Accounting Exercise - Getting Things Into the Right Year

Task: Participants rearrange a income and expenses into the accounting period to which they relate.

A short, hands-on demonstration of accrual accounting in action.

Accounting Exercise - Key Financial Ratios

Teams of participants review their team case study and are guided to determine :

Accounting Exercise - Middle Family

Task: Participants take a typical Australian Household's figures and convert them into a simple set of accounts.

A short, hands-on demonstration of the constituent parts of a set of financial reports.

Accounting Exercise - What Goes Where

Task: Participants rearrange a few raw figures into a simple set of accounts

A short, hands-on demonstration of the constituent parts of a set of financial reports

Action Learning Project - Manufacturing Industry

Task: Small teams of participants take what they have learned and use it in a case study that unfolds quarter by quarter as they make decisions on the business. Each quarter results are e-mailed or faxed in before teams receive the next quarter's information

A very effective way for participants to practice and reinforce the learning.

Action Learning Project - Service Industry

Task: Small teams of participants take what they have learned and use it in a case study that unfolds quarter by quarter as they make decisions on the business. Each quarter results are e-mailed or faxed in before teams receive the next quarter's information

A very effective way for participants to practice and reinforce the learning.

Action Planning

Task: Participants take what they have learned and plan to use it at the office

Gaining commitment to use at least one of the things learned in the session.

Active Listening Game

Exercise: Participants test the effects of not listening at all and listening actively on their partner's ability to communicate with them

A simple, effective introduction to active listening and how to do it

A Day In The Life Of ...

Exercise: Participants gathered in groups by function assess and role play the positive contribution made by other functions within the organisation.

A respect for, and positive reinforcement of, the value of others in the organisation

Advocacy and Inquiry

Exercise: Participants demonstrate their behaviour in a conflict situation and are provided with an alternative approach to improve resolution.

An effective means of communicating without losing rapport or creating tension and conflict

Advocacy and Inquiry 360º

Exercise: Participants demonstrate their behaviour in a conflict situation and are provided with an alternative approach to improve resolution in 360º feedback situations.

An effective means of communicating without losing rapport or creating tension and conflict

Agenda Setting

Task: Participants role play the part of meeting attendees with different personal agendas and learn the benefits of having a clear meeting agenda.

A short exercise that emphasises the problems of meetings with weak or nonexistent agendas.

Aladdin's Cave

Exercise: Participants brainstorm the Aladdin's cave of untapped talent within the team or organisation and the magic "open sesame" that will unlock that talent to the benefit of all.

Provides an opportunity for participants to challenge the way things are within the team or organisation, map the benefits of fully utilising their talents and suggest ways that management can encourage usage.

Alien for Dinner

Exercise: Participants question some of humanity's social norms and regulations in the guise of an alien at a dinner party seeking to understand why people do the things they do.

Provides an opportunity for participants to challenge the way things are and find alternative solutions.

Anchoring

Task: Participants "anchor" the positive emotional state of their partner by applying a physical trigger that allows instant recall of the emotional state when fired.

A simple NLP technique that enables participants to regain the positive and supportive state at will.

Anderson v Brownlow - BATNA & WATNA Exercise

Task: Pairs of participants negotiate over vacant land adjoining their property in a classic game of winners and losers (see Anderson v Brownlow Game) and then in groups work out the Best and Worst Alternatives To a Negotiated Agreement for each party.

A great way to lead on from the negotiation skills role play and identify one of the key issues that lead to successful or disastrous negotiations

Anderson v Brownlow - Expanding the Pie Exercise

Task: Pairs of participants negotiate over vacant land adjoining their property in a classic game of winners and losers (see Anderson v Brownlow Game) and then in groups work out each party could have expanded the pie to make the agreement even more palatable.

A great way to lead on from the negotiation skills role play and identify one more of the key issues that lead to successful negotiations, especially in stuck situations.

Anderson v Brownlow - WIN/win Exercise

Task: Pairs of participants negotiate over vacant land adjoining their property in a classic game of winners and losers (see Anderson v Brownlow Game) and then in groups work out the real wins for each party.

A great way to lead on from the negotiation skills role play and identify the real wins that are not always immediately obvious.

Animal Kingdom

Task: Participants choose a specific animal that is different in type, species and family from all other animals selected in the group. Originality is rewarded.

A simple way to encourage creativity of thought and value diversity.

Appropriate Assertiveness (Fight, Flight, Flow)

Exercise: Participants relate their own experience to different "fight or flight" stimuli.

Provides participants with alternative actions to instinctive behaviours or habits

Attributes Check List

Task: Participants highlight their key attributes on the check list

An empowering way to build self esteem and confidence.

Back in My Day

Task: Participants take a look back to how things really were in their youth as a way of acknowledging the changes that have occurred for the better. This is an exercise in clear thinking rather than rose-tinted nostalgia. How were things back then in reality?

A great way to embrace change is to acknowledge the benefits from past changes.

Barriers Exercise

Task: Participants list their personal barriers to performance of a given task.

Recognition of the barriers that limit performance prior to setting strategies for overcoming them.

BATNA Exercise

Exercise: Participants recall a recent failed negotiation and work out what their BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement) really was and how understanding that could have helped in the discussion

A challenge to participants to understand the importance of working out their best alternative before entering the negotiation.

Bee Gees Customer Focus

Exercise: Teams of participants watch a film clip demonstrating the various successful comebacks of the Bee Gees and then list the changes the band has made at each step of their reinvention process. Teams then brainstorm the team or organisational changes they need to make in order to reinvent themselves to maximise their own appeal to their changing customer needs.

A powerful role model for continually adapting to the challenge of changes in customer needs.

Bee Gees Revival

Exercise: Individual participants watch a film clip demonstrating the various successful comebacks of the Bee Gees and then plot how another famous band or singer has adapted to an ever changing audience by reinventing themselves. Participants then brainstorm how they need to reinvent themselves to maximise their own appeal in their changing environment.

A powerful role model or two for participants who need to be continually adapting to the challenge of changes in their environment at work, play or home.

Behaviour Change Model applied to self

Exercise: Participants look at their own unwanted behaviour and reflect on the limiting beliefs or values that may be the cause behind the problem. They are then shown a simple reframing technique to encourage a change in unsupportive beliefs.

Belbin Communication Challenge

Exercise: Divide participants into four complementary Belbin Team Type groups and ask them to write out the key points they would use to enroll each of the 3 other groups in taking on an onerous task.

A challenge to participants to understand what motivates others

Belbin Team Types

Exercise: Participants complete the Belbin Team Type Preference questionnaire

Identifies participants team role preferences.

Belbin Team Types Exercise

Exercise: Participants in their Belbin Team Type groups state their own types preferences and how they react and behave in given situations

An illuminating exercise which contrasts the way in which the Belbin Team types view the world. A frequent eye-opener for participants providing tools for communicating with others.

The Bill DiSC Personalities

Exercise: Participants watch a short compilation from the famous TV series and identify the various DiSC personality types and the personality traits that are common to the four quadrant types.

An illuminating exercise which contrasts and anchors the personality traits of the four DiSC Types. A frequent eye-opener for participants providing tools for communicating with others.

Blind Pairs

Exercise: One participant leads their blindfold partner on a short bush walk.

Provides participants with a trust and communications challenge.

Boat Show Exercise

Exercise: Participants design and draw their corporate boat in contrast with a sleek rowing-race boat.

Provides participants with visual picture of what they need to achieve in their operation for maximum effectiveness.

Brainstorm Destruction

Task: Participants deliberately set out to sabotage a brainstorming exercise.

A short, hands-on demonstration of how not to brainstorm.

Breaking Paradigms

Task: Teams of participants write their barriers or limiting beliefs on an old plate and smash it against the wall.

A fun and effective metaphor for changing participants thinking about things that hold them back.

Bridge Climb

Task: Participants climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge on an official tour and then complete a debrief sheet that highlights their achievement and what they can learn from it that relates to their business performance.

A wonderful metaphor for aiming high and getting to the top.

Brown Paper Exercise

Task: Participants use the "Brown Paper" technique to find solutions to a systems problem.

A hands-on and very visual technique for including the whole team in reaching a systems solution over time. Also known as "Process Mapping".

Buffalo Dances

Task: Participants watch a short video clip from Dances With Wolves and then pair up with a partner to talk to one another in a common "language" - sign language.

A short, hands-on demonstration of the power of body language and tone as well as the advantages and disadvantages of using the spoken word

Buffalo Intentions

Task: Participants watch a short video clip from Dances With Wolves and then pair up with a partner to talk to one another in a common "language" - sign language. However, each has been briefed with a very different set of intentions from the other.

A short, hands-on demonstration of the power of body language in conveying negatives as well as positive intentions

Building Rapport

Task: Participants learn and practice 3 key areas and 18 top tips for building rapport

Simple but effective ways to get "in tune" with others and give them a feeling that you really care about them.

Calibration Exercise

Task: Participants learn to recognise colour shifts and muscle tone shifts in their partner as a way of calibrating state changes.

Another NLP technique for reading small changes in physiology.

