Table Topics

Here is a trick I used to do, but now I have found a video to go with it. You are basically balancing a glass upside down on a few quarters, with a dime under the glass. The challenge is how to get the dime out without moving the glass.

Have a watch:

http://video-tricks.visionmind.net/obidient-coin/

How I Would Use This

I could really see a great big conference room pondering over this as they have their dinner. Every table would have a couple of quarters and a dime and the glass and tablecloth are already there.
A wonderful team activity would follow.

The point of this activity could be:

-the solution may not be obvious
-it takes a whole room to find the solution
-little actions can make a big difference

You might want to try having groups who figure it out teach those who don't know how it is done.
What fun.

True or False Walk

A very simple exercise that livens up your day and introduces a new topic.

Let's say your topic is learning about Canada and your group are a bunch of European students.

I would ask the group to stand in the middle of a large area. On one wall is a sign that reads
TRUE
on the opposite a sign that reads
FALSE

Then I ask them a series of questions to which they move back and forth from True to False.
Each person goes his or her own way.

Some typical questions:

Toronto is the capital of Canada.
Canada has two coastlines.
The national animal of Canada is the moose.

and so on.

People have fun with this activity and enjoy whether they are right or wrong.

Adapt any way you want.

Noisemakers

Whenever I fly the airlines look with suspicion at my luggage. That is because it contains noisemakers, tambourines, bells, whistles and more.

I really believe that a simple way to liven up a workshop, is to use all kinds of noisemakers.
It adds an element of fun, gets people's attention and saves your voice.

One word of caution, though, try not to bring things that make UGLY sounds; klaxon horns, blasters and the like.

Have fun.

Photo Finish

I often have participants introduce themselves by showing the group something they have in their pockets, packs or purses but recently I saw a neat twist on this.

When you have a roomful of adults you are bound to have photos in wallets. Hand out a short list for a scavenger hunt of photos. Have everyone mill around sharing the photos and see how many they can find and tick off. Each photo should come from a different person.

It is up to you which photos you put in the list. Try to reflect the group you are working with.
Here are a few ideas to get you started.

1) a happy family
2) a really young baby
3) a curly headed toddler
4) a car
5) a vacation spot
6) a school photo
7) a grandmother or grandfather
8) a big dog
9) a small dog
10) a pet other than a dog
11) a house
12) a flower or tree

Just make up any list you want and see how many of them your group collectively keeps in their wallets.

This is a lively way to get people talking and sharing.

The F Word

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS
OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE
EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.

Now count the F's is that sentence. Count them ONLY ONCE.
Do not go back and count them again. Then see below:


There are 6 F's in the sentence.
How many did you count?

How I Would Use This

For fun I could turn it into an intelligence test.

Another idea is to use it to illustrate how often we make assumptions. The brain assumed that the V sounds were just that, V's and not F's. We make hundreds of assumptions daily, some are harmless like this little activity, but some are not harmless at all.