Acquainters

Acquainters may have no relation to the subject matter being taught. They are designed to put participants at ease and relieve the initial anxiety that comes with any new beginning. Here are some favorite acquainter exercises used by trainers.

Fancy Sayings

This exercise, suggested by Forbess-Greene, challenges participants to “translate” written communications.

How to Use:

• Give each participant a copy of a “Fancy Sayings” worksheet containing questions such as the following:

  • A feathered vertebrate enclosed in the grasping organ has an estimated worth that is higher than a duo encapsulated in the branched shrub. (A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.)

  • It is sufficiently more tolerable to bestow upon than to come into possession. (It is better to give than to receive.)

  • The medium of exchange is the origin or source of the amount of sorrow, distress, and calamity. (Money is the root of all evil.)

  • A monetary unit equal to 1/100 of a pound that is stored aside is a monetary unit equal to 1/100 of a pound that is brought in by way of returns. (A penny saved is a penny earned.)

• Have trainees work alone to “decode” the famous sayings that have been obscured by the “fancy” language. Allow 10 minutes.

How to Modify:

Rather than translating the obscure sayings, pick some well-known sayings or slogans and ask participants to rewrite them in obscure language.

Life Map

In this icebreaker, participants prepare a map showing the significant events in their lives.

How to Use:

• Ask participants to think about the things they consider the significant events in their lives. While they are thinking, pass out colored markers and sheets of newsprint to each.

• Ask participants to list those events in the order they occurred on one sheet of newsprint. On the other sheet, ask them to prepare maps that reflect the events that have led them to where they are in life. (See opposite for an example of a life map.) Allow 10 minutes.

• Have the participants pair off and discuss their maps with their partners.

How to Modify:

Participants may map their careers or significant events in the past year.