Casablanca Synchronicity

Task: Participants watch the short clip from Casablanca where Ingrid Bergman has just appeared at Rick's Bar and Bogart is lamenting "Of all the Gin Joints, in all of the world, she walks into mine". Participants then trace incidents of similar "synchronicity" in their own lives and what they can learn from them.

A powerful personal growth exercise which challenges coincidence and introduces the concepts of synchronicity, patterning and self-determination.

Castaway Parcels

Task: Participants watch a short video clip from Castaway and then imagine the most precious thing they could have washed up in an Air Express parcel on the desert island.

An exercise in basic survival planning

Castaways Return

Task: Participants watch a short video clip from Castaway and then imagine what their business world would look like if they were to return in 5 years from now. What changes would they expect to see? What changes would they want to see?

A simple and effective way to vision the future.

Cat With a Fish

Exercise: Participants write down, on a paper fish and in feline terms, a conflict within the workplace involving them and that is unresolved. Participants then place their fish in a bowl. Groups of participants draw the fish randomly and flipchart feline suggestions of ways to resolve the issue

A powerful way of depersonalising internal workplace conflict and providing lateral opportunities for resolution in situations where Dog With a Bone is inappropriate.

CCS Cards

Task: Participants use the CCS picture cards to describe their vision for the business and then agree a team vision using the cards and, where appropriate, a group vision.

An effective way to achieve shared vision and a pictorial representation of that vision.

Centring Exercise

Task: Participants find their inner power and contrast it with muscle strength.

A short, very powerful exercise that illustrates the inner power common to many martial arts.

Chaining Anchors

Task: Participants lead their partners out of an unresourceful state to an empowering one by moving them through a series of anchored state changes.

A very powerful NLP state change exercise for getting someone out of a stuck state.

Chunking Up, Chunking Down

Task: Participants learn to move simply and easily from big picture to detail and back again.

A great way to build flexibility of approach and thinking.

Chunking Up to Maintain Agreement

Exercise: Participants practice the art of chunking up to the big picture and the chunking down to detail only so long as they can maintain agreement.

Illustrates the old adage that the devil is in the detail, this is where most negotiations fall apart. Continually bringing the other party back to the agreed big picture can resolve the issue of initial disagreement of the detail

Chunking Word Association

Task: Participants learn to chunk up to the bigger picture and chunk down to greater detail

An exercise which demonstrates how to create flexibility of thinking, and using lateral thinking to communicate more clearly with others

Clapping to Ten

Exercise: All participants in the room are asked to clap to ten in time with the facilitator.

A powerful, if surprisingly difficult, exercise that is especially effective in energising and building rapport with a very large group.

Cliché Collection

Task: Participants introduce themselves to other people in the room while talking in clichés.

A fun introduction exercise.

Client National Anthem

Exercise: Teams of participants script a fun national anthem for their company or team as it might be sung by customers or clients. The song should include the unmet needs of clients and how the company currently fails to meet these needs. The anthem is then sung to the tune of one of the well known national anthems.

A fun look at customer gripes and needs and a good precursor to closing the gap between those needs and what the company delivers.

Cloning Exercise

Task: Participants introduce a clone of themselves to their workplace to work alongside them. What attributes of the clone do they most admire from a work perspective and what would they want to change in order to improve their effectiveness.

A fun and safe way for participants to look at the skills and behaviours that would improve their effectiveness.

Collapse Anchors

Task: Participants lead their partners away from an unresourceful state to an empowering one by simultaneously using two anchored states, and collapse the unresourceful state with the positive one.

A very powerful NLP state change exercise for getting someone out of a stuck state, or minimising the effect of a reoccurring stuck or negative state.

Communicating with Modalities Group

Task: Participants communicate with each other in and out of their preferred modalities.

A demonstration of the effectiveness of communicating in another's preferred modality. This experience can be useful particularly in sales and management. I see what you mean, I hear what you are saying and I have a feel for this - are three very different ways of looking at the world.

Community Project Exercise

Exercise: Participants are to find a community project to participate in as a team building exercise. The commitment can be short term (an afternoon in a soup kitchen) or ongoing (visiting nursing home patients once a fortnight).

Creating a sense of teamwork, vision and belonging in the community, and awareness of the value and rewards of contribution.

Company Logo Exercise

Exercise: Groups of participants draw two company logos, one depicting how the company really is now and the other depicting its aspirations

Demonstration of the power of imagery in creating or supporting the behaviour and corporate culture. Also clearly identifies the gap between current reality and desired state.

Company National Anthem

Exercise: Teams of participants script a corporate national anthem for their company or team that includes the organisational values, culture and aspirations. The anthem is then sung to the tune of one of the well known national anthems.

A positive reinforcement of the corporate culture and a good precursor to closing the gap between aspirations and reality.

Complaints Exercise

Exercise: Individual participants analyse the case study company complaints statistics in a pen and paper exercise designed to test their ability to see patterns in numbers and draw appropriate conclusions from what they see.

Demonstrates the ability to see behind the numbers.

Compromise v Resolution

Exercise: Participants learn the difference between Compromise, where neither party gets what they want, and Resolution, where both parties are completely satisfied.

Shows how to achieve resolution by seeking a new alternative than meets everyone's needs and interests

Conversation With Myself

Exercise: Write down the types of things you say to yourself when faced with an everyday challenge. Are they predominantly negative or positive?

Shows the importance of self-talk in creating a supportive and encouraging self image. Identifies whether participants are positively or negatively, towards or away-from orientated.

Create a Rally

Exercise: Teams of participants are given the task of creating their very own "Carless Rally" involving product knowledge or similar clues that another team must then put to the test.

A fun, creative and effective way of ensuring that participants know where to find the data and other information on products, venues and web sites that are key to their business.

Creating Results

Exercise: Participants write down a result they really want to achieve and visualise themselves having attained that goal. In that very positive state they work back from that result and fill out the steps along the way, that they will need to take in order to achieve this goal.

A simple and effective technique for making a result seem achievable. Demonstration of the principle "begin with the end in mind".

Creating Your Future

Exercise: A simple methodology from Tad James's book "The Secrets of Creating Your Future". Participants create a picture of achieving their goal and drop the picture into their future timeline.

Cupboard Under the Stairs

Task: Teams of participants watch a video clip from Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone and then decide on what constitutes the Cupboard Under the Stairs in their organisation.

A very useful way to identify business silos.

Current Reality Inventory

Exercise: What is your reality, really like! Participants describe their current reality in an inventory. What is working, what is not - they table all the things they are good at and those they want to change.

Customer Logic Exercise

Exercise: Participants take turns to role play as the customer in a number of different situations then flipchart, as a team, what they need to do to meet customer needs.

Effective demonstration that logic is created by your outcome and focus. Create empathy with the customers point of view by understanding the needs behind their requests/argument.

Customer Word Association

Exercise: Participants record 10 words they associate with "customers" and then find any common words on their team

Illustrates the different meanings and associations people have about customers and whether there are any negatives that need to be dealt with in the group.

Dances With Wolves Dilemma

Task: Participants watch a short video clip from Dances With Wolves and then discuss in their groups where they would stand in the Indians versus the Army dilemma. Which side would they take if their own "team" were doing something disagreeable?

An interesting exercise in examining personal values.

Dances With Wolves Values

Task: Participants watch a number of short video clips from Dances With Wolves which form a values wedge. What happens for them as the level of value disagreement is slowly increased?

An interesting exercise in examining personal values and how the break point can be much further along if the gradient is not steep but slowly incremental.

Describe a Dot Exercise

Exercise: Describe as many things as possible which could be a dot - a grain of sand, a cow seen from a plane, the planet seen from space.

A demonstration of the differences in scale and perspective. A useful illustration of the concept of chunking, lateral thinking and changed perspectives.

Desert Island Exercise

Exercise: Participants imagine themselves stranded on a desert island alone, with each of three people.

Creates awareness of the projections currently operating in our relationships.

Disarming and Defusing

Exercise: Participants practice the art of negotiation Ju Jitsu, how to disarm the other party by acting dumb, agreeing with them, changing position, changing the game, bringing them to their senses not their knees.

How to change the balance of power to advantage in difficult negotiations.

DISC Characteristics

Exercise: Participants learn the attributes and preferences of the four disc profile groups and the keys to understanding each one.

A guide to participants to understand what motivates others

DISC Communication Challenge

Exercise: Divide participants into their disc profile groups and ask them to write out the key points they would use to enroll each of the 3 other groups in taking on an onerous task.

A challenge to participants to understand what motivates others.

DISC in Five Minutes

Exercise: Participants complete the CRN mini-DISC evaluation

A simple, non-labeling way to identify the likely DISC personality profiles of participants

DiSC Official Business

Exercise: Participants role play different conflict scenarios in teams of 3 or 4 using the 4 DiSC quadrants as a guide

Tests new found communication and conflict resolution skills and the ability to observe and coach others.

DiSC Pairs Exercise

Exercise: Participants role play all 4 DiSC personality types in different conflict scenarios in pairs

Provides a first hand experience of what it is like to tap into the four DiSC types.

DISC 4 Quadrant Exercise

Exercise: Participants state their own personality profile's preferences and how they react and behave in given situations

An illuminating exercise which contrasts the way in which the four DISC quadrant personality types view the world. A frequent eye-opener for participants that provides tools for communicating with others.

