9<image no longer exists>
Purpose
If you are running a course with many people who don't know each other, it can take a while for everyone to learn everybody's name. To make everyone feel more comfortable with each other, you can use this exercise to accelerate the name-learning process. It is quite upbeat and can also energize people and prepare them for the rest of your course.
Objective
State the name of a person and pass a ball to him or her and keep passing the ball.
What You Need
- 4 to 6 balls for a group of 8 to 12. These can be tennis balls or small stress balls. Anything that is safe to throw at someone else is ideal.
Setup
- Ask the delegates to form a circle. Include yourself in this circle.
- Explain that you are going to throw a ball at someone.
Phase 1:
- Pick someone.
- Ask their name. For example, she responds, "Jane."
- Say, "Hi Jane, I am Peter. Catch the ball!"
- When Jane gets the ball, she should say, "Thanks, Peter."
- Jane should select another person, ask his or her name, and repeat the process.
- Continue until everyone has participated.
Phase 2:
- Next, explain that you want to make it more challenging.
- State the name of a person and throw the ball at him or her. Say, "Mary, catch the ball!"
- This person should thank you by name and follow suit: "Thanks, James. Robert, catch the ball!"
- Take it easy and allow mistakes. Simply expect everyone to master the names as they keep throwing the ball.
Phase 3:
- While the ball is still being thrown, casually take out a new ball from your pocket, pick a person and say "X, catch the ball!", and throw the new ball. Expect a pleasant surprise. Now there are two balls to juggle. After a while, add another ball. Use as many balls as half the number of people in the group.
- Stop the ball-throwing exercise when you think the group has learned enough and there is nothing more to gain.
Timing
Explaining the Exercise: 2 minutes.
Activity: 10 minutes
<link outdated-removed>
From India
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)
Hi this is a good one. Very ideal for small groups. I would really appreciate if you have more activities to share withus.
From India, Visakhapatnam
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
From India, Visakhapatnam
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)Join Our Community and get connected with the right people who can help. Our AI-powered platform provides real-time fact-checking, peer-reviewed insights, and a vast historical knowledge base to support your search.
5 Things to do after a team building program.pdf
A Game on Team Building.doc