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Debrief: Finding Nemo

Let's discuss for a moment the concept of Critical Mass. In laymen's terms, it's the tipping point. The point in a situation (large or small) where everything turns and becomes part of same thing, concept, trend, etc... Seems easy. In the activity, Finding Nemo - the concept is quite clear. There comes a point where enough people have found or realized that Nemo has been found that the task of inquiring about Nemo has been abandoned and all effort goes toward getting into line before you are the last one. This concept can be explained by this experiment: The Hundredth Monkey by Ken Keyes Jr.: The Japanese monkey, Macaca Fuscata, had been observed in the wild for a period of over 30 years. In 1952, on the island of Koshima, scientists were providing monkeys with sweet potatoes dropped in the sand. The monkey liked the taste of the raw sweet potatoes, but they found the dirt unpleasant. An 18-month-old female named Imo found she could solve the problem by wa...
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Activity: Finding Nemo

Merry Christmas folks! I hope that everyone had a wonderful day with family and friends and having some merry moments. As my Christmas day winds down I'm already looking at 2014 with anticipation. We've got some VERY big projects that will change and shape our current programs. I'll need all my staff to rally behind these new changes to make sure that these programs excel our expectations. Change is a funny thing, don't you think? People, much like animals, naturally resist change. So when we are confronted with change - we need our troops to rally. That's one of the only ways to make change work well. Now that the front-loading is done - let's get onto the activity. Though it doesn't deal directly with change - it does deal with reaching "Critical Mass". We'll get into what that means in the debrief. Here's the activity: Finding Nemo Number of Participants: 20 or more. Setting up the Field of Play : No props needed. Have part...
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**Bumpers Up

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I just realized that I never made my PS note about Bumpers Up. Here's why we need to explain and then practice proper bumper position: Surprisingly enough, the only one who is remotely close to proper Bumpers Up position is the one about to "Double Goose" the participant in the darker blue shirt. You don't want to be either. Bad Bumper! Bad BUMPER! Trust me...you don't want this happening to one your participants and as a participant, you will only experience this once before you decide that "Bumpers Up" is EXTREMELY important (especially when you're in a group with people you do not know well). I'd show you a picture of good Bumpers Up Position...but do you think I could find one? Nope. So I'm left with explaining it and hoping that you can understand it. If I ever find one...I will definitely post it (mostly out of triumph). BUMPERS UP: With your elbows tight to your side, bend your elbows a little less than 90 degrees with your...
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