50 Activities for Developing People Skills Activities for... · 50 Activities for Developing People...

50 Activities for Developing People Skills

Jacqueline Stewart and David Couper

HRD Press • Amherst • Massachusetts

COMPLIMENTARY RESOURCES from HRD Press

The 2 activities in this download are free to use in training at a single corporate site.

© Jacqueline Stewart and David Couper, 1993, 2004 The materials that appear in this book, other than those quoted from prior sources, may be reproduced for educational/training activities. There is no requirement to obtain special permission for such uses. We do, however, ask that the following statement appear on all reproductions:

Reproduced from 50 Activities for Developing People Skills, by Jacqueline Stewart and David Couper, Amherst, MA: HRD Press, 1993.

This permission statement is limited to reproduction of materials for educational or training events. Systematic or large-scale reproduction or distribution—or inclusion of items in publications for sale—may be carried out only with prior written permission from the publisher. Published in the United States by HRD Press 22 Amherst Road Amherst, MA 01002 In association with Connaught Training ISBN 0-87425-241-5 Production services by Jean Miller Cover design by Eileen Klockars



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Contents Preface..................................................................................................................... vii

Index of Activities ..................................................................................................... ix

Activities Classified by Running Time....................................................................... xi

Activities Classified by Training Method................................................................... xiii

The Activities............................................................................................................ 1

1. Action Plan .................................................................................................. 3 Completed by the participant at the end of the course

2. Advice or Information? ................................................................................ 5 Discussing the difference between advice and information

3. Alphabet of Feelings.................................................................................... 9 Discussing feelings

4. Analyzing Meetings ..................................................................................... 11 Working out how much time is spent on different elements in a meeting

5. Answer My Question ................................................................................... 15 Helping participants find out more about each other

6. Appraisal ..................................................................................................... 19 A case study on appraisal

7. Breaking the Barrier .................................................................................... 25 Exploring blocks in communication, especially relevant to counseling

8. Controlling Body Language ......................................................................... 29 The importance of using body language to emphasize what you say

9. Customer Service Analysis.......................................................................... 31 A force-field analysis to discuss customer service

10. Delegation—I............................................................................................... 43 Case study on delegation

11. Delegation—II.............................................................................................. 49 Case study on delegation

12. Dib Dob Dabble ........................................................................................... 55 To inject energy into and revive the pace of video review sessions

13. Discipline ..................................................................................................... 57 A case study of a disciplinary interview

14. Don’t Label Me ............................................................................................ 63 Used in counseling training sessions to show the importance of good listening



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15. Farewell....................................................................................................... 65 Participants make positive comments about the other participants

16. 59 Seconds ................................................................................................. 67 Focusing on the necessity to plan a presentation

17. Giving Feedback ......................................................................................... 69 How to give constructive feedback

18. How Free Are You?..................................................................................... 71 How free are employees to express themselves?

19. Internal Communication Analysis ................................................................ 77 Force-field analysis to show the importance of good internal communication

20. Interview Me ................................................................................................ 91 Enabling participants to get to know each other better

21. The Lineup .................................................................................................. 93 Enabling participants to get to know each other better

22. Listening Transfer........................................................................................ 95 Listening and then transferring that information to a written form

23. Making Contact ........................................................................................... 105 Clarifying the importance of making eye contact and creating a comfortable counseling environment

24. Maptalk........................................................................................................ 111 Enabling participants to find out where other participants live and work

25. Negotiation .................................................................................................. 113 A case study on negotiation

26. Negotiation Skills......................................................................................... 123 A questionnaire to start a discussion on negotiation

27. No Jargon.................................................................................................... 129 Focusing on the use of jargon

28. Only One Question...................................................................................... 133 What have you always wanted to ask?

29. Personal Needs Analysis............................................................................. 135 A self-assessment of the participant’s personal development plans

30. Power and Influence.................................................................................... 147 Power and influence in jobs

31. Prejudice ..................................................................................................... 155 Discussing prejudice

32. Reflecting .................................................................................................... 157 Reflecting on what someone has said and showing understanding



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33. Qualities of a Counselor .............................................................................. 163 What makes a good counselor?

34. Selection...................................................................................................... 165 A case study of a selection interview

35. Spelling Out................................................................................................. 173 Taking messages accurately

36. Stereotypes ................................................................................................. 179 Perceptions of job titles and types of people

37. Summarizing Skills – I ................................................................................. 183 Group listening and summarizing

38. Summarizing Skills – II ................................................................................ 193 Listening and summarizing in pairs

39. Teamwork Squares ..................................................................................... 197 Highlights the importance of teamwork

40. Transactional Analysis ................................................................................ 203 Identifying different T.A. roles

41. Values ......................................................................................................... 209 Exploring “I want to be”

42. What Animal Are You? ................................................................................ 213 Participants find out more about each other’s personality

43. What Are You Really Saying? ..................................................................... 217 Used in a counseling training session

44. What Shall We Talk About?......................................................................... 219 What are acceptable topics of conversation?

