self discovery

by beat bisangwa
(kampala, uganda)

Question:
I need games and exercises to use when training on self discovery. I don't want to lecture but to use experiential methods. Please advise. Thank you.

Answer:
There are several games on this website that can be used for self-discovery.

The following links will take you to them:

1. Open the fist on page http://www.experiential-learning-games.com/facilitationgames.html

2. The Most Influential Experience on page http://www.experiential-learning-games.com/listeninggames.html

3. Blindfold on page http://www.experiential-learning-games.com/leadershipgames.html

4. Balloon Game: This game is used to help participants reflect on their destructuve behaviour even when there is no provocation.

In this game each participant is given a balloon, and some string. They are asked to blow the balloon up and tie the mouth of the balloon with the string.

Then they are asked to form a largish circle around a chair on which is placed an open box of pins. The participants are then told that the balloons represent them and that they have to protect themselves.

Turn on some music and ask them to keep moving with the music. Increase the pace of music progressively and ask them to keep pace with the music. Remind them that they have to protect themselves.

Sooner than later they will start to pick up pins and prick the balloons of others.

There will be plenty of laughter and running helter skelter to protect their balloons and to prick others'. At the end of say 5 to 7 minutes only a couple of them would have succeeded in keeping their balloons intact.

In the debrief get the participants to reflect on the presumption thye made that to protect themselves they had to burst somebody else's balloon. This is indicative of people's attitude about promoting themselves - which they believe has to be done by putting down others.