Working Together - 55 Team Games

By Lorraine L. Ukens
From Working Together - 55 Team Games, pp. 95 & 96

26 Objectivity

Objective
To work in teams brainstorming ways in which to use a commonplace object.

Applications

• Creativity
• Group Interaction
• Icebreaker
• Team Effort

Group Size
Unlimited. Participants will work in teams of up to six members each.

Time Required
Five to ten minutes.

Materials
A familiar object (e.g., a ruler, styrofoam cup, belt, box); a pencil and a copy of the Objectivity Worksheet for each participating team; a flip chart; a felt-tipmarker; a clock with a minute hand or a timer.

Preparation
Obtain a familiar object to display. If you are unable to locate the actual object, you may wish to have a picture of it or merely describe the object to the teams.

Duplicate one copy of the Objectivity Worksheet for each participating team. (if possible, place a small picture of the designated object on the master sheet prior to duplication.)

Process

1. Instruct participants to form teams of up to six members each. Distribute a pencil and a copy of the Objectivity Worksheet to each team. Each team should select a team leader who will record the group's work.

2. Explain that each team is to brainstorm a list of ways in which a common object can be used. The team with the longest list of workable uses at the end of five minutes will be the winner.

3. Display the object (or describe it) and signal for the activity to begin.

4. Stop the activity after five minutes. Determine the team with the highest number of uses for the object. Using participant feedback, make a composite list of all possible ideas and post them on a flip chart. Count the total number of suggestions on the composite list and compare it with the highest team score.

Discussion

• Were there suggestions made by others that you had not considered'?
• How does this game relate to teamwork in general?
• How can we equate this game to brainstorming as a tool for decision making?

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Excerpted from Working Together - 55 Team Games, by Lorraine L. Ukens, Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, copyright 1997.

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