Project Management

Microteksankatmochanmba2010@gmail.
com +91 9795445381
Project
management
Microteksankatmochanmba2010@gmail.com +91 9795445381

Project management templates from Project Agency – please alter to suit your needs
project management, tools,

process, plans and project
planning tips
Here are rules, processes and tools for project planning and project
management.
While project management skills are obviously important for project
managers, interestingly the methods and tools that project
managers use can be helpful for everyone.
A 'task' does not necessarily have to be called a 'project' in order for
project management methods to be very useful in its planning and
implementation. Even the smallest task can benefit from the use of a well-
chosen project management technique or tool, especially in the planning
stage.
Any task that requires some preparation to achieve a successful outcome,
will probably be done better by using a few project management methods
somewhere in the process. Project management methods can help in the
planning and managing of all sorts of tasks, especially complex activities.
Project management is chiefly associated with planning and managing
change in an organization, but a project can also be something unrelated
to business - even a domestic situation, such as moving house, or
planning a wedding.
Project management methods and tools can therefore be useful far more
widely than people assume.
Project management techniques and project planning tools are useful for
any tasks in which different outcomes are possible - where risks of
problems and failures exist - and so require planning and assessing
options, and organizing activities and resources to deliver a successful
result.
Projects can be various shapes and sizes, from the small and
straightforward to extremely large and highly complex.
In organizations and businesses, project management can be concerned
with anything, particularly introducing or changing things, in any area or
function, for example:
• people, staffing and management
• products and services
• materials, manufacturing and production
• IT and communications
• plant, vehicles, equipment
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www.projectagency.com
• storage, distribution, logistics

• buildings and premises
• finance, administration, acquisition and divestment
• purchasing
• sales, selling, marketing
• human resources development and training
• customer service and relations
• quality, health and safety,
• legal and professional
• technical, scientific, research and development
• new business development
• and anything else which needs planning and managing within
organizations.
Successful project management, for projects large or small, tends to

follow the process outlined below.
The same principles, used selectively and appropriately, also apply to
smaller tasks.
Project management techniques are not just for project managers - they
are available for anyone to use.
project management process

1. Agree precise specification for the project - 'Terms of Reference'
2. Plan the project - time, team, activities, resources, financials - using
suitable project management tools.
3. Communicate the project plan to your project team - and to any
other interested people and groups.
4. Agree and delegate project actions.
5. Manage and motivate - inform, encourage, enable the project team.
6. Check, measure, monitor, review project progress - adjust project
plans, and inform the project team and others.
7. Complete project - review and report on project performance; give
praise and thanks to the project team.
8. Project follow-up - train, support, measure and report results and
benefits.
1 - agree precise specification (terms of

reference) for the project
Often called the project 'terms of reference', the project specification
should be an accurate description of what the project aims to achieve,
and the criteria and flexibilities involved, its parameters, scope, range,
outputs, sources, participants, budgets and timescales (beware - see note

below about planning timescales).
Usually the project manager must consult with others and then agree the
project specification with superiors, or with relevant authorities. The
specification may involve several drafts before it is agreed. A project
specification is essential in that it creates a measurable accountability for
anyone wishing at any time to assess how the project is going, or its
success on completion. Project terms of reference also provide an
essential discipline and framework to keep the project on track, and
concerned with the original agreed aims and parameters. A properly
formulated and agreed project specification also protects the project
manager from being held to account for issues that are outside the
original scope of the project or beyond the project manager's control.
This is the stage to agree special conditions or exceptions with those in
authority. Once you've published the terms of reference you have created
a very firm set of expectations by which you will be judged. So if you have
any concerns, or want to renegotiate, now's the time to do it.
The largest projects can require several weeks to produce and agree
project terms of reference. Most normal business projects however require
a few days thinking and consulting to produce a suitable project
specification. Establishing and agreeing a project specification is an
important process even if your task is simple one.
A template for a project specification:
1. Describe purpose, aims and deliverables.

