Have you played FOUR CORNERS?

One of the most flexible, adaptable and modifiable Frame Game/activity which I use extensively in my programs, is the popular game of Four Corners.

In one of the versions of the game, Four Corners in the room are identified. The music is played and players all move around the room. When the music stops, the players scamper to choose one of the corners of the room. The person conducting the game picks up one of the chits from the bowl kept in the corner table. All the players in that corner are out of the game. The game is continued till there is one winner left.

In the modified version, which we use in our training programs, we also identify the four-five corners in the room. Then as per the objectives of the session , the trainer takes in the elements of a certain session which need to be discussed with the participants. These could be the four most important qualities of a leader, the top four customer queries received at the call center during the holiday season, top five reasons for high attrition rate in the last training quarter, and so on. The corners are clearly labelled and marked distinctly then. E.g in the first case the four corners could be : Visionary, Go-getter, Team player, Executioner

The music starts and the participants move around the room.

On stopping of the music the participants are asked to choose a corner.

Once they choose a corner, one by one, they are asked to give the reasons why they have chosen to be in that corner. They could also be made to debate with each other about why the corner they have chosen is the best.

There are three things which happen in this game , which is an ideal warm up activity or a game:

• People, who hesitate to open up, speak unhesitatingly.
• The trainer also gets to understand the views of the participants without obviously and directly asking them.
• There is movement in the room and the session becomes more interesting

A regular question answer session is enlivened and made more FUN through this frame activity!

Can you use childhood activities to augment your training session?

When one is designing games to meet the learning objectives of the session, one doesn’t always need to think: Complicated!

Simple childhood activities or games played at home or elsewhere can be creatively modified to create fun and enthusiasm in a training room in a very easy yet impactful way

Some childhood activities/games which I have used extensively in my training programs are mentioned here.

Do share games or activities which you think can be used in training programs

MCQs

Who hasn’t answered MCQs, or the Multiple Choice Questions? Whether it was the ‘True or False’ in History lesson Class VII or ‘Choose among the following alternatives’ in the “Engineering/Management entrance exam”, we have all solved MCQs sometime in our life!

The same ubiquitous MCQs can be used either as questionnaires or more engagingly, as a group activity.

Find the odd man out :  A Powerpoint of MCQs

If MCQs are asked as a team activity, the class is divided into teams and the facilitator moderates the question-answer Quiz round. Questions can be asked openly or through a PowerPoint presentation. They can cover myriad topics, from the simple learnings to models discussed to clarifications on important topics learnt during the session

The key in this seemingly simple process is to prepare questions well in advance, so that the audience is sufficiently challenged and tested. The answers can be debated and re-emphasized for deeper clarity. Also unlike in childhood, the question can be chosen carefully keeping the learning objectives of the session, reinforcement strategy etc. in mind!

This cleverly veiled Quiz Show can hold the audience engaged without their even realizing it!

Arrange the following in a sequence/ Highest-lowest

Like MCQs, this activity can be very competitive and fun if time element is introduced viz :

• Arrange the top 5 territories in the western region in terms of volumes sold in an ascending order within the next thirty seconds.
• What are the four sequential steps to complete a coaching engagement?
• What are the 7 important documents required for completion of Insurance process? Arrange them in order of priority…etc.
  

The advantage of rearranging data this way is that vital information which needs to be memorized by the participants will be learnt in a FUN way. The trainer gets better assessment of the understanding of his participants

For What is the highest/lowest category again some simple questions from the content of the workshop viz:

• Which team sold the maximum number of refrigerators in the Central Zone of our company ? What were these?
  
• Which customer service telecaller clocked in the lowest Turnaround Time?
• Which is fastest growing category of internet users among the urban population?
  

Images can be creatively used to further enhance the learning and make the process more visually appealing!

Treasure Hunt

This popular game of hunting for clues can be modified in innumerable ways

• This can be a wonderful icebreaker where the clues placed across the room introduce the session to the participants
• The clues can be hidden across the room for added suspense.
• Clues can be the important topics, clarifications, important features which need to be memorised
• They can be in the form of questions or statements or words
  
• The entire treasure hunt can be carried out alone , in pairs or as a team, indoors or outdoors.
• Clues can be linked to each other to derive a bigger picture

The point I am trying to make is simple, use what is available easily….but make it FUN and engaging!

Participants will not even realise when and how learning has happened!