Discriminating Decisions

Exercise: Participants role play scenarios where diversity is a major issue.

An effective mechanism for learning how to handle issues involving discrimination

Diversity Exercise and Valuing Diversity Exercise

Exercise: Participants complete the Diversity Exercise sheet, listing all the ways people are different. Facilitator flipcharts the results and segregates those that are important from those that are in reality superficial, yet are the ones we tend to judge others by. In teams, participants agree on the benefits of each aspect of diversity to the team.

Draws out many more ways that individuals differ from one another and puts the traditional prejudices into context

Dog With a Bone

Exercise: Participants write down, on a paper bone and in canine terms, a conflict within the workplace involving them and that is unresolved. Participants then place their bone in a dog bowl. Groups of participants draw the bones randomly and flipchart canine suggestions of ways to resolve the issue

A powerful way of depersonalising internal workplace conflict and providing lateral opportunities for resolution

Dragon Friends

Task: Participants watch a short video clip from Dragonheart and then look at the "dragons" in their lives and how they might befriend them with positive outcomes.

An interesting personal growth exercise building on the Aikido principal.

Dragon Friends

Task: Participants watch a short video clip from Dragonheart and then look at the stand-offs in their working or home lives and how they might be holding them back from achieving their goals.

An interesting reflection on what may be stopping participants from getting what they want.

Empathy Blockers

Exercise: One participant relates a problem, which another participant responds with an empathy blocker of their choice (or from a card they selected). Participants experience the impact of empathy blocks on conversation, and become aware of the blocks they use.

Experience of empathy and its relevance to the workplace for improved communication. Understanding what creates empathy and how empathy can help meet everyone's needs.

Excuse Blowout

Exercise: Participants use Dr Michael Hall's "Excuse Blowout" to remove barriers to goal achievement.

An excellent NLP exercise that creates a positive state for participants to achieve their goals.

Expanding the Pie in Stuck Negotiations

Exercise: Participants learn a technique for resolving conflict in stuck negotiations and test it out on their table teams

Illustrates how to get negotiations that are stuck over division of the "pie" moving again by adding something to the pie of value to the other party.

Facilitation Skills 1

Exercise: Participants in small teams flipchart the requirements of a good facilitator and compare results.

A simple way to draw out and agree the attributes needed to facilitate group learning.

Facilitation Skills 2

Exercise: Participants experience facilitating in some widely different situations through role plays that are randomly distributed so everyone acts as facilitator and participant.

Excellent exercise for expanding the comfort zone and range of experience for participants.

Feedback Rules

Exercise: Participants learn some rules for giving feedback to others in the most effective and suitable way for the recipient.

Feedback Rules 360º

Exercise: Participants demonstrate their behaviour when giving and receiving feedback and are provided with an alternative approach to improve resolution in 360º feedback situations.

An effective means of getting the feedback outcome desired - communicating without losing rapport or creating tension and conflict.

Financial Action Learning Project

Task: Small teams of participants take what they have learned and use it in a case study that unfolds quarter by quarter as they make decisions on the business. Each quarter results are e-mailed or faxed in before teams receive the next quarter's information

A very effective way for participants to practice and reinforce the learning.

Financial Statements Exercise

Task: Small teams of participants take the financial statements of two branches in a case study company, one performing well and the other badly, and analyse the differences between the two. (Can be customised to client's business)

A very effective way of drawing out the profit drivers for any business.

Find Someone With ...

Exercise: Participants find someone in the room with the same colour hair, then clothes etc. as a way of introducing themselves to each other in a fun and active manner

An excellent icebreaker and introduction exercise. Good for expanding comfort zone or setting a training environment as fun/experimental....

Future Company 2020

Imagine what your organisation will be like in 2020 - how different from now.

Exercise: An introspective workshop on the future of the organisation, the opportunities, the barriers to be overcome, the potential new alliances and partnerships, the client of the future, the workplace of the future, beyond Cyberspace.

Groups of participants choose an area they would most like to work on and collectively design their view of the future and what it will take to attain success in a changeable future.

Future Pacing

Exercise: An NLP technique to ensure changes in behaviour experienced in the workshop have generalised to the workplace. Participants visualise their future behaviour and see how things have changed.

Great confirmation of workshop learning.

Getting Your Interests Met

Exercise: Participants are provided with a negotiation scenario. They have to decide for themselves, and then agree as a team, what are the interests that they must have met in the final agreement and what are merely positions that are in reality irrelevant.

Illustrates the difference between position taking and getting your interests met

Goal Achievement

Exercise: Participants learn and practice the strategies that make the critical difference between achieving goals easily and the majority of people who continually fail to attain their goals.

A powerful and critical companion to SMARTIE Goal Setting.

Going to the Lake

Exercise: Facilitator guides participants to think of the one place they can recall as being completely peaceful, harmonious and where they feel untouched by problems.

Illustrates the value of having a place to visualise when negotiations get emotional. A way of maintaining the power that is lost as one's emotion gets in the way

Greatest Coach

Exercise: Facilitator flipcharts the participants attributes of a great coach. Participants recall the greatest leader they have ever experienced and reflect on what made them such a great leader.

Draws the attributes of great leaders from participants to provide an anchor and ownership of the qualities they will need themselves to perform as effective leaders and asks them to demonstrate the results. A good illustration of the success of role modeling.

Greatest Fears

Exercise: Facilitator flipcharts participants' greatest fears and those from a broadly based study - compares physical threats and mental concerns.

Illustrates the value of fear and how it is often misplaced in modern society.

Greatest Leader

Exercise: Participants recall the greatest leader they have ever experienced and reflect on what made them such a great leader.

Draws the attributes of great leaders from participants to provide an anchor and ownership of the qualities they will need themselves to perform as effective leaders and asks them to demonstrate the results.

Greatest Manager

Exercise: Participants recall the greatest manager they have ever experienced and reflect on what made them such a great manager.

Draws the attributes of great managers from participants to provide an anchor and ownership of the qualities they will need themselves to perform as effective managers and asks them to demonstrate the results.

Greatest Speaker

Exercise: Participants recall the greatest speaker they have ever experienced and reflect on what made them such a great orator. (Or watch the video of Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech.)

Draws the attributes of great speakers from participants to provide an anchor and ownership of the qualities they will need themselves to perform as effective communicators and asks them to demonstrate the results

Greatest Team

Exercise: Participants recall the greatest team they have ever experienced and reflect on what made them such a great team

Draws the attributes of great teams from participants to provide an anchor and ownership of the qualities they will need themselves to perform in an effective team and asks them to demonstrate the results

Grid System

Exercise: Participants learn how to draw up a grid for "stage anchoring" when presenting - where to stand at different times to elicit the desired audience response.

An effective and powerful NLP technique for evoking the required state in an audience.

Group Action Planning Exercise - Achieving Company Goals

Exercise: Group workshops the best strategies to overcome the identified barriers and achieve company goals. Produces an options list for all participants to use in improving their own effectiveness.

A great way to overcome team barriers and achieve collective agreement

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Exercise: Teams of participants must plan all of the arrangements for a very special dinner guest from the profile provided, including venue, menu, logistics and guest lists. How do they react when the guest that is about to arrive is someone very different?

A great way to introduce the need for flexibility in planning and being able to change arrangements to suit circumstances as life exerts itself.

Handling Emotion in Self and Others

Exercise: Participants discover the effect of high emotion on their ability to communicate and negotiate and identify a range of techniques for dealing with the emotion so that it does not become a block.

Understanding the causes and effects of negative emotion on ability to succeed.

Harry's Change

Task: Participants watch a video clip from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets where animals are turned into goblets and then decide what they would want to change in their lives if they could. What can they do that will get them a step closer?

A challenging comparison of desired states and the steps needed to acquire them.

Harry's Flying Lessons

Task: Teams of participants watch a video clip from Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone and then write down the instructions for flying a broomstick that they see and hear in the film.

A very useful communication tool that is a great metaphor for giving precise instructions in the workplace.

Harry's Plant Barrier

Task: Teams of participants watch a video clip from Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone and then write down their own fears and emotions that are blocking them from getting past their own "plant" barrier.

A very useful metaphor for overcoming blocks and barriers.

Harry's Potion For Me

Task: Participants watch a video clip from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and then decide who they would want to change into if they could have a day as someone else. What attributes do these people have that they admire and how can they go about getting these attributes for themselves in real life.

A challenging comparison of desired attributes and the steps needed to acquire them.

Harry's Potion For Them

Task: Participants watch a video clip from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and then decide who they would want to change if they had the magic potion to give. What attributes do these people have that they admire and what would they change. Is there anything they can do to influence the change themselves? What approach to this person do they now have that if they change it might act as a magic potion?

A challenging way at looking at things we want to change in others.

Harry's To Blame

Task: Participants watch a video clip from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and then decide who they are blaming based on circumstantial evidence.

A challenging exercise that could change the way we view others.

Heavy Hands

Exercise: Participants shut their eyes and imagine a helium balloon attached to one hand and a very heavy book resting in the other. With the help of a few simple suggestions, participants' subconscious minds reacts as if the opposing forces were real.

A very visual demonstration of the power of the subconscious mind.