2. State parameters (timescales, budgets, range, scope, territory,
authority).
3. State people involved and the way the team will work (frequency of
meetings, decision-making process).
4. Establish 'break-points' at which to review and check progress, and
how progress and results will be measured.
Separately the acronym BOSCARDET provides a useful example structure

for Terms of Reference headings/sections: Background, Objectives, Scope,
Constraints, Assumptions, Reporting, Dependencies, Estimates,
Timescales. This structure contains no specific heading for costs/budgets -
these considerations can be included within 'Constraints' or 'Estimates'.
Since projects (and other activities requiring Terms of Reference) vary
considerably there is no standard universal structure for a Terms of
Reference document. The responsibility lies with the project manager or
leader to ensure all relevant and necessary issues are included, and this
local interpretation tends to imply TOR headings and document structure.
Brainstorming can be a helpful process by which all relevant Terms of
Reference criteria can be indentified and structured.
Organizations may have standard TOR structures, such as the
BOSCARDET example, which it is sensible to use where applicable, mindful
of risks of omission or over-complication that can arise when following

standard practice. See also Terms of Reference in the business dictionary

section.
2 - plan the project

Plan the various stages and activities of the project. Where possible (and
certainly where necessary) involve your team in the planning. A useful tip
is to work backwards from the end aim, identifying all the things that need
to be put in place and done, in reverse order. Additionally, from the bare
beginnings of the project, use brainstorming (noting ideas and points at
random - typically with a project team), to help gather points and issues
and to explore innovations and ideas. Fishbone diagrams are also useful
for brainstorming and identifying causal factors which might otherwise be
forgotten. For complex projects, or when you lack experience of the
issues, involve others in the brainstorming process. Thereafter it's a
question of putting the issues in the right order, and establishing
relationships and links between each issue. Complex projects will have a
number of activities running in parallel. Some parts of the project will
need other parts of the project to be completed before they can begin or
progress. Such 'interdependent' parts of a project need particularly careful
consideration and planning. Some projects will require a feasibility stage
before the completion of a detailed plan. Gantt Charts and Critical Path
Analysis Flow Diagrams are two commonly used tools for detailed project
management planning, enabling scheduling, costing and budgeting and
other financials, and project management and reporting.
project timescales and costs

Most projects come in late - that's just the way it is - so don't plan a
timescale that is over-ambitious. Ideally plan for some slippage. If you
have been given an fixed deadline, plan to meet it earlier, and work back
from that earlier date. Build some slippage or leeway into each phase of
the project. Err on the side of caution where you can. Projects which slip
back and are delivered late, or which run over budget or fail to meet other
financial requirements often cause significant problems. Many planners
are put under pressure to deliver projects sooner and more cost-
effectively than is realistic. Ambition and aiming high are good attitudes,
but planning without proper prudence and responsibility is daft. Investors
and executives tend rarely to question an over-ambitious plan, but they
will quickly make very ruthless decisions when any overly ambitious
project starts to fail. Exercising a little realism at the outset of a project
regarding financials and timescales can save an enormous amount of
trouble later.
the project team

Another important part of the planning stage is picking your team. Take
great care, especially if you have team-members imposed on you by the
project brief. Selecting and gaining commitment from the best team
members - whether directly employed, freelance, contractors, suppliers,

consultants or other partners - is crucial to the quality of the project, and

the ease with which you are able to manage it. Generally try to establish
your team as soon as possible. Identifying or appointing one or two people
even during the terms of reference stage is possible sometimes.
Appointing the team early maximises their ownership and buy-in to the
project, and maximises what they can contribute. But be very wary of
appointing people before you are sure how good they are, and not until
they have committed themselves to the project upon terms that are
clearly understood and acceptable. Don't imagine that teams need to be
full of paid and official project team members. Some of the most valuable
team members are informal advisors, mentors, helpers, who want nothing
other than to be involved and a few words of thanks. Project management
on a tight budget can be a lonely business - get some help from good
people you can trust, whatever the budget.
To plan and manage large complex projects with various parallel and
dependent activities you will need to put together a 'Critical Path Analysis'
and a spreadsheet on MS Excel or equivalent. Critical Path Analysis will
show you the order in which tasks must be performed, and the relative
importance of tasks. Some tasks can appear small and insignificant when
they might actually be hugely influential in enabling much bigger
activities to proceed or give best results. A Gantt chart is a useful way of
showing blocks of activities over time and at a given cost and for
managing the project and its costs along the way.
Various project management software is available, much of which is
useful, but before trying it you should understand and concentrate on
developing the pure project management skills, which are described in
this process. The best software in the world will not help you if you can't
do the basic things.
project management tools

Here are examples and explanations of four commonly used tools in
project planning and project management, namely: Brainstorming,
Fishbone Diagrams, Critical Path Analysis Flow Diagrams, and Gantt
Charts. Additionally and separately see business process modelling and
quality management, which contain related tools and methods aside from
the main project management models shown below.
The tools here each have their strengths and particular purposes,
summarised as a basic guide in the matrix below.
Matrix key:
B = Brainstorming
F = Fishbone/Ishikawa Diagrams *** - main tool
C = Critical Path Analysis Flow ** - optional/secondary tool
Diagrams * - sometimes useful
G = Gantt Charts
B F C G

