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What Others Are Saying

I would strongly recommend First Steps to any individual or organization with a desire to foster professional and personal growth for those who want to become better leaders in their job, or just a better person period.

Director, Radiology

Don't Touch Me!

A low-prop, mild-activity-level initiative problem; especially useful for training in communication, creative thinking, and problem-solving.  I recently used this as one of the experiential bases for a 1/2 day training on some of DeBono's Critical Thinking tools.  A GREAT ACTIVITY for distinguishing between continuous improvement and innovation/breakthrough improvement and for promoting thought and discussion on how our perceptions or assumptions can limit our choices.

Group Size/Configuration:

• 10 - 100
• An even number of participants.  If the group is odd (every group is odd, but ...), then you will need to add yourself in as someone's partner.

Space/Supplies Needed:

1. Conference room; enough room to mill about.  (I know this is vague, but it really depends on the size of the group.  Read further, and if it isn't readily apparent to you, contact me.)
2. One relatively small, unbreakable object (can be anything, really.  I've used a frisbee and a deck tennis ring in the past, but stuffed animals would also work well.  Thoughts or suggestions?)  The object may be lying on the floor or on a chair, but there should be enough space for the entire group to circle up around the object.

The Task

For each person in the group to touch the object as quickly as possible, subject to certain constrictions.  This is a timed event; your group is trying over the course of several attempts to achieve "world class performance." 

Directions/Facilitator Script

1. Would each person please grab a partner and line up opposite that partner in the circle?  Thank you.
   
   
2. Your goal is for each person on the team to touch the object and switch places with his/her partner.  Because we at XYZ zipper manufacturing are so safety conscious, we're going to require that no one make any physical contact whatsoever with anyone else for the duration of the attempt, and that each person repeat the company's OSHA-approved safety mantra "Don't Touch Me!"
   
   
3. I'll give you a few minutes to plan your strategy, and then signal for you to begin.  I'll be timing you from the moment you begin until the task is completed; if anyone touches anyone else on the team, a penalty of 5 seconds per touch will be added to your time. 
   
   
4. After we assess a time, you will have more time to plan, and another chance to attempt the task again and lower your time.  Any questions?

Facilitator Notes:

1. Some person or person's will be unclear from the start about the task.  Whenever someone asks "what are we doing?" I say the following:  "Let me repeat the specifications.  Each person on the team must touch the object.  Each person on the team must NOT touch anyone else.  Each person on the team must switch places with their partner.  Each person must repeat the safety mantra "Don't Touch Me."  I suggest that you say it just as written because you are trying to give instructions which are clear, don't mislead the participants, but don't give away too much.
   
   
2. First attempts are often very long (say two-three seconds for each person in the group), there are several touches, general confusion.  On the second attempt, the group will usually have defined some type of system that involves each person in the group doing the task in turn, i.e., I and my partner each move to the center of the circle, touch the object without touching one another, then carefully move to the outside of the circle again.  Then you and your partner do the same steps; then the next pair, and so on until everyone has completed the task.
   
   
3. Third (and sometimes fourth and fifth and so on) attempts will have the group fine-tuning its approach, its organization and process.  Progress, i.e., a lowering of the time it takes to complete each attempt, will be incremental.
   
   
4. When the group starts questioning its assumptions, it will take huge leaps forward.  Someone in the group will ask you "Do we have to stay in a circle?"  You respond (per point #1 above) "Let me repeat the specifications ..." but the real answer (that the group should come to without you telling them) is no, the group can start in any shape or configuration it desires.  Then someone else will ask "Do we have to start across from our partners?"  Again, you repeat the specifications, but as they listen closely they will realize that there is no particular rule about where each person starts relative to their partners.  Some groups even begin to question the meaning of the term "switch places."  It is open for discussion, and you can be as free here as you wish.
   
   
5. "World class performance" is, obviously, whatever you say it is.  I recently designated 8 seconds as world class performance with one group, but chose to do that because the group had worked effectively together, had used the tools that I had been teaching quite effectively, and were proud of their performance at that point; I was also running out of time.  If, however, your goals center around thinking outside of the box, breaking old paradigms, etc., you may at some point casually mention that "the ABC Zipper Company was recently clocked at 1.2 seconds" - this will intensify the questioning and re-examining of the process that I point out in number 4 above.  A "world-class" solution usually involves a reconfiguring of the group so that partners are right next to each other and simultaneous movement of one half of the group immediately followed by the simultaneous movement of the other half.  Get it?  No?  Give it a try!