Hooked Up

Task: Small teams of participants watch the scene from Hook where Captain Hook has kidnapped Peter Pan's children and has them in a cargo net. Teams must then flipchart the options available to Pan in order to save his children.

A simple lateral thinking exercise that illustrates how emotion can limit options.

Hot Tips and Team Killers

Exercise: Participants identify and flipchart tips and traps in teamwork

An effective way to obtain agreement on the rules a team will operate by.

How Do We Irritate Our Customers?

Exercise: Participants watch a clip from "How to Irritate People" which highlights how telecommunications companies and banks sometimes manage it well. Participants then list how their organisation irritates customers and works on simple solutions.

An excellent introduction to maintaining a customer focus.

I Didn't Say ...

Exercise: Flipchart "I didn't say she bit my dog" ask participants if the meaning is clear. The have participants read the sentence using different points of emphasis.

Demonstrates the relative importance of words and tonality and their effect on the communicated message.

Improbable Outcomes

Task: Small teams of participants watch the video of Lost World, the Jurassic Park sequel, where the trailer is pushed over the cliff and the team escapes as it falls around them. The team then flipcharts all of the improbabilities in the film clip.

A fun way for participants to expand their awareness of what they see.

Indian Feathers

Task: Participants watch a short video clip from Dances With Wolves and then write some empowering Indian names for team members on feathers. What is the name, who would they give it to and how will it empower them?

A fun and empowering exercise in teams.

Indian Names

Task: Participants watch a short video clip from Dances With Wolves and then give themselves and Indian name. What is the name and how will it empower them?

A fun and empowering exercise.

Intangibles Group Exercise

Task: Groups of participants flipchart all of the intangible asset types they can think of, what each costs to develop and the value they may have to the organisation.

Draws out the differences in intangible assets.

In Time and Through Time

Exercise: Participants experience the differences which originate from the two main representations of timelines and understand the characteristics associated with each one.

A simple but powerful way to understand how other people view and respond to time issues.

Investor Exercise

Task: Participants make a decision on where to invest $10 m for 10 years to obtain the best returns from a range of investment options with a minimum of information.

Draws out the difference in investment returns required to compensate for the element of risk.

I Statements Exercise

Exercise: Participants learn to express their emotions cleanly and without blaming others

A simple but powerful way to express feelings so that others can hear.

Italian or Chinese Exercise

Exercise: Participants resolve the issue of where to eat when two friends want to have different dinners.

Shows the subtle but critical difference between compromise and resolution

James Bond Punchlines

Exercise: Teams of participants watch video clips of some famous James Bond one-liners and then compile and present the best one-liner to complete another Bond movie clip.

A fun "bonding" and teamwork exercise.

Jig Saw Squares

Exercise: Each participant is given a piece of the puzzle. They write on it an issue.

The team puts together the puzzle then solves the real life puzzle of overcoming issues which interact with each other.

A useful metaphor to demonstrate the parts brought together in an organisation and that when individuals are looking at their piece of the big picture they can exaggerate the importance of their point of view.

Kim's Mind-Mapping Game

Exercise: An old game used in a new way. Participants play the game twice with different trays, remembering as many of the 20 - 30 objects on the tray as they can after only 1 minute of viewing. They write them down their list in random order first, then are introduced to the Mind Mapping process and use it to list objects on the second tray.

A powerful demonstration of the effectiveness of mind mapping over unstructured techniques.

Leading and Empowering Others

Exercise: Teams of participants list the different ways for leaders to empower team members and compare their list to the findings in the book Real Change Leaders. Participants then discuss how their list and findings can be utilised in the workplace.

Demonstrates the leadership methodology that leads to empowered work teams.

Leadership Styles

Exercise: Participants list the attributes required of leaders in three differing environments.

Shows the critical differences in leadership styles and their appropriate application.

Learning Style Circle (LSQ)

Exercise: Participants complete the Honey and Mumford Learning Style Questionnaire psychometric tool and then learn the relevance both in terms of understanding the needs and reactions of each quadrant type and the use of the tool in Continuous Improvement processes.

A useful technique which can be applied anywhere there is a need to understand the learning circle of Do, Reflect, Conceive, Test, Do.

Learning Style 4 Quadrant Exercise

Exercise: Participants state their learning style preferences as identified in the LSQ and explain how they react and behave in given situations

An illuminating exercise which contrasts the way in which the four learning style quadrants filter their view of the world. A frequent eye-opener for participants that provides tools for achieving a full learning outcome, rather than focusing on their preferred quadrant.

Left Hand Column Brainstorm

Exercise: Participants list problems and issues on the left hand column of the page. They then brainstorm the list on their own or with a partner or team and write possible solutions on the right hand column.

Problem and issues are often solved or reduced by writing them down.

Left Hand Column Exercise

Exercise: Participants write what they said in an interaction with others on the left hand column of the page and what they actually thought about the same interaction on the right. They then think about what could they have appropriately said, or can say, to bring the two columns closer together.

A reflective personal exercise where each participant discovers the differences between what they say and what they think.

Legal Dilemma

Task: Team members are the new business team at an international firm of lawyers. A sensational story has broken in the press and both the families of the poor victims and the super rich perpetrators have approached the firm to represent them in a confusing minefield of conflicting values. Which client do the team take on?

A test of values, empathetic teamwork and resolution skills in an emotive environment that challenges assumptions and prejudices.

Legal Dilemma Presentations

Task: Team members are the new business team at an international firm of lawyers. A sensational story has broken in the press and both the families of the poor victims and the super rich perpetrators have approached the firm to represent them in a confusing minefield of conflicting values. The team makes a presentation to the senior partners recommending the client to take on and why.

A test of presentation skills, values, empathetic teamwork and resolution skills in an emotive environment.

Life Mapping

A visual exercise which gets participants to look at, and synergise, their goals in five main areas of life - business & career; home & family; community & humanity; and self & well being and the spiritual core.

A great way to design, discover and plan life goals with the "Life Map" tool.

Logo Challenge

Exercise: Teams design a logo for their company using design information and roles assigned to them.

An exercise designed with true to-life communication barriers.

Magic Motion Theatre Quiz

Exercise: Teams of participants complete an observation quiz after watching a short, action-packed, film clip that will focus their attention on the activity rather than the surroundings.

A demonstration of the natural tendency to focus on a problem and lose sight of the bigger picture.

Making A Difference

Exercise: Participants flipchart how they would like to make a difference in the world. Individually they then reflect on their current reality and what they are doing about it.

An exercise designed to discover participants passion, and getting them to take action to bridge the gap.

Mapping The Conflict

Exercise: Participants learn to use a simple but powerful Conflict Resolution tool

Provides participants with a emotion-free map of the conflict that enables all points of view to be seen in perspective and lead to resolution

Matching & Mirroring

Exercise: Participants match each other's physiology while listening and talking to better understand each other and build rapport.

A very simple exercise that demonstrates how adopting another person's physiology can create a feeling of togetherness.

Matching & Mirroring Experiences Exercise

Exercise: Participants match each other's physiology while thinking of a past positive experience to better understand the power of the building rapport tool.

A simple but very powerful exercise that demonstrates how adopting another person's physiology can put the participant matching them in touch with their view of the world.

Mediation Exercise

Exercise: Participants role play a mediation scenario and use the keys to successful mediation to achieve a successful outcome.

A clear demonstration of the steps to successful mediation and illustration of the difficulties and demands of this process.

Mediation What Is It Exercise

Exercise: Groups of participants discuss and flipchart the differences between mediation, counselling, large group facilitation and arbitration.

Clarifies and distinguishes mediation from the processes it is often confused with.

Memory Surfing

Exercise: Participants are guide by a grid to remember a series of successful times in their life and apply that learning and sense of achievement to the current scenario.

A simple but powerful exercise that demonstrates how resourceful each individual can be.

Meta Model Questions Exercise

Exercise: Participants working in pairs or small groups use NLP Meta Model questions to appreciate the deletions, distortions, presuppositions and generalisations found in every day language.

A fun, simple and practical demonstration of the NLP tool of the Meta Model, and to encourage participants to start thinking about and how and when to use it.

Midnight Murder Mystery

Exercise: Groups of participants are provided with a very short murder mystery with a twist or two and must elicit and present their best scenario to solve the mystery.

An interesting reflection on assumptions that people make to make sense of facts that lack completeness.

Milton Model Exercise

Exercise: Participants experiment with Milton Model language, that is the language of Milton Erikson the father of modern hypnotherapy. A useful follow on from the Meta Model to demonstrate the impact of language centred around deletion, distortion, presupposition and generalisation.

A different way to view the world.

Mind Mapping Exercise

Exercise: Participants learn to use a mind map in a simple planning exercise.

A simple but powerful way to see both the big picture and the detail at the same time.

Mission Statement Game

Exercise: Participants try to reassemble the Corporate Mission Statement that has been dissected into individual words.

A simple but powerful way to demonstrate the importance of setting a mission statement that is totally relevant to the team.

Monty Python Olympics

Exercise: Teams watch the skit on the Monty Python Olympics - 100 metres sprint for those with no sense of direction, marathon for the incontinent, 100 metres freestyle for non-swimmers - (or have the events described to them) and must invent their own Olympic event that best depicts their own team, division or organisation.

