A Hatful of Conference Activities to Get Them Out of Their Seats

Active Listening Game

Exercise: Participants test the effects of not listening at all and listening actively on their partner’s ability to communicate with them

A simple, effective introduction to active listening and how to do it (5 mins)

Clapping to Ten

Exercise: All participants in the room are asked to clap to ten in time with the facilitator.

A powerful, if surprisingly difficult, exercise that is especially effective in energising and building rapport with a very large group (5 mins)

Conference Mexican Wave

Task: Participants seated theatre style must create the most esthetically pleasing Mexican Wave, with each row in synchronised activity with the room as a whole, using a ribbon to unite each person in the row.

A game that requires great coordination not just in the row team but for the larger group too. (5 – 10 mins)

Dry Synchronised Swimming in Rows

Task: Teams in their theatre style rows must perform the most elegant and graceful synchronised routine in time with the music and synchronise with the rest of the room

A fun challenge for teams to work together and find the best strategy to perform a task that is likely to be a change from their usual routine (15 mins)

Gilligans Island in Rows

Task: Row your team to the safety of the island using the seats in theatre style rows, participants on the right end to the row move to the vacated seat on the left as the rest of the team shuffle up. A team race to the island using a “canoe” of seats

A fun and fast moving energiser that will wake participants up and test their ability to synchronise activity under pressure. (5 mins)

Handshake Game

Task: Score as many points as you can by pulling your partner’s hand to your hip

A game that introduces the WorldGAMES methodology and looks at the benefits of collaborative teamwork rather than an individual winning at all costs (5 – 10 mins)

One Card Stud

Task: Make the best poker hand possible in the room from participants each with a single card distributed at random (5 – 15 mins) An invigorating introduction game with plenty of challenge and action. What will it take for each participant to ensure they make the very best of the hand they are given?

Parent Line

Exercise: Participants write down the occupation of one of their parents or grandparents and place them in a bucket. Whoever draws that occupation must guess who the writer is.

Tests assumptions and judgments in a new group. A good introduction exercise. (5 – 15 mins)

Pass the Ping Pong

Task: Pass the ping pong ball along the line in the fastest time possible

Great energiser and problem-solving task ideal for theatre style seating (10 mins)

Pipeline Game

Task: Teams of participants must make a pipeline of straws and tape from one end of their row to the other. Then pass a paper clip along the line inside the pipeline one way and a golf practice ball around the outside of the pipeline the other way from end to end in the fastest time possible

Great energiser and problem-solving task ideal for theatre style seating (5 mins)

Ribbon Rows

Task: Teams in their theatre style rows must pass the team ribbon along the line so that it passes through an item of clothes of every team member in the fastest time possible and then pass a practice golf ball along the ribbon from one end to the other.

Great energiser and problem-solving task ideal for theatre style seating (5 mins)

Row Shuffle

Task: Team members must change their seat position to be in alphabetical order, by name, in the fastest time possible moving no more than one seat at a time

Fun and fast moving innovation and problem solving game. (5 mins)

Seminar Secrets

Task: Pass the simple message down the line intact to win a major prize

Communication blocks and filters in action. Barriers to successful communication and to improved performance (15 mins)