45. What’s Up, Doc? ......................................................................................... 225 Probing for more information using a doctor/patient scenario

46. When Are You Assertive? ........................................................................... 229 Finding out the extent of a participant’s assertiveness

47. Who Are You Aiming At?............................................................................. 237 Focusing on your audience

48. Whodunit? ................................................................................................... 247 Using the detective story format to practice communication

49. “Yes, but…” ................................................................................................. 263 Using alternative ways of saying yes and no

50. Yes or No .................................................................................................... 265 Assertiveness training



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vii

Preface Each of the fifty activities in this manual relates to some aspect of human interaction. Their focus is on the use of these skills in the workplace, although many are entirely transferable to private life. In some training situations, this may give the trainer added “ammunition” for justifying the goals, objectives, and methods used. The transfer or application of training from the classroom into the workplace is a general concern for trainers who do not have follow-up sessions or on-the-job meetings with previous training course participants. Using a personal action plan at the end of any sessions is, therefore, strongly recommended, as a reminder and possible motivator for the individuals concerned. A particularly useful form of a personal action plan is the letter. In this case, the individual writes it, makes a photocopy, and places it in a self-addressed envelope. The trainer collects the sealed envelopes and, after an agreed-upon period of time, sends them back through the mail or interoffice mail. When the participants receive their letters, they will, first of all, be surprised, and then they will remember the training course. They will also be able to judge their own progress toward achievement of their action plans and be motivated to continue. A note at the bottom of the plan could remind them to review the plan, set new goals and objectives, and implement decisions within specific time frames. We would like to thank all the participants and trainers who have either taken part in these activities or provided the inspiration.

