THIAGI GAMELETTER: February 2013

Australian Workshops

Thiagi Goes Down Under in March 2013

John Loty and Associates Pty Ltd are proud to announce a Thiagifest in Australia in March 2013.

Here are the dates of 3-day workshops in three different cities:

• Melbourne: Wednesday, March 6 to Friday, March 8, 2013
• Sydney: Tuesday, March 12 to Thursday, March 14, 2013
• Brisbane: Tuesday, March 19 to Thursday, March 21, 2013

For more information, or to register, visit

www.appreciativeinquiry.net.au

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Roleplay

Rotating Roleplay

We have successfully used this roleplay activity to explore various interpersonal skills for the past 10 years. This activity involves all the participants in one-on-one conversations. It also rotates the roleplayers and reverses their roles.

Purpose

To persuade skeptics about the effectiveness of training games and activities.

Synopsis

Divide participants into two teams and assign the roles of skeptics and change agents to these teams. Conduct a brainstorming session within each team to get ready for a roleplay. Conduct two sessions of one-on-one roleplays. Reverse the roles and repeat the process. Conduct debriefing discussions within teams and across teams.

Participants

Minimum: 6
Maximum: 20
Best: 12 to 20.

If you have larger numbers of participants, divide them into groups of 12 to 20 and conduct the activity with each group.

Time

30 to 50 minutes.

Flow

Divide the participants into two equal-sized teams. If you have an odd number of participants, make the left-over participant an observer.

Assign the role of skeptics to one team. Explain to the team members that they are resistant to the use of games and other types of training activities. Ask them to brainstorm a list of objections to the use of these activities. Announce a 3-minute time period for this brainstorming session.

Assign the role of change agents to the other team. Explain to the team members that they are enthusiastic about the use of games and other types of training activities. Ask them to brainstorm techniques for persuading the skeptics. Announce a 3-minute time period for this brainstorming session.

Arrange the change agents in a circle, facing out. Tell them that each change agent is about to participate in a roleplay with a skeptic.

Have the skeptics pair up with each of the change agents. The skeptics will form an outer circle, facing in and getting ready for a conversation with a change agent.

Conduct a roleplay discussion. Invite the participants to begin a one-on-one discussion between the change agent and the skeptic. Encourage the participants to stay in their role and respond to each other.

Rotate the skeptics. After about 2 minutes, blow a whistle and ask the skeptics to move one space in the clockwise direction. Invite the new pairs of participants to begin another round of discussion.

Prepare for a change of roles. After about another 2 minutes, blow the whistle and ask the members of the two teams to gather in separate locations. Announce that there will be additional roleplays with the roles reversed: Change agents will assume the role of skeptics (and vice versa) during the subsequent conversations.

Conduct another round of brainstorming. Ask the new skeptics to think back on the statements used by the earlier skeptics and select the most resistive and pessimistic ones. Also encourage them to come up with their own ideas for expressing their skepticism. Encourage the new change agents to share the best practices used by members of the other team during the previous round. Encourage them to brainstorm additional techniques for persuading the skeptics. Announce a 3-minute time limit for this brainstorming activity.

Conduct another round of roleplay. After 3 minutes, blow the whistle to announce the end of the brainstorming session. Ask members of the new change agent team to stand in a circle, facing out. Ask the new skeptics to pair up with each change agent. Invite each pair to have a conversation in their new roles. As before, rotate the skeptics after a 2-minute period.

Conduct a team debriefing. Blow your whistle after two round of conversations. Ask the two teams to regroup in separate locations. Tell the teams to discuss their experiences and come up with a list of effective techniques for persuading skeptics to accept training activities. Remind the participants to focus on working effectively in the role of change agents--and not in the role of skeptics. Announce a 3-minute time limit for this discussion.

Pair up and share ideas. After 3 minutes, blow the whistle and ask the members of the two teams to pair up with each other. Encourage the participants to pair up with someone they had not talked with during the earlier rounds. Ask each pair to share their techniques for persuading skeptics. Walk around the room and listen in on different conversations.

