Objective:
To âBreak the Iceâ and bond a group by learning facts about others within the group.
Overview:
This exercise is an excellent get-to-know-you activity that doesnât take up too much of your teamâs time. All you need is a toilet paper roll (or two depending on the size of the group) (or you can use pennies as another option). Recommended group size is 10-30 people.
Activity:
Ask everyone to sit around in a circle.
Pass around the roll of toilet paper (or pennies) and tell them to take as much as they think theyâll need from the finite amount/resource presented, without disclosing what the items will be used for.
If your employees ask further questions, simply answer them with, âtake as much as you think youâll need.â
Once thatâs done, ask them to count the number of squares they each have.
Going around the circle, each person has to share a fact about themselves (or a revision fact from the course or programme) for every square of toilet paper or penny they took. So, if someone takes 10 squares, they need to share 10 facts about themselves.
Skill Development:
Tip: In order to avoid someone taking 30 pennies or squares of toilet paper, you could set a limit for each item. The facts donât have to be long or time consuming.
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This activity is particularly beneficial whenâŻnew teams or groups meet for the first time as it encourages communication, bonding, and helps the participants learn more about their colleagues. Â
It can also be used to undertake revision with a group, by asking them to recount facts, knowledge at the end of a programme or to confirm new learning of any type (including reflections on the task; personal observations about themselves or the team). Â
Using this arbitrary method of allocating âcommentsâ means that you encourage all members of the group to speak and engage, and provide and deepen their reflections.
Where learners might struggle, you can introduce trading between members to pass their âresourceâ to another if they run out of things to say. This extension requires a reward for those with the most paper or pennies at the end, as they have attracted most resources through their confidence, knowledge or communication skills.
Debriefing this exercise requires the team to explore the emotions of the task (lack of clarity; confidence required; concern as details were released) and be open about how they addressed this personally and overcame these concerns to deliver on the challenge (especially if they were able to trade or work in partnership).
Resources:
Pennies/Tissue Paper