Jacqueline Stewart David Couper



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ix

Index of Activities

Activ

ity #

Activity Title Page

#

Asse

rtiv

enes

s

Appr

aisa

l

Cou

rse

Asse

ssm

ent

Cus

tom

er S

ervi

ce

Cou

nsel

ing

Del

egat

ion

Dis

cipl

ine

Fini

sher

In

terv

iew

ing

Iceb

reak

er/R

eviv

er

List

enin

g M

eetin

g Sk

ills

Neg

otia

tion

Non

verb

al C

omm

unic

atio

n Pe

rson

al D

evel

opm

ent

Perc

eptio

n Pl

anni

ng

Pow

er a

nd In

fluen

ce

Pres

enta

tions

Te

amw

ork

Verb

al C

omm

unic

atio

n

1 Action Plan 3 • • •

2 Advice or Information 5 • • • •

3 Alphabet of Feelings 9 • • • • • •

4 Analyzing Meetings 11 • • • •

5 Answer My Question 15 • • •

6 Appraisal 19 • •

7 Breaking the Barrier 25 • • • •

8 Controlling Body Language 29 • • • • •

9 Customer Service Analysis 31 • • • •

10 Delegation – I 43 • •

11 Delegation – II 49 • •

12 Dib Dob Dabble 55 •

13 Discipline 57 • • • •

14 Don’t Label Me 63 • • • •

15 Farewell 65 • • • •

16 59 Seconds 67 • • • •

17 Giving Feedback 69 • • • • •

18 How Free Are You? 71 • • • •

19 Internal Communication Analysis

77 • • •

20 Interview Me 91 • • • •

21 The Lineup 93 • • •

22 Listening Transfer 95 • • • • •

23 Making Contact 105 • • •

24 Maptalk 111 • • •

25 Negotiation 113 • • • •

26 Negotiation Skills 123 • • • •

27 No Jargon 129 • • •

28 Only One Question 133 • •

29 Personal Needs Analysis 135 • • •

30 Power and Influence 147 • • • • • •

31 Prejudice 155 • • • •



x

Activ

ity #

Activity Title Page

#

Asse

rtiv

enes

s

Appr

aisa

l

Cou

rse

Asse

ssm

ent

Cus

tom

er S

ervi

ce

Cou

nsel

ing

Del

egat

ion

Dis

cipl

ine

Fini

sher

In

terv

iew

ing

Iceb

reak

er/R

eviv

er

List

enin

g M

eetin

g Sk

ills

Neg

otia

tion

Non

verb

al C

omm

unic

atio

n Pe

rson

al D

evel

opm

ent

Perc

eptio

n Pl

anni

ng

Pow

er a

nd In

fluen

ce

Pres

enta

tions

Te

amw

ork

Verb

al C

omm

unic

atio

n

32 Reflecting 157 • • • • • •

33 Qualities of a Counselor 163 • • • •

34 Selection 165 • • • • •

35 Spelling Out 173 • • • •

36 Stereotype 179 • •

37 Summarizing Skills – I 183 • • •

38 Summarizing Skills – II 193 • • • • •

39 Teamwork Squares 197 • • • •

40 Transactional Analysis 203 • • • • • •

41 Values 209 • • • •

42 What Animal Are You? 213 • • • • •

43 What Are You Really Saying? 217 • • • • • • • •

44 What Shall We Talk About? 219 • • • • •

45 What’s Up, Doc? 225 • • • • •

46 When Are You Assertive? 229 • • • •

47 Who Are You Aiming At? 237 • • • • • •

48 Whodunit? 247 • • • • • • • •

49 “Yes, but…” 263 • • • • •

50 Yes or No 265 • • • • • •



xi

Activities Classified by Running Time Up to 30 minutes…

1 Action Plan 4 Analyzing Meetings 5 Answer My Question 7 Breaking the Barrier

12 Dib Dob Dabble 15 Farewell 17 Giving Feedback 21 The Lineup 24 Maptalk 35 Spelling Out 39 Teamwork Squares 45 What’s Up, Doc? 49 “Yes, but…” 50 Yes or No

Between 30 minutes and 1 hour…

2 Advice or Information? 3 Alphabet of Feelings 4 Analyzing Meetings 6 Appraisal

11 Delegation – II 13 Discipline 14 Don’t Label Me 18 How Free Are You? 22 Listening Transfer 23 Making Contact 25 Negotiation 26 Negotiation Skills 27 No Jargon 29 Personal Needs Analysis 30 Power and Influence 31 Prejudice 32 Reflecting 33 Qualities of a Counselor



xii

36 Stereotype 37 Summarizing Skills – I 38 Summarizing Skills – II 40 Transactional Analysis 41 Values 42 What Animal Are You? 43 What Are You Really Saying? 44 What Shall We Talk About? 46 When Are You Assertive?

Between 1 hour and 2 hours …

8 Controlling Body Language 9 Customer-Service Analysis

10 Delegation – I 16 69 Seconds 19 Internal Communication Analysis 20 Interview Me 28 Only One Question 34 Selection 41 Values 47 Who Are You Aiming At? 48 Whodunit?



xiii

Activities Classified by Training Method Individual Exercises

1 Action Plan 26 Negotiation Skills 29 Personal Needs Analysis 30 Power and Influence 40 Transactional Analysis 41 Values 42 What Animal Are You? 46 When Are You Assertive?

Pairs Exercises

14 Don’t Label Me 16 59 Seconds 20 Interview Me 27 No Jargon 32 Reflecting 37 Summarizing Skills – I 38 Summarizing Skills – II 49 “Yes, but…”

Subgroups

2 Advice or Information 3 Alphabet of Feelings 4 Analyzing Feelings 6 Appraisal 9 Customer-Service Analysis

10 Delegation – I 11 Delegation – II 13 Discipline 15 Farewell 18 How Free Are You? 19 Internal Communication Analysis 22 Listening Transfer 23 Making Contact



xiv

25 Negotiation 28 Only One Question 31 Prejudice 33 Qualities of a Counselor 34 Selection 35 Spelling Out 39 Teamwork Squares 43 What Are You Really Saying? 44 What Shall We Talk About? 45 What’s Up, Doc? 48 Whodunit? 50 Yes or No

Case Studies

6 Appraisal 10 Delegation – I 11 Delegation – II 13 Discipline 25 Negotiation 34 Selection

Role Plays

8 Controlling Body Language 14 Don’t Label Me 16 59 Seconds 22 Listening Transfer 23 Making Contact 27 No Jargon 45 What’s Up, Doc?

Competitions

39 Teamwork Squares 47 Who Are You Aiming At? 48 Whodunit?



xv

Physical Activities 5 Answer My Question 7 Breaking the Barrier

12 Dib Dob Dabble 21 The Lineup 24 Maptalk 28 Only One Question 35 Spelling Out 42 What Animal Are You?



69

Giving Feedback

17

Description: This activity provides a framework for giving feedback after an interpersonal activity such as a role play.

Objective: By the end of this activity, participants will be able to give effective feedback to each other.

Group Size: Maximum of 8 participants.

Time: Approximately 15 minutes.