Conclude the activity. After about 3 minutes, blow a whistle and assemble all the participants. If you had an observer, ask this person to share his or her thoughts about what persuasion techniques worked effectively. Add your own recommendations on what to do and what not to do to overcome the objections from skeptics.

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Jolt

Au Contraire

Very often when people learn something new, they assume that they knew it all along. This way of thinking is called the hindsight bias.

Synopsis

Participants receive one of two proverbs that contradict each other. Later, they are asked to come up with examples and explanations to prove that the proverb that they received presents an obvious truth.

Purpose

To demonstrate how hindsight bias works.

Training Topics

• Critical thinking
• Persuasion

Participants

Minimum: 2
Maximum: Any number
Best: 10 to 30

Time

3 minutes for the activity
3 minutes for the debriefing

Supplies

• Proverb cards, one card for each player (see Preparation section below)
• Whistle
• Countdown timer

Preparation

Prepare proverb cards. Select a pair of proverbs that contradict each other. Here are some examples:

• Look before you leap.
  He who hesitates is lost.
• Hitch your wagon to a star.
  Don't bite off more than you can chew.
• A stitch in time saves nine.
  If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
• Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
  Out of sight, out of mind.
• Birds of a feather flock together.
  Opposites attract.

Write one of the selected proverbs on a card and write the opposing proverb on another card. Repeat this process, alternating between the two proverbs, until you have enough cards to give one to each participant.

Flow

Distribute proverb cards. Give one card to each participant. Make sure that equal numbers of participants receive one of the two proverbs that contradict each other.

Explain the task. Ask each participant to read the proverb on his or her card and think of examples and explanations that would support the proverb. Announce a 2-minute time limit for this independent activity.

Ask participants to present their thoughts. At the end of 2 minutes, blow the whistle. Read one of the two proverbs and invite any participant to present suitable examples and explanations to prove that the proverb contains an obvious piece of truth.

Repeat the process with the opposing proverb. Read the other proverb. As before, ask a volunteer to share examples and explanations in support of this proverb.

Ask for more examples. Invite the participants to present more examples and explanations in support of either proverb.

Debriefing

Point out that the two proverbs contradict each other. Explain that logical thinking would lead us to believe that both of them cannot be valid at the same time.

Explain hindsight bias. Suggest that once we accept a principle we feel that we know it all along.

Discuss situational validity. Present this statement from Niels Bohr: The opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth. Discuss how it is possible for two contradictory principles to be valid under different contexts.

Invite more examples. Ask the participants to share other pairs of proverbs that contradict each other.

Learning Points

• When people learn or accept a statement, they have no difficulty coming up with supporting evidence.
• The opposite of a profound truth can also be another profound truth. We need to have an open mind to accept both perspectives.

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Video

The Art of Innovation

Dimis Michaelidis is a colleague and mentor of mine whom we interviewed in the March 2010 issue of TGL.

Watch him explore the 12 elements of innovation in this TEDx Gramercy talk:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1RUWa8pC0k

Pay particular attention to how he skillfully integrates magical effects in his presentation.

If you are impressed and inspired, check out Dimis's book, The Art of Innovation.

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From Brian's Brain

Procrastinate for Productivity
by Brian Remer

In some situations, procrastination might be a good approach. Gain insight about the chronically To Do-challenged people in your life or find out how to get more of your own stuff done by doing other things. Power Tip: Set an alarm when surfing the web to bring you back to reality on time.

Read more in the January 2013 issue of Firefly News Flash: http://www.thefirefly.org/Firefly/html/News%20Flash/2013/January%202013.htm .

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Special Offer

Framegames by Thiagi

One of Thiagi's classic books, Framegames by Thiagi sells for $55 (plus $7.50 for shipping).

This month, TGL readers can get a copy of the book at half price: $27.50 (plus $7.50 for shipping).

This offer is valid only during the month of February. Order your copy by February 28, 2013.

To take advantage of this discount, visit our online store. Order the book and type TGL-FEB in the coupon code box when you check out.

