What Others Are Saying
Just wanted to drop you a note to thank you again for conducting the problem solving training for us. I had been hearing great things about the training, and now I know first-hand! The training can be a tremendous benefit for us as long as we use it. You’ll be pleased to know I saw one of the guys conducting one of the tools this morning with a small group in the cafeteria – that’s fast action!
Lucy R. Janoush, Human Resources Manager, Baxter Healthcare Corporation
Hamburger Press
What: A Get-to-Know You Activity created by Sam Sikes
Group Size: No limit
Time: 15 Minutes
Props Required: approximately 10 "mini-ronis" per person. "Mini-ronis" are hamburger-size sections of the foam noodle toys found at major retailers. They can be made by cutting a foam noodle with a serrated knife, or they can be ordered by the hundred. If you're having difficulties finding foam noodles, contact us.
Activity Instructions:
- Ask the group to separate into pairs (or fours if you are using the variation noted below).
- Explain that the goal is for each pair to try to form the longest "hamburger press," i.e., horizontal stack of mini-ronies, as possible. In order to do this, each person will, one at a time, insert a mini-ronie on his/her end. Play continues until a "fwap" occurs.
- Stipulation 1: Participants may only touch the "hamburger press" on the ends of the outside mini-ronies. No holding the stack around the outside or readjusting mini-ronies once they are placed.
- Stipulation 2: Concurrent with the placement of a mini-ronie, the participant must either a) tell a personal or professional fact about himself, or b) ask the other participant a question about him/herself. The second participant has the option of a) answering the question, b) telling a personal or professional fact, or c) asking the other participant a question.
- Hamburger Press can be played in groups of four, often promoting better discussion and more laughter, both good things at the beginning of a program. It will also let you handle almost twice as many participants if your number of "hamburgers" is limited. If you use groups of four, then two participants will be on each end of the "stack." Players alternate on the placement of mini-ronies, and same rules apply for how it must be held.
Facilitator Notes:
This activity breaks the ice, promotes safe small-group discussion, injects both cooperation and competition at safe levels early in the program, and can be debriefed if desired.
In his book 50 Ways to Use Your Noodle! Sam Sikes provides a wonderful fictional introduction to this activity that you can use verbatim, if you can keep a straight face.
Train-the-Trainer
- Learn how to facilitate activities in ways that promote real learning and long-term behavior change
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