A simple, fun but powerful way to draw out the strengths and pitfalls of the organisation.

Noah's Ark

Exercise: Participants think of the animal they most admire and then find the qualities in themselves that lead them to this choice.

A simple but powerful exercise that demonstrates internal choice and power.

Not Enough Ice Cream

Exercise: Participants in small groups take turns to act out the phrase "There's not enough ice cream". They demonstrate 3 different emotions of anger, happiness, and sadness. The rest of the group votes whether they "got" the emotion, and whether it was acted congruently.

A presentation exercise designed to create flexibility in behaviour and expression, and to investigate congruence in our communication.

Nuts Exercise

Exercise: In small groups on presenter must talk for 3 minutes on a topic they receive when the clock starts. The other group members "help you" by giving feedback during the presentation - encouragement if it's good and throwing paper if it isn't.

A presentation exercise designed to encourage spontaneity and resilience in the face of feedback. A key to the success of this exercise is that the feedback is off putting in a structured and "safe" way which allows participants to build a strong self reference.

Objection Cards

Exercise: Groups of three participants practice their skills in overcoming objections in negotiations and selling using random objection cards.

A powerful tool in negotiations and sales.

Observation Assignment

Exercise: Teams of participants watch a dramatic film clip where there are visual (and possibly auditory) clues that will lead them to solve the mystery, if they can pick them up. They then discuss and present their findings.

A team exercise in awareness.

Official Business

Exercise: Participants role play different conflict scenarios in teams of 3 or 4

Tests communication and conflict resolution skills and the ability to observe and coach others

Official Business II

Exercise: Participants role play different, and more difficult, conflict scenarios to see how their resolution skills have improved using rapport building techniques

Tests and practices rapport building, communication and conflict resolution skills

Official Telephone Business

Exercise: Role play different telephone communication conflict scenarios in teams of 3

Tests communication and conflict resolution skills as they apply to telephone conversations and the ability to observe and coach others

Olympic Word Association

Exercise: Participants record 10 words they associate with "Olympic" and then find any common words on their team

Illustrates the different meanings and associations people have even for everyday concrete terms. A further reinforcement about communication and why it is necessary to check the recipient's understanding of the message to ensure clarity.

OTTFF Exercise

Exercise: Participants are challenged to solve the puzzle of an infinite sequence and if they cannot solve it within 2 minutes are asked to sleep on the problem and write down any dreams or solutions that appear relevant.

An illustration of the power and working of the subconscious mind.

Our Olympics

Exercise: A great follow up to Monty Python Olympics. Teams agree on the actual Olympic event or experience that most inspires them and illustrates the culture they desire for their own workplace.

A simple, fun but powerful way to draw out the desired culture for the team or organisation.

Over Coming Barriers Exercise

Exercise: Participants write down their barriers to success and then identify one step that they can make that will lessen or remove the barrier.

An exercise in helping people become "at cause" with their barriers rather than "at their effect". Once at cause, participants can act to overcome the obstacle rather than blame others or fate where they are powerless.

Overcoming Objections Exercise

Exercise: Teams create the maximum number of responses to customer objections

Participants are guided through a simplified NLP "Sleight of Mouth" model for meeting objections providing more than a dozen possible different types of reframe to any given negative raised by the customer that will tend to change the customer's thinking about their objection. Teams then design standard reframes to the most common objections they handle at work.

Paper Holes Exercise

Exercise: Participants are instructed to fold and refold a piece of paper and then tear a corner out. Once opened out do all the pages look the same?

A simple and effective exercise to demonstrate that the clarity of instructions can create different levels of consistency of outcome. Also that seemingly clear instructions can be followed in different ways.

Parent Line

Exercise: Participants write down the occupation of one of their parents or grandparents and place them in a bucket. Whoever draws that occupation must guess who the writer is.

Tests assumptions and judgments in a new group. A good introduction exercise.

Penny Arcade Decathlon

Exercise: Teams of participants are given an open ticket in the penny arcade area of an amusement park and tasked with winning as many prizes or tokens as possible.

An exercise in collaborative teamwork.

Personal Action Planning Exercise

Exercise: Plan action to reduce or completely overcome the identified barriers

What are participants going to do differently on their return to the office? What is the one thing they can do that will have a positive impact, no matter how small?

Personal Limitations Exercise

Exercise: Participants write what their personal limitations are and how the limitations may be overcome.

An exercise for inward reflection and discovery of what stops you from doing what you want and which limitations are real or could easily be overcome. An excellent exercise to combine with mission statements, life mapping or making a difference.

Personal Mission Statement Exercise

Exercise: Participants write a mission statement for themselves and how they want to live their lives.

An excellent exercise to encourage action after a reflection in exercises such as personal limitations, life mapping, memory surfing or making a difference.

Personal Team Barriers Exercise

Exercise: Participants consider their role within the team they are on, and what barriers are stopping you from being a full team member. Participants consider their agenda and that of the team.

By becoming aware of what they can't do or think they can't do that their team needs participants can then work out a plan or strategy to become a stronger member of the team.

PERT Exercise

Exercise: Participants learn the fundamentals of the Performance Evaluation Review Technique and experience how it works in practice by planning a dinner party.

A fun, accelerated learning way to discover and understand how operate a powerful planning tool.

Pet Names

Exercise: Participants think of the name of a pet animal they would most like to have for themselves and then find the qualities in themselves that lead them to this choice.

A simple but powerful exercise in self-awareness.

Picture Ring Tale

Exercise: Participants draw a picture card and stand in a team circle. When it comes to their turn they have one minute to continue the story from the previous team member and weave their picture into that story.

A fun way to test communication and presentation skills.

Picturing What You Want (calibration)

Exercise: Participants picture a goal they want achieve and change the picture they have of it in their mind to make it more compelling. For example they may make it brighter, or appear to be nearer, in colour etc.

An excellent exercise for goal achieving and creating the future.

Planet Of the Apes

Exercise: Participants watch a video clip from the original film Planet of the Apes and then reflect on what would be important enough to make them go on such a one-way venture and what would be important enough for them to remain.

A powerful self-reflection exercise which can be used to compare and contrast what is important with what participants are doing.

Planet Of the Apes Attributes

Exercise: Groups of participants watch a video clip from the original film Planet of the Apes and then reflect on what attributes they have that they would like the apes to have that human kind has not. What can participants do in their own lives that will help induce these attributes?

A personal awareness exercise that could help make this a better place.

Planet Of the Apes Values

Exercise: Participants watch a video clip from the original film Planet of the Apes and then reflect on what values they would take with them to the new world free of earth's history and experiences.

A powerful self-reflection exercise which can be used to compare and contrast desired and current value sets for participants.

Planet Of the Apes Voices

Exercise: Participants watch a video clip from the original film Planet of the Apes and then reflect on what they would say if they were the only humans who could speak. What is stopping them from saying it now?

A powerful exercise in reflecting on what participants are keeping silent about and how they might overcome the barriers to vocal self expression

Planning Exercise

Exercise: Participants learn how to plan to get what they want and, in a facilitated session, write an action plan for success.

Action Planning in a facilitated session.

Pointing Exercise

Exercise: Participants stand and swivel their upper body to point as far around at they can. Then repeat the exercise with their eyes closed.

Adapted from the work of Tom Crum this exercise is a powerful representation of, the power of the unconscious mind and pushing personal limits.

Powerful Affirmations

Exercise: Participants write affirmations in a powerful and personal way to achieve the full benefit in goal setting.

An excellent follow on from some of our other exercises such as SMARTIE goals, mission statements, making a difference or overcoming personal limitations.

Power Triangle Escape Exercise

Exercise: Participants use the Power Triangle Role Plays scenarios and identify what it would take for the intimidator to become a coach; the rescuer to be a facilitator and the victim a learner

A powerful way to understand how to escape the power triangle.

Power Triangle Role Plays

Exercise: Participants role play different scenario from the position of "intimidator", "rescuer" and "victim"

A powerful way to understand how self and others operate

Power Triangle Role Plays II

Exercise: Participants role play alternative scenario for cultures where the Christmas Party approach is not appropriate from the position of "intimidator", "rescuer" and "victim"

A powerful way to understand how self and others operate

Preparing to Negotiate

Exercise: Facilitator draws out and flipcharts participants ideas on the best way to prepare for a negotiation and presents the Negotiation Check List.

Illustrates the value of spending 4 times longer preparing for the negotiation than conducting it.

Presentations Exercise

Exercise: Participants prepare and deliver a 5 minute presentation on an environmental topic selected at random

Tests participants ability to present powerfully and analytically to a group

Presentations to Suit All Styles

Exercise: Participants prepare and deliver a 5 minute presentation designed to appeal to all information processing styles, visual, auditory and kinaesthetic

Demonstrates the way to appeal to all members of a group

Prioritising Grid

Exercise: Participants learn how to prioritise using a simple four quadrant grid.

A proven and powerful time management tool.

Prioritising Role Play Exercise

Exercise: Participants challenge their key time-wasters in a simple role play.

Provides a room full of alternative actions to overcome everyday distractions.

