r ta s k to g e th e r - re c o rd in g th e ir re s p o n s e o n a G r o u p F o r m w h ic h is c o n tro lle d b y a m e m b e r o f th e te a m w h o a c ts a s s c rib e . A g a in , th e m a in p o in t o f th is a c tiv ity is to p ro m o te d is c u s s io n a n d a w a re n e s s o f a s s e rtiv e b e h a v io u r a n d to c la rify k n o w le d g e . If th e c a rd is a W h a t P e o p le S a y ! c a rd th e g ro u p m u s t d is c u s s a n d d e c id e w h e th e r th e s p o k e n w o rd s o n th e c a rd a re a s s e rtiv e , n o n - a s s e rtiv e o r a g g re s s iv e . T h e s e c a rd s e n a b le p a rtic ip a n ts to re c o g n is e d iffe re n t s ty le s w h a t is a n a s s e rtiv e re m a rk , w h a t is n o n - a s s e rtiv e a n d w h a t is a g g re s s iv e ? If a p la y e r la n d s o n a Y E L L O W c irc le , p la y p ro c e e d s a s a b o v e e x c e p t th a t th e p la y e r

re sp o n d s to th e c a rd o n h is o r h e r o w n . T h e g ro u p a s a w h o le c a n o f c o u rs e d is c u s s th e p la y e rs d e c is io n a fte r it h a s b e e n m a d e b u t n o c h a n g e s c a n b e m a d e to th e p la y e rs d e c is io n a n d th e c a rd o r re s p o n s e m u s t re m a in a s th e y d e c id e d .
T h e g a m e fin is h e s e ith e r w h e n a p la y e r re a c h e s th e e n d o f th e b o a rd o r w h e n th e p ile o f c a rd s ru n s o u t.

The Debrief
It is im p o rta n t th a t th e c a rd s o n th e b o a rd a re le ft in th e ir c o rre c t p o s itio n s s o th a t w h e n th e g a m e is o v e r th e T ra in e r c a n w o rk th ro u g h a ll th e g ro u p s d e c is io n s b rie fly d is c u s s in g a n d a n n o u n c in g th e a p p ro p ria te b o x th a t e a c h c a rd s h o u ld b e in . T h e T ra in e r a ls o w o rk s th ro u g h th e G ro u p F o rm c h e c k in g a n d d is c u s s in g th e te a m s a n s w e rs re m e m b e rin g th a t th e m a in p o in t o f T h e A s s e r t iv e n e s s G a m e is t o p ro m o te d is c u s s io n a n d a w a re n e s s ra th e r th a n fo c u s o n c o rre c t a n s w e rs .

Mutual Respect is the Key

P e o p le c a n in c lin e in th e ir p e rs o n a lity to b e a s s e rtiv e o r n o n - a s s e rtiv e b u t p e o p le a ls o c h a n g e a c c o rd in g to th e p a rtic u la r s itu a tio n a n d w h o th e y a re w ith . R a th e r th a n s e e in g s o m e o n e a s b e in g rig id ly in o n e c a te g o ry o r th e o th e r, it is im p o rta n t to re a lis e th a t d iffe re n t b e h a v io u rs a re u s e d in d iffe re n t c o n te x ts . B y re c o g n is in g th e c o n te x t a n d b y u n d e rs ta n d in g a n d u s in g th e la n g u a g e o f a s s e rtiv e n e s s w e c a n a ll m a n a g e o th e r p e o p le m o re e ffe c tiv e ly , e n s u rin g th a t w e s ta n d u p fo r o u r o w n v ie w s a n d n e e d s b u t a t th e s a m e tim e w e re c o g n is e o u r re s p o n s ib ilitie s to o th e rs . M u tu a l re s p e c t is th e k e y . T h e A s s e r t iv e n e s s G a m e ra is e s a ll th e s e is s u e s a n d m o re !

Trainers Comments
The Assertiveness Game certainly got people talking about the subject. I had to get quite aggressive to stop them being so assertive! It deals with a difficult subject in a fun and intriguing way so that the team learned about the topic by osmosis rather than by direct learning.

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