a game for building trust and communication skills

Tina Chou

@iamtinac

Team Building Activity: •  make something tangible •  use your hands •  play!

(also a great icebreaker)

What do you need? •  45 minutes •  6-8 people •  a flat surface, preferably a table •  a copy of Instructures (~$20 on Amazon)

Keep: •  building blocks •  blueprints

Rules:

Copying is allowed… at your own risk.

The first team that thinks they have built the structure stops the clock. All construction is halted. The other team inspects.

if (built == blueprint) {score++;

} else {score--;

}

Start with a warm-up round. No pressure.

Chaos

Order

like design pattern libraries

Develop a Common Language

like prototyping

Constant Feedback & Iteration

“move it upright… the other way(s)!”

explain your vision to people who cannot see it

Communicate with Different People

enable your team to succeed without touching anything

Everyone Practices Being Hands Off

be open to taking on new roles when the need arises

Roles Can Change, Be a Team Player

defined vs. flexible

continuous improvement

Optimize for Efficiency

Are these the best names? •  pole •  column •  stick •  long thing

does the language still work?

Scale for More Complexity

blocks can be tilted??

Handle New Paradigm Shifts

CHALLENGE ROUND

Work With New Constraints

The foreman can’t see what their team is building while giving the instructions. Communication is a two-way street!

Revised play guide available for download: https://goo.gl/JKCGCl

How does it end? •  first to win 3 rounds in a row •  first to reach 12 points •  when you run out of time •  …up to you!

Reflect: •  How did you develop your team process? •  What improvements did you make? •  How do you think this relates to the “real world”?

To Summarize: •  Communication is a team sport. •  Feedback and iteration is essential to success. •  Trust your team.

Working with people should be fun!

Try it and share! uxteamgames@gmail.com

Tina Chou @iamtinac slideshare.net/iamtinac