Purpose: To help participants defuse difficult group conflicts and encourage team solutions.

 Time Required: 15 minutes.

 Size of Group: Unlimited, but participants should work in small groups of four to eight.

 Materials Required: A soft, indoor ball and a box of laundry detergent.

 The Exercise in Action: To help training groups solve interpersonal conflicts, Bruce Lancia, a computer trainer with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH, uses a metaphorical “soapbox” and a Nerf ball. It’s essentially a “control measure to help groups meet project deadlines and to resolve gridlock,” he says, and is also designed for use back on the job.

Each group is given a soapbox (such as a box of Tide detergent) and a soft, indoor ball (such as a Nerf ball). When any conflict arises—usually over how to proceed in tasks—each participant is allotted a certain amount of time to be on the proverbial soapbox to state her perspective on the problem. “And if anyone feels that one opinion is being beaten to death, and it’s a minority opinion, they have the right to grab the Nerf ball and throw it at the individual on the soapbox,” Lancia says. When a speaker is “Nerfed,” says Lancia, they have the right to appeal to the group for more time. If a majority says, “No,” they have to relinquish their post.