Prioritising - Tips and Traps and Using a Diary System

Quick time management! In this exercise the group examines different diary systems and their relevance to different people, thinking and management styles. Finding out what works best for each personality type and strategies to using a diary system to improve efficiency.

How to use a diary system effectively to meet individual needs and preferences.

Product Knowledge Exercise

Exercise: Teams of participants, in competition with each other, answer a light-hearted, but seriously intentioned, product quiz against the clock using pamphlets, manuals, guides, computer-based information and text books to help them.

An exercise in both teamwork, product knowledge reinforcement and where to find it.

Profiling Tools in Recruitment

Exercise: Facilitator takes a more detailed look at specific tools that assist recruitment.

A quick round up of the scope and variety of psychometric tools that can be used in recruiting an effective team and the dangers of labelling.

Program Framing Exercise

Exercise: A train-the-trainer "how to" exercise outlining concepts such as the importance of the initial frame-up, using the 4MAT system, obtaining participant buy-in, taking time out at points in the program to review what participants have learned and flipchart previous learning, how to close.

Tips about isolating unrealistic expectations, meeting participant outcomes and checking in at the end of the program that expectations have been met.

Program Review Exercise

Exercise: Participants take time-out of the program to review what they have learned to date.

Reinforces the learning and clears any confusion before continuing with the program.

Proverbial Charades

Exercise: Participants use charades to discover a well know proverb.

An illustration of body language in operation.

Punchline Introductions

Exercise: Teams of participants watch video clips of some famous one-liners and then introduce themselves to the others with their own favourites from stage, screen or book. The whole team must them compile and present the best one-liner to complete another movie clip.

A fun introduction exercise with teamwork aspects.

Puzzler

Exercise: A great time filler when a game or exercise means that participants or teams will finish at different times. Sets of lateral thinking word puzzles to get people thinking or brain storming as a team.

Prevents dissatisfaction with slower participants and encourages lateral thinking.

Question Time Exercise

Exercise: Participants go to a meal break (preferably lunch) in groups of 4 - 6. They must spend the entire break asking nothing but questions. An optional extra to this game is that participants are fined $1 per statement, which can help fund lunch!

A presentation/facilitator exercise designed to improve presentation and communication skills by improving questioning technique.

Quiddich Golden Snitch

Task: Teams of participants watch a video clip from Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone and then reflect on what is their own Golden Snitch - the one key aspect that is more important to them than everything else they do.

A very powerful self-reflection exercise.

Quiddich Manual

Task: Teams of participants watch a video clip from Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone and then write down the instructions for playing Quiddich from what they see and hear in the film.

A very useful communication tool that is a great metaphor for giving precise instructions in the workplace

Quiddich Roles

Task: Teams of participants watch a video clip from Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone and then reflect on whether they are being Bludgers or Snitch Seekers in their own lives?

A very powerful self-reflection exercise

Red Dot Exercise

Exercise: Use the red dots provided to vote for the biggest barriers to performance

Prioritising barriers to performance confronting this group and how to overcome them. This session will also provide the priorities for planning action

Reframing

Exercise: Participants in small groups are encouraged to demonstrate context and content reframing to look differently at problems.

The exercise introduces the powerful NLP concept of reframing with some simple examples and then a real, fun and practical exercise to try out reframing on participants own real life problems.

Relax the Eyes Process

Exercise: The facilitator will give participants an experience/demonstration of hypnotic trance.

The purpose of the exercise is to briefly examine what hypnosis is (and isn't), particularly that the participants have to allow it to happen. It is also useful as a demonstration of the work of the unconscious mind.

Report Writing Exercise

Exercise: Participants are presented with a broad-brush scenario and are required to write a report for management together with a recommended course of action

Tests participants' entrepreneurial flair, strategic planning and ability to write a cohesive management report.

Rhyming Names Exercise

Exercise: Participants use alliteration to make up names for other participants or themselves. A great way to encourage team spirit in newly formed teams.

A fun ice breaker and a useful technique to help participants remember one another's names.

Rich Pictures

Participants experience a process for unravelling and improving complex organisational, interpersonal or business systems. Teams pictorially represent complex situations of systems or processes to bring together the pieces of the puzzle.

A great way to improve system and form design.

Ring Tale

Exercise: Participants draw a phrase from the bucket and stand in a team circle. When it comes to their turn they have one minute to continue the story from the previous team member and weave their phrase into that story.

A fun way to meet a new group and test communication and presentation skills at the same time.

Safety Exercise (Fact Finding)

Exercise: Participants are given a jumble of information and must make conclusions based on the facts given. The conclusions are then to be presented in an articulate and coherent form.

An exercise which provides a number of points which can be assessed - presentation, reasoning, data analysis and explanation.

Scrooge Christmas

Exercise: The team makes a montage to express their philosophy of what to give Scrooge for Christmas.

A fun, creative exercise which can also break the "bah-humbug" Christmas spirit. Lateral thinking coming together with a team vision and outcome. The exercise can also be an introduction to creating beliefs.

Secret Parent Line

Exercise: Participants tell team members the real occupation and an event from the life of one of their parents or grandparents. One of the participants, however, is a deep cover spy and their story is fabricated. But which one?

Tests assumptions and judgments in a new group. A good introduction exercise.

Selling the Message

Exercise: Participants must get their message across using a variety of presentation techniques and strategies such as passion, benefits, outcomes and differing styles.

A presentation exercise which covers theory and gives the presenters a chance to implement the learnings straight away.

Sentence Line

Exercise: Participants draw a word from the bucket and share it with their team. The team must then arrange themselves, without talking, in word order so that the sentence makes sense. (The required sentence is organisation specific and could be a message the company wants to promulgate)

A fun way to get a new message across and test team skills and assumptions.

Setting Communications Outcomes

Exercise: Participants learn to communicate effectively to get their desired outcomes. Participants role play scenarios where having a clearly defined outcome before communicating is essential.

A presentation exercise which covers theory and gives participants a chance to implement the learnings straight away.

Setting Priorities Exercise

Exercise: Prioritising in action! Participants list priorities (often from their work "to do" list) and break the list into quadrants as in the "7 habits" and prioritise within each quadrant. They then focus on how to achieve their key objectives.

A practical example of taking a to do list and transforming it into an effective tool where the priorities reflect where participants should or choose to be spending their time.

Six Thinking Hats

Exercise: An explanation and demonstration of the Edward de Bono model of the "Six Thinking Hats" and applying it to decision making or problem solving.

A powerful way to look at all sides of an issue.

Skills Inventory

Exercise: Participants create an inventory of what they are good at based on key experiences from their past.

A useful tool to distill and discover your own skills without the judgement which can be associated with self evaluation. Best used in conjunction with Memory Surfing.

SMARTIE Goals

Exercise: Participants set personal goals using the SMARTIE method that not only clarifies exactly what they want but also can dramatically increase their success in achieving the future they want.

A "must have" model for anyone who wants to get what they want from life.

Snaking Word Association

Exercise: Participants stand in a circle. One person starts with the word "snake" and whispers an associated word to the person in front of them, who whispers an associated word to the next person and so on. At the end of each circuit the current word is recorded.

Illustrates the different meanings and associations words create and how quickly thoughts and associations can move away from a fixed starting point.

Something You Don't Know About Me

Exercise: Participants throw a ball across the team circle and as they throw tell the team something the team does not know about them.

Provides a good way to introduce participants to each other.

Song Lines

Exercise: Participants stand in a team circle and the first participant starts a conversational story with a line from a song. Each participant in turn must add their own song line to keep the story going. The team has three minutes to continue the story from the previous team member and weave their song line seamlessly into that story.

A fun way to test quick thinking and presentation skills at the same time.

Spot the Company Exercise

Task: Participants look at the summary Balance Sheets of a number of disguised companies and assess what business they are in by looking at their asset and liability structure.

Draws out the differences in Accounts of companies in different industries and the pitfalls of comparing unlike organisations.

Spy-Ring Tale

Exercise: Participants draw a secret message from the bucket and stand in a team circle. When it comes to their turn they have one minute to continue the story from the previous team member and weave their secret message seamlessly into that story.

A fun way to meet a new group and test communication and presentation skills at the same time.

Star Search

Exercise: Participants must find the star which is hidden in a jumble of triangles and shapes.

An excellent metaphor for finding and keeping sight of a vision (or what is important) amongst noise and confusion.

Step Into Your Power Exercise

Exercise: Participants remember a time in their lives when they felt really powerful and bring back that feeling and anchor it on the floor in front of them in a way that makes it easy for them to step into it any time they need to.

A demonstration of powerful states and how to use them.

Strategy Elicitation

Exercise: Participants elicit a strategy from their partner, for making decisions. A great insight into how we do things, and to create awareness that alternatives exist, and may even serve us better!

A useful demonstration of NLP, and creates awareness of the strategies we use.

Strengths and Weaknesses (Powerline)

Exercise: Participants, in pairs, take it in turns to talk about their strengths and relate a powerful experience example of each one. Gets people in touch with their personal power.

Stand alone empowerment exercise that is central part of the Powerline game.

Succession Planning Exercise

Exercise: Participants play the part of the committee of their local Chamber of Commerce. The retiring chairman of the association is a tireless entrepreneur who has built the membership and participation in the association to unparalleled levels. The task of participants is to select a successor to the outgoing chairman. Someone who will maintain the association in the next phase of development.

