| Game |  Opener |
Team-building |
| Categories: |  Energizer |
Review |
| Communication |
Topical |
Purpose: To initiate a discussion on creativity, problem-solving, decision-making, or perceptions.
Time Required: 20 minutes.
Size of Group: Unlimited.
Materials Required: Five index cards per participant, prepared in advance by the trainer.
The Exercise in Action: Leo Smigelski, manager of instructor training and training evaluations with Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA, gives each participant a set of five index cards, each listing one year, one letter, and one number chosen randomly from the following subsets: one year from the chronological sequence 1775, 1776, 1777, 1778, and 1779; one letter from the sequence, A, B, C, D, and E; and one number from the sequence 3, 7, 12, 17, and 25.
He then tells participants to “put the cards in order,” giving no other instructions, allowing them two minutes to complete the exercise. Participants then report how they ordered their cards. Most order the cards alphabetically using the A–E sequence, a few use the “historical” sequence, and nearly all see the third numerical sequence as “random.” Smigelski then leads a discussion on why participants order the cards as they do (they base their sequence on assumptions about order), why they did not order them in one of the other ways possible (possibly locked into familiar procedures), and what rules should be followed when sequencing (discuss alternatives).
Finally, he moves the discussion to the importance of approaching creative activities without making assumptions about their structure. He discusses looking for alternatives, the importance of going from familiar to unfamiliar, and not being locked in by official documents/procedures.
Smigelski says the activity helps participants realize that in processing information in a lesson, they often make assumptions about the way it should be sequenced, using preconceived ideas and blocking out creativity.