Activity: As If...
Hello!!
This activity is typically labelled as an Ice-breaker - and it might be - but it's an Ice-breaker that packs a punch. Drama teachers...pay attention because this is also a super great warm activity for improv games. Let's get right into it:
Activity: "As If"
Type of Initiative: Icebreaker
Source: Related to us by Chris Cavert who learned it from "Steve the Aussie" at the 2006 National Challenge Course Practitioner Symposium
Props Needed: None
Group Size: 2-100
Directions: Divide your group into pairs. Begin this activity by letting participants know that you will give them a relationship role to play for the upcoming interaction. Have the pairs stand about 15 feet apart from one another. Have them determine which partner will be the 'greeter' and which partner will play out the 'role'. Each interaction is approximately 20-30 seconds in duration. Then announce the first interaction.
Ask your group to greet another person in the room AS IF you are:
When introducing this exercise tell the group that there may be periods of uncomfortable interaction or there may be periods of joy, anger or frustration. You will find that the way people greet one another is open to an incredible amount of interpretation. For example just about everyone greets their high school friend with a hug or a handshake and it typically involves some shouting and lots of "how are you's". However, a greeting between college roommates can vary greatly. Some people have no interest in seeing their college roommates again but some folks are as close today as they were while living in dorm 25 years ago. By the time we see folks introducing themselves to the President we observe many different approaches...some are thrilled, others are rude, some pretend to be violent. My response is "really?" That is REALLY how you would great the President? My comments following this activity are always the same and they typically go something like this: "Would you agree that everyone we greeted today is human? Is it safe to say that all humans deserve the same respect in terms of being polite to one another? We don't have to agree with what the President does or even like our college roommate but these examples are just two examples of how our attitude and belief systems affect our ability to be respectful of one another. Does that make sense?"
This activity is typically labelled as an Ice-breaker - and it might be - but it's an Ice-breaker that packs a punch. Drama teachers...pay attention because this is also a super great warm activity for improv games. Let's get right into it:
Activity: "As If"
Type of Initiative: Icebreaker
Source: Related to us by Chris Cavert who learned it from "Steve the Aussie" at the 2006 National Challenge Course Practitioner Symposium
Props Needed: None
Group Size: 2-100
Directions: Divide your group into pairs. Begin this activity by letting participants know that you will give them a relationship role to play for the upcoming interaction. Have the pairs stand about 15 feet apart from one another. Have them determine which partner will be the 'greeter' and which partner will play out the 'role'. Each interaction is approximately 20-30 seconds in duration. Then announce the first interaction.
Ask your group to greet another person in the room AS IF you are:
- Long
lost friends
- college roommates
- someone you have had a conflict with at work (school, camp, in the neighborhood, etc)
- The President of the United States or Prime Minister (for us Canadians)
- someone you are intimidated by
- a famous musician
- they
do not speak English (or the dominant language of the group)
When introducing this exercise tell the group that there may be periods of uncomfortable interaction or there may be periods of joy, anger or frustration. You will find that the way people greet one another is open to an incredible amount of interpretation. For example just about everyone greets their high school friend with a hug or a handshake and it typically involves some shouting and lots of "how are you's". However, a greeting between college roommates can vary greatly. Some people have no interest in seeing their college roommates again but some folks are as close today as they were while living in dorm 25 years ago. By the time we see folks introducing themselves to the President we observe many different approaches...some are thrilled, others are rude, some pretend to be violent. My response is "really?" That is REALLY how you would great the President? My comments following this activity are always the same and they typically go something like this: "Would you agree that everyone we greeted today is human? Is it safe to say that all humans deserve the same respect in terms of being polite to one another? We don't have to agree with what the President does or even like our college roommate but these examples are just two examples of how our attitude and belief systems affect our ability to be respectful of one another. Does that make sense?"
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