Materials Required: Flipchart and markers

Background: During courses on interpersonal skills, the participants are often required to perform a role play in front of a camera or rehearse a skill in front of an observer or the group as a whole. When the time comes to give feedback to the person in the spotlight (the one who was playing the salesperson, the interviewer, the appraiser, the negotiator, etc.), it is all too easy for the group to start making personal comments such as “You were very good” or “I thought that was terrible.” These are not at all helpful. A brief analysis of what makes for good feedback is time well spent before it is needed.

Method: 1. Introduce the topic and ask how participants would feel if someone offered feedback that their role playing was “good” or “bad.” Usually they will reply that it is too vague, that it may be hurtful, or that it gives them no guidelines for making improvements.

2. Explain that you have a mnemonic that will describe and help them to remember what makes for good, effective feedback.

3. Write on the flipchart vertically, in capital letters: C O B B S

Ask the participants if they have any idea what these words stand for.



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17

Giving Feedback (continued)

4. Add the words Clear, Objective, Brief, Balanced, and Specific.

Discuss each word in turn, asking for examples. Leave the flipchart visible during the subsequent feedback sessions as a reminder.

Additional Guidance: Always ask an individual to rate himself or herself using COBBS,

before getting confirmation and additional comments from the rest of the group. This promotes greater ownership of the areas for improvement.



71

How Free Are You?

18

Description: This activity is designed to help break down communication problems between managers/supervisors and their staff.

Objective: By the end of this activity, participants will be able to bridge the gap between the perception and the reality of communication among members of an organization.

Group Size: Any number of pairs (manager/supervisor and observer).

Time: Approximately 35 minutes: • 15–20 minutes for the participants to complete the worksheets • 10–15 minutes for each participant to discuss his or her

worksheet with the manager or supervisor

Materials Required: • One copy of Exercise 18.1 for the observer in each pair • One copy of Exercise 18.2 for the manager/supervisor in each

pair • Paper and pens or pencils for each pair

Background: Many organizations suffer from a lack of communication among their employees. This problem is greatly increased when different levels have to interact. However, this problem is often not recognized. Managers and supervisors will have quite unrealistic views of how an employee may feel: Staff members generally find it difficult to explain their feelings on a subject or problem to a senior employee (during an appraisal, for example).

Method: 1. Hand out a copy of Exercise 18.1 to the observer in each pair and Exercise 18.2 to the manager.

2. Ask the participants to complete them as honestly as possible. 3. When completed, ask the manager or supervisor and the

observer to compare their answers. They may discover that staff members do not consider communication as “easy” as the managers. This shows that managers believe staff members are fairly free to talk to them, while staff members believe that they are less free.



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18

How Free Are You? (continued)

4. Ask them to discuss the answers and make a list of bullet

points that might help to explain the results. 5. Ask the pairs to report back to the entire group, summarizing

their discussion. 6. Encourage discussion within the entire group on their findings. 7. Suggest that each pair review their relationship on a regular

basis, using this format. 8. Suggest that they create individual action plans to note actions

for improvement.

Conclusion: The conclusion should concentrate on defining the gap between perception and actual communication. The participants should be encouraged to be honest and positive, and to discuss possible ways of improving communication.

Additional Guidance: This exercise can surface many new and potentially painful issues. You need to control the group so that the comments are positive and do not consist of personal attacks.



Exercise 18.1

Reproduced from 50 Activities for Developing People Skills Jacqueline Stewart and David Couper. HRD Press, Inc., Amherst, Massachusetts

73

Exercise 18.1: Observer’s Worksheet How free do you think you are to discuss the following issues with your manager/supervisor? Place a checkmark in the appropriate column. RATING

TOPIC Very Free

Fairly Free Neutral Hardly

Free Not Very

Free

Work-related

Over budget

Delay caused by external factors

Minor error

Major error

Staffing problems

Organization

Problems with support services

Problems with senior management

Philosophy of organization

Personal

Finance

Serious illness

Relationships

Bereavement

Career plans

Other



Exercise 18.2

Reproduced from 50 Activities for Developing People Skills Jacqueline Stewart and David Couper. HRD Press, Inc., Amherst, Massachusetts

75

Exercise 18.2: Manager/Supervisor’s Worksheet How free do you think you are to discuss the following issues with your manager/supervisor? Place a checkmark in the appropriate column. RATING

TOPIC Very Free

Fairly Free Neutral Hardly

Free Not Very

Free

Work-related

Over budget

Delay caused by external factors

Minor error

Major error

Staffing problems

Organization

Problems with support services

Problems with senior management

Philosophy of organization

Personal

Finance

Serious illness

Relationships

Bereavement

Career plans

Other



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