We will give you a 50 percent discount on the price of the book.

We will add $7.50 per book for shipping to USA addresses. If your address is outside the USA, the shipping charge will be higher. We will email you how much it will cost before we ship the book to you.

What's in the Book?

Framegames by Thiagi collects six different framegame booklets:

• Classify: Organizing Information into Meaningful Categories. A flexible framegame that helps players master a classification scheme and explore concepts, principles, solutions, and steps.
• Envelopes: Analysis, Problem Solving, and Evaluation. A few envelopes and index cards enable your participants to improve their analysis, problem-solving, and evaluation skills.
• GBG: A Generic Board Game for Multipurpose Training. Create board and card games for acquiring concepts, organizing facts, and selecting strategies.
• Group Grope: A Framegame for Interaction and Involvement. Contains several sample games and a frame for rapidly creating your own games to explore controversial areas and to encourage employee involvement.
• Matrix Games: Exploring Interrelationships Among Ideas. Use generic game sheets that you can customize to help your participants to integrate concepts, steps, issues, and functions.
• Take Five: A Participatory Strategy for Better Brainstorming. Presents a participatory approach to brainstorming. Especially suited for team facilitators or anyone else whose training results depend on participant involvement.

Summary

Book: Framegames by Thiagi
Discounted price: $27.50 each
Shipping to USA addresses: $7.50 for each book
Shipping outside USA: We will email shipping costs for your approval
Valid until: February 28 2013
Coupon code: TGL-FEB
Link for ordering: http://www.thiagi.biz/product_p/fg7.htm (opens in a new window)

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Online Game

Employee Engagement Drivers

Employee engagement involves intellectual and emotional commitment that produces sustained high-quality performance on the job.

For this issue, we have created an online Hangman game ( http://thiagi.net/tgl/wgs/8945/ ; requires Adobe Flash) with a list of factors that increase employee involvement.

How many of these factors can you guess correctly?

You can play the game repeatedly. Each time you play you will get items arranged in a different order.

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Online Survey

Trust in the Training Room

Trust between the trainer and the participants is an important factor that contributes to the effectiveness of training.

Poll Question

Which of the following factors is more likely to increase your trustworthiness as a trainer?

• Your expertise in the subject-matter area
• Your authenticity in acknowledging the limitations of your knowledge

(The poll opens in a new window.)

Open Question

(The survey opens in a new window.)

You may include your name along with your response, or if you prefer, keep it anonymous.

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Survey Results

Customer Service

In the January 2013 issue of TGL we asked you to identify a major similarity and a major difference between customer service before sales and after sales.

Your Responses

We thank the readers who posted their responses. Here are a few of these responses:

Thanks to everyone who responded.

Your Turn

This survey is still open. Feel free to add your comments by visiting the survey page.

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Video Jolt

The Arm Twist

We have posted our new video jolt on YouTube. You can watch it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0OzjsewJXs .

This video lasts for 2 minutes and 11 seconds.

The video features a test that I use at the beginning of my workshops. You will probably fail the test. But don't worry. Your experience will help you to learn an important point.

The learning point in the video is that you need to observe the trainer's behavior as well as listening to what the trainer is saying.

Enjoy the jolt and let me know what insights you come up with.

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Check It Out

Gamification Wiki ( http://gamification.org/ )

Gamification involves adding game elements to nongaming contexts in order to attract and engage the attention of customers and employees, to change their behavior, and to solve problems.

Gamification uses multifaceted strategies such as points, badges, levels, leader boards, chance elements, and rewards to cater to participants' competitive streak and their desire for status. Concrete rewards for achieving goals are sometimes used. However, the game elements tend to sustain the player's loyalty, frequency of play, and intensity of effort.

The Gamification Wiki website ( http://gamification.org/ ) contains a definition of gamification and a discussion of 24 different game mechanics. It also provides links for examples, books, videos, and presentations. The examples are drawn from different industries such as entertainment, environment, government, and health and fitness.

If you want to explore gamification, we strongly recommend several visits to this web site.

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