Elections & Beyond Motivational Activities The following activities can be incorporated into an orientation workshop for officers, representatives, committee chairs and committee members. Select a few that will reinforce the message you are trying to convey. A sample schedule for an orientation workshop is found in the book on page 19. M INGLING ACTIVITIES CATALOG GAME Have each student give their name and then identify something that would be found in a Sears or Penneys catalog that her or she would like to have. As each person gives their name and item, they must repeat all the previous items in order. SPIDER W EB Begin the activity by stating your name and something you like to do. Then, while holding onto the end of a ball of yarn, toss the yarn to someone else in the room. This process continues until all have shared and a spider web pattern has been created. Now, reverse the process by stating the name and activity of the person who tossed you the yarn, tossing the yarn ball back to him/her, winding up the slack as you go. DIADS Two students meet, exchange names, and share something interesting about themselves. These two meet and introduce their first partner to a new pair. Four meet four. Eight meet eight. INDEX CARD PUZZLE HUNT To prepare this exercise, the instructor needs half as many index cards as there are students. Write one question per index card and cut each one in half to create two unique puzzle pieces. Scramble the pieces and distribute one piece to each student. Students are to find their match and answer the question n the card. COM M UNICATION ACTIVITIES TINKER TOYS Divide students into groups of 6-8. Give each group a set of tinker toys. Let them create the ideal student, school, class, teacher, or whatever. When they have their creation finished, each group will explain theirs to the others. ABSTRACT RECREATION Draw an abstract design on a large piece of paper. Have one student come to the front of the room and, without showing the design to the rest of the class, explain how to draw the design. Compare creations. Discuss obstacles to communication and specific ways to overcome them. PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY On a table place the following items: a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jelly, a loaf of bread, a knife, a spoon, and napkins. Ask a student to volunteer to tell you how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Follow the directions exactly as they are given: put peanut butter on bread. Place the jar of peanut butter on the loaf of bread. This vividly and humorously illustrates the importance of speaking with clarity and listening with understanding. RUMOR CLINIC Have six students leave the room. Tell the first student a 1-2 minute story full of details. Bring in a second student. Have the first student tell the second the same story. This process continues until all six have been told. The last one tells the story to the group, then the leader repeats the original story. WORKING TOGETHER ACTIVITIES STRAW BUILDING Divide into groups of 6-8. Give each group lots of straws (150 or more) and some tape. Tell them they have 10 minutes to build the tallest possible, self-supporting structure of straws. Give them one minute to discuss the planning and organization before they begin the actual construction. During the construction they may not talk. These activities are presented here as a companion to the book Elections And Beyond... by Patricia B. Ireland. © 2003 DifferenceMakers, Ltd. www.DifferenceMakers.com 1