A great exercise for showing the need to first chart the desired role, then the attributes and skills required, then the attributes of candidates and identification of any gaps rather than taking the nearest hot body or clone of the retiree.

Super Heroes Exercise

Exercise: Participants watch a few short clips that show Clarke Kent and Adam West in and out of their Superman/Batman costumes. The whole world can see who the super heroes are in their normal personae but the players in the film cannot. Participants then apply the metaphor to their own workplace or other areas of their lives. What could they see if they took an audience view rather than that of a player?

A great exercise in looking at problems or working relationships from a different perspective.

Surrounding Ovation

Exercise: The team stand in a circle and applaud for the one person in the centre. Or, in the alternative version each team member says something positive about the person in the centre, then the whole team applauds. "What I think is great about you is .... "

A great exercise for boosting self esteem and recognition of the individuals in the team and their skills.

Swish Patterns

Exercise: Participants use an NLP Swish pattern to change an unwanted or unresourceful state.

A quick and effective exercise for changing patterns of behaviour.

SWOB Exercise

Exercise: Participants identify their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Barriers.

An evolved version of SWOT where participants identify Barriers (rather than Threats) and have a stronger sense of empowerment to overcome the barrier. An excellent exercise to fit with goal setting, missions, personal limitations.

Symbolic Communication

Exercise: A presentation skills exercise where the presenter designs and presents a metaphor to suit a training situation and provide something relevant in the story for all present. Ideally the metaphor will be spontaneous and in keeping with previous discussion, examples and context.

Learning to use stories and metaphors as powerful learning tools.

Symbols Mixer

Exercise: Participants are shown a range of symbols and asked "Who likes which symbols?" (squares, triangles and circles). They are given a fictitious profile for each symbol.

A great warm up exercise and pre-frame for an audience that you wish to question "facts".

Tag Team Presentations

Exercise: Teams of participants prepare and deliver a 5 minute presentation on an environmental topic. The team member speaking is tagged at random intervals by another team member who must continue fluently with the presentation.

A fun test of teamwork and participants ability to present powerfully at the drop of a hat.

Talking Your Walk

Exercise: Participants talk about something that is personal to them, where they believe they are walking their talk. The group gives feedback about how congruent they seemed in talking about "walking their talk". They can then redesign the talk (or walk) to match!

An awareness or presentation exercise to highlight differences between what participants say and do, and say what they think they do.

Task A Task B

Exercise: Participants are offered a choice between two tasks. A is clear and succinct, B is convoluted and legalistic. Flipchart how people feel about the two tasks and which they would prefer to do and why.

A simple exercise with a powerful message. A great tool for highlighting both issues behind task avoidance, and how to delegate effectively.

Team Coat of Arms

Exercise: Teams draw a collective coat of arms that illustrates their aspirations for the team.

A simple and effective way to agree on the vision for the team.

Team Cloning Exercise

Task: Teams of participants introduce a clone combining collective attributes of themselves to their workplace to work alongside them. What attributes of the clone do they most admire from a work perspective and what would they collectively want to change in order to improve their effectiveness.

A fun and safe way for teams to look at the skills and behaviours that would improve their effectiveness.

Team Mosaics

Exercise: Teams create a Mosaic that illustrates their aspirations for the team.

A simple and effective way to agree on the vision for the team and display it in the form of a permanent reminder.

Team Motivator/Demotivator

Exercise: Participants reflect and list the things that most motivate them and act as the greatest demotivators. They then join their teams and compile a team list of motivators and demotivators.

A simple and effective precursor to team rules, shared values and vision.

Team Olympic Event

Exercise: Teams design a new Olympic event or concept that will inspire Olympians and spectators alike.

A creative exercise that can be used to illustrate new pathways in the workplace too.

Team Role Types (Belbin)

Exercise: Participants study the key aspects of each Belbin Team Role Preference as flipcharted and stand by the one most like them.

A simple and effective way to view and understand the dynamics of the team from the Belbin preferences perspective

Team Scenes

Exercise: The team is given a set of phrases which they must assemble into a scene and then act out as a short skit.

A fun exercise to draw together creativity, and team work while also demonstrating that there can be many solutions. A subtly hidden metaphor where negotiation can also be important to create a scene to act out before the performance is due to begin.

Team Values and Rules Exercise

Exercise: Participants set the core values, and flowing from them the protocols and rules, that form the context in which the team will operate.

A great way to frame acceptable team behaviour.

Team Vision Exercise

Exercise: Teams of participants create a compelling shared vision of the future in words and pictures that will inspire them to do whatever it takes.

A great way to build shared vision.

Telephone Body Language Exercise

Exercise: Blindfolded participants working in pairs act out a telephone conversation. One participants makes changes in their body language, which the other has to copy.

Shows the power of body language in telephone communication.

Telephone Communication

Exercise: Blindfold participants role play simulated telephone communications that identify the relative importance of words, tone and body language and how to build rapport by matching the other party to the phone call.

Identifying and practicing the keys to building rapport on the phone. One of three excellent telephone communication exercises.

Telephone Matching and Mirroring Exercise

Exercise: Blindfolded participants working in pairs act out a telephone conversation. One participants has to match and mirror the other's voice patterns to create rapport.

A simple but effective message as part of effective telephone communication. An exercise which can follow "Matching and Mirroring" to highlight the different representation systems which can be matched or mirrored, and how much information is available in communication.

Theatre-Sports Exercise

Exercise: Teams play out improvised songs, skits and mimes to impromptu clues. Some clues are given as examples - the suggested format is for clues to come from the other team.

A fun exercise which expands the comfort zones of many participants, while working as a team. A great exercise for presenters and people who need to "think on their feet". When teams create the challenges for each other theatre-sports can demonstrate win-win or sabotage behaviour as well as highlighting the differences in our perceptions of what is "easy"!

The Three Brains

Exercise: Participants learn about three different areas of the brain that control instinct, emotion and logic in a simplified model of how the brain functions

Shows how instinct and emotion are triggered faster than logic

Three Card Introduction

Exercise: In small groups, participants write three prescribed things about themselves (e.g.. Nickname, Favourite Film, Best Meal) on three different cards. Each card goes into a bucket and is drawn by another participant who must circulate and ask questions to find the writer. In larger groups, all three things can be on a single card.

A fun way to meet new people and test questioning and communication skills.

Time Line Clearing

Exercise: Participants are taken through a facilitated session on clearing anxiety as an introduction to the Time Line process.

An exercise best done by NLP Practitioners. Most Time Line techniques are tools for removing individual participant blocks one-on-one, however, anxiety can be readily handled in a group situation.

Time Line Elicitation

Exercise: Participants discover their time line orientation and the practical realities and implications of their Time Line. With advanced presenters or facilitators (we recommend this only be done by NLP Practitioners) they may be given the opportunity to try out different Time Lines.

Additional material is available which relates Time Lines to archetypes such as perceiver, judger etc. An exercise best done by NLP Practitioners Time Line elicitation can be useful in itself, or as a building block for Time Line Clearing or Time Line Goal Setting.

Time Line Goal Setting

Exercise: Participants take their goals (see SMARTIE Goal Setting Exercise) and put them into their future Time Lines.

An exercise best done by NLP Practitioners that can powerfully energise participants goals and results.

Time Prioritising

Exercise: Participants reflect on what is important to them, and the time they allocate to these things.

A great exercise to tie in with life mapping.

Tips for Training Others

Exercise: Facilitator draws out and flipcharts participant's views of the important tips for training others and adds missing tips from the list provided.

A must for presenters! Tips and explanations on how to be effective when training.

Tone Phone Exercise

Exercise: Blindfolded participants working in pairs take turns to say a phrase in a telephone conversation. One participants uses question, command and statement tonalities which their partner has to identify.

A simple but effective way of showing the importance of tone in effective telephone communication.

Towards and Away From Thinking

Exercise: Participants learn about the magnetism of "towards" thinking and the drive of "away from" motivation and the consequences of each one..

Demonstrates one of the keys to successful motivation.

True Lies

Exercise: Participants write two facts about themselves on their name tags, or on a label. One is true but not know to others in the group, the other is false. Other participants must pick which is the true statement.

A good assumptions exercise.

Trust Circle

Exercise: The team stands in a close circle with one person in the centre. The person in the centre keeps their eyes closed and arms folded over their chest while allowing themselves to rock backwards and forwards between the team members.

An exercise in building team trust.

Trust Fall

Exercise: The team stands in a group and catches the one team member who falls backwards off a chair or table. Safety points are included.

This exercise is similar to trust circle to generate team trust. It also highlights which members of the team least trust themselves (or perceive themselves as involved in the team) - they may tend to shy away to the back rather than being up front to catch their team mates.

Trust Strategies

Exercise: Participants recall someone they trust and someone they don't and record the differences in behaviour that lead to the distinction

Identifying personal barriers to trust and how to overcome them

Understanding Profiling Tools Exercise

Exercise: Participants learn about different profiling tools that are available and the ones best suited to their need. In groups they then discuss and agree the best uses of each tool.

Identifying the right psychometric tool for the task.

