INTERACTIVE OF THE MONTH
This interactive exercise is one of more than 300 exercises and variations contained in Moving Beyond Icebreakers.
See chapter 4 of the excerpts from the book for what we mean by "processing."
DECEMBER:
Fill the Space, Shake the Hand
Goal: Interconnection
Time: 10 minutes (not including processing)
Physical contact: Hand shaking
Physical challenges: Must be able to move around the room.
Number of participants: 20-100
Space requirements: Open floor space
Materials needed: None
Preparation: None
Instructions
- Ask everyone to stand up, and point out the boundaries within which the exercise will operate.
- The object of the first part of the exercise is to fill spaces that are empty in the room or in a defined space. When you give the signal to begin, everyone should look around the room, identify an open space, and walk into it. After pausing for a moment, they move on to fill another open space.
- Let this go on for 30 seconds or so. Watch to see if people distribute themselves equally around the room, or if they are all clumped up.
- Ask everyone to freeze, then add the next element.
- In the second part of the exercise, everyone must shake hands (using one hand and then the other) with someone else as they move around the room. Before they can let go of one person's hand, they must be starting to shake hands with someone else. People should keep moving in a chain-like movement around the room, shaking one hand, reaching with the other hand, and so on. As they shake hands with each new person, they should introduce themselves.
Processing suggestions
- This exercise shows how a group can work well, with everyone moving in to fill the empty spaces (to do what needs to be done).
- The second part of the exercise shows how important it is to nurture interpersonal relationships in the group or in the community. Being personally connected to others is what will make the environment fluid and productive. You can use this exercise to stress the importance of reaching out to people, especially those you don't know well.
- Were people spread out equally in the first part of the exercise? Did people fill all the empty spaces? What empty spaces are there in the group's work that still need to be filled?
- In the second part of the exercise, did anyone have no one to shake hands with? How did that feel?
Multicultural Fill the Space, Shake the Hand
Additional goals: Communication, Cultural awareness
Preparation: Prepare a list of greetings in other languages.
Instructions
- Do the first part of the exercise as described for FILL THE SPACE, SHAKE THE HAND.
- Before introducing the second part (in which people shake hands and introduce themselves), show the group the list of greetings in other languages and have them practice saying each greeting together.
- Instruct people to use as many greetings as they can as they move around the room shaking hands.
Additional processing suggestions
- Adding the multicultural element allows you to make points about reaching out to people of different backgrounds and cultures, and about taking the risk of addressing people in their own language.
- What did it feel like to speak in different languages? If you know those languages, what did it feel like to hear those languages spoken?