Utopian Values

Exercise: Participants must bid for the values they intend to take to a new planet and then combine with others with similar values.

An exercise in the power of shared team values.

Values Prioritising

Exercise: A quick and effective grid to elicit and rank personal values.

A powerful self-awareness tool.

Valuing Intangible Assets Exercise

Task: Participants select the most suitable method for valuing the intangible assets of their case study company from the range of alternatives on offer

A short, hands-on demonstration of the differences in accounting that can paint an optimistic or a markedly different and conservative picture within the accounting guidelines and standards.

VKA and Presentations

Exercise: Facilitator demonstrates how to form presentations that appeal to all information processing styles - visual, auditory and kinaesthetic and the critical importance of knowing the audience.

Communicating with individuals and groups to achieve the best results. How to recognise other modalities.

VKA and Selling

Exercise: Facilitator demonstrates how to form sales presentations and one-on-one techniques that appeal to all information processing styles - visual, auditory and kinaesthetic and the critical importance of knowing the audience.

Communicating with individuals and groups to achieve the best results. How to recognise other modalities

VKA Coat of Arms Exercise

Exercise: Participants join with others with the same modality preference and draw a coat of arms that best illustrates their preferred information processing style.

A key communication tool in understanding the preferred modality of self and others and how to communicate with others in the easiest way to be heard by them.

VKA Preferences (Language System Diagnostic Instrument)

Exercise: Participants undertake a simple test to elicit their learning modality preferences.

A key communication tool is to understand the preferred modality of self and others.

Vision of the Future

Exercise: Participants provide short (no more than 5 minutes each) and punchy internal presentations on the future for the organisation from both an internal and external focus. The emphasis being on obtaining a diversity of views from a broad spectrum of participants.

An excellent way to elicit different views of the possible future for an organisation.

Vision 2020

Exercise: Participants visualise themselves and the organisation in the Year 2020. What will they and the organisation be doing, how will they be doing it and who will be with them, both team members and customers. They then elicit the steps necessary to achieve that vision.

Puts the light on the hill to aim for.

Watch Exercise

Exercise: Facilitator asks participants to describe their watch without looking at it

Demonstrates the brain's subconscious process of filtering of incoming information.

Weekly Plan Exercise

Exercise: Plan action to reduce or completely overcome the identified time management barriers

What are participants going to do differently on their return to the office? What can they do in one week that will have a positive impact, no matter how small?

What Am I Going To Change?

Exercise: Participants make decisions on behaviours, actions, beliefs or decisions they want to change as a result of the training program.

An excellent follow on from other personal growth or reflection exercises.

What Have We Ever Done For Them?

Exercise: Participants watch the "What have the Romans ever done for us" scene from Life of Brian and then ask the question from a customer service perspective. What has the company really done for clients? What more can it do?

An excellent introduction to maintaining a customer focus.

What Have You Ever Done For Us?

Exercise: Participants watch the "What have the Romans ever done for us" scene from Life of Brian and then ask the question from a corporate or team perspective. What has the company really done for us as employees? What has being part of this team done for me? What more can they do?

An excellent way to illicit the positive achievements in a disgruntled team.

What's Important to Me?

Exercise: A reflective exercise which highlights what is important to each participant.

An excellent lead in to eliciting values.

Where Were You At?

Exercise: A reflective exercise which encourages participants to evaluate their personal development. Participants document where they were at before they changed course as a way of measuring progress.

A guide to growth that is all to often masked by current thinking.

Who Am I?

Exercise: A self exploration exercise which encourages participants to examine who they think they are and consider what more they are or could be. Encourages participants to look at who they think they are, who they act at being and who they might really be.

Helps participants to see the congruence that comes from being true to self.

Who Are Our Customers?

Exercise: Flipchart participants' view of just who is a customer. Ensures that this includes all stakeholders, internal as well as external.

An eye-opener for those who think only in terms of those who buy from the organisation.

Whomping Willow Customers

Task: Participants watch a video clip from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets where Harry flies into the Whomping Willow and then agree on their teams examples of companies that "whomp" their customers. Teams then reflect on how they too may be whomping their own customers.

A challenging reflection on the true commitment to customer focus.

Whomping Willow Managers

Task: Participants watch a video clip from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets where Harry flies into the Whomping Willow and then agree in their groups examples of manager styles that "whomp" their subordinates. Groups then reflect on how they too may be whomping their own staff.

A challenging reflection on the true commitment to empowering management.

Whomping Willow Self

Task: Participants watch a video clip from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets where Harry flies into the Whomping Willow and then individually look at examples of the way that they "whomp" themselves.

A challenging self-reflection and realisation exercise.

Whomping Willow Teams

Task: Participants watch a video clip from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets where Harry flies into the Whomping Willow and then agree in their groups examples of teams or departments that "whomp" each other. Groups then reflect on how they too may be whomping their own colleagues.

A challenging reflection on the true commitment to teamwork.

Who's On Your Team I

Exercise: Participants record their greatest success, the mistake they learned most from, their hero or role model, hidden talent and dream project and share it with a partner

A powerful team bonding game that demonstrates the active listening skill in communication.

Who's On Your Team II

Exercise: Participants record different aspects of their experiences that are relevant to the training purpose and share it with a partner. (Customised version of Who's on Your Team)

A powerful team bonding game that demonstrates the active listening skill in communication.

Why Develop Communication Skills?

Exercise: Facilitator flipcharts participants' expected benefits from developing better communication skills.

Identifies why and when it is better to develop communication skills and obtains participant buy in to the process.

Why Develop Conflict Resolution Skills?

Exercise: Facilitator flipcharts participants' expected benefits from developing better conflict resolution skills.

Identifies why and when it is better to develop conflict resolution skills and obtains participant buy in to the process.

Why Develop Management Skills?

Exercise: Facilitator flipcharts participants' expected benefits, to them and the organisation, to be gained from developing their own management skills

Identifies what developing management skills really means for participants. Covers the "What's in it for me" question and obtains participant buy in to the process.

Why Develop Team Skills?

Exercise: Facilitator flipcharts participants' expected benefits from developing team skills

Identifies why and when it is better to develop team skills than to remain static and obtains participant buy in to the process

Wilson Attributes

Task: Teams of participants watch a short video clip from Castaway where the Tom Hanks character talks to his basketball "Wilson". They then identify all of the characteristics they would want their own team Wilson to possess, representing those attributes that are missing on the team. They then must agree on a process for acquiring the missing attributes.

A fantastic and impersonal way of defining what is missing on a team and how to get it.

Wilson! If Only ...

Task: Teams of participants watch a short video clip from Castaway where the Tom Hanks character talks to his basketball "Wilson". They then identify all of the things that Wilson does wrong on the team, using Wilson as the scapegoat for all negative behaviour. After listing Wilson's shortcomings, they agree on positive solutions that can put the team on a positive track.

An impersonal and non-blaming way to bring out and handle team behaviour issues.

Wilson Teams

Task: Teams of participants watch a short video clip from Castaway where the Tom Hanks character talks to his basketball "Wilson". They then individually identify all of the characteristics they would want their own team Wilson to possess, representing those attributes that are missing on the team. They then share an agree on the missing attributes.

A fantastic and impersonal way of agreeing what is missing on a team.

WIN/win in Negotiation

Exercise: Facilitator flipcharts participants' examples of win-win situations, which on the face of it appear one-sided, but which provide benefits for both parties and true resolution

Identifies why "win-win" in negotiation does not need to appear equal or fair but does need to completely satisfy both parties interests.

Word Association

Exercise: Participants record 10 words they associate with "foot" and then find any common words on their team

Illustrates the different meanings and associations people have even for everyday concrete terms - everyone understands what a foot is, yet they have differing views on what it means to them. A good eye-opener for communication and why it is necessary to check the recipient's understanding of the message to ensure clarity.

WorldGAMES James Bond Trivia Quiz

Exercise: Participants participate in one of WorldGAMES Trivia Quizzes

A great way to fill unproductive time or present prior to a training to see who cooperates and who works alone.

WorldGAMES Olympic Trivia Quiz

Exercise: Participants participate in WorldGAMES Olympic Trivia Quiz

A great way to fill unproductive time or present prior to a training to see who cooperates and who works alone.

WorldGAMES Trivia Quiz

Exercise: Participants participate in one of WorldGAMES Trivia Quizzes tailored to the clients requirements

A great way to fill unproductive time or present prior to a training to see who cooperates and who works alone.

Yellow Brick Road

Exercise: Participants create a brick (piece of paper) representing what they learned from the session. As a group the bricks are used to form a road or path which also tells a story.

A great exercise for presenters to keep in their toolkit as a methodology to take what the group has learned in a day or session and flipchart it as a process.

Yoda Philosophy

Exercise: Participants watch a short clip from Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back and answer for themselves Yoda's question "What must you unlearn" to be able to do this?

A great exercise for unlocking barriers to personal performance.

Yoda Philosophy II

Exercise: Participants watch a short clip from Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back and answer for themselves the various Yoda questions concerning learned behaviour, disbelief, trying and what it takes to get things off the ground.

A challenging exercise for unlocking barriers to personal and team performance, especially useful where the task ahead seems impossible.