Project brainstorming and initial concepts, ideas,

*** **
structures, aims, etc
Gathering and identifying all elements,
* *** **
especially causal and hidden factors
Scheduling and timescales ** ***
Identifying and sequencing parallel and
* *** *
interdependent activities and stages
Financials - costings, budgets, revenues, profits,
* * ** ***
variances, etc
Monitoring, forecasting, reporting * ** ***
Troubleshooting, problem identification,
** *** ** *
diagnosis and solutions
'Snapshot' or 'map' overview - non-sequential,
** ***
non-scheduled
Format for communications, presentations,
* * ***
updates, progress reports, etc
brainstorming
Brainstorming is usually the first crucial creative stage of the project
management and project planning process. See the brainstorming method
in detail and explained separately, because it many other useful
applications outside of project management.
Unlike most project management skills and methods, the first stages of
the brainstorming process is ideally a free-thinking and random technique.
Consequently it can be overlooked or under-utilized because it not a
natural approach for many people whose mains strengths are in systems
and processes. Consequently this stage of the project planning process
can benefit from being facilitated by a team member able to manage such
a session, specifically to help very organised people to think randomly and
creatively.
fishbone diagrams
Fishbone diagrams are chiefly used in quality management fault-
detection, and in business process improvement, especially in
manufacturing and production, but the model is also very useful in project
management planning and task management generally.
Within project management fishbone diagrams are useful for early
planning, notably when gathering and organising factors, for example
during brainstorming.

Fishbone diagrams are very good for identifying hidden factors which can
be significant in enabling larger activities, resources areas, or parts of a
process.
Fishbone diagrams are not good for scheduling or showing interdependent
time-critical factors.
Fishbone diagrams are also called 'cause and effect diagrams' and
Ishikawa diagrams, after Kaoru Ishikawa (1915-89), a Japanese professor
specialising in industrial quality management and engineering who
devised the technique in the 1960s.
Ishikawa's diagram became known as a fishbone diagram, obviously,
because it looks like a fishbone:
A fishbone
diagram has a
central spine
running left to
right, around
which is built a
map of factors
which contribute
to the final result
(or problem).
For each project
the main
categories of
factors are
identified and
shown as the
main 'bones'
leading to the
spine.
Into each
category can be
drawn 'primary'
elements or
factors (shown as
P in the
diagram), and
into these can be
drawn secondary
elements or
factors (shown as
S). This is done
for every
category, and
can be extended
to third or fourth
level factors if

necessary.
The diagram above is a very simple one. Typically fishbone diagrams have
six or more main bones feeding into the spine. Other main category
factors can include Environment, Management, Systems, Training, Legal,
etc.
The categories used in a fishbone diagram should be whatever makes
sense for the project. Various standard category sets exist for different
industrial applications, however it is important that your chosen structure
is right for your own situation, rather than taking a standard set of
category headings and hoping that it fits.
At a simple level the fishbone diagram is a very effective planning model
and tool - especially for 'mapping' an entire operation.
Where a fishbone diagram is used for project planning of course the
'Effect' is shown as an aim or outcome or result, not a problem.
The 'Problem' term is used in fault diagnosis and in quality management
problem-solving. Some fishbone diagrams can become very complex
indeed, which is common in specialised quality management areas,
especially where systems are computerised.
This model, and the critical path analysis diagram are similar to the even
more complex diagrams used on business process modelling within areas
of business planning and and business process improvement.
project critical path analysis (flow diagram

or chart)
'Critical Path Analysis' sounds very complicated, but it's a very logical and
effective method for planning and managing complex projects. A critical
path analysis is normally shown as a flow diagram, whose format is linear
(organised in a line), and specifically a time-line.
Critical Path Analysis is also called Critical Path Method - it's the same
thing - and the terms are commonly abbreviated, to CPA and CPM.
A commonly used tool within Critical Path Analysis is PERT
(Program/Programme/Project Evaluation and Review Technique) which is a
specialised method for identifying related and interdependent activities
and events, especially where a big project may contain hundreds or
thousands of connected elements. PERT is not normally relevant in simple
projects, but any project of considerable size and complexity, particularly
when timings and interdependency issues are crucial, can benefit from
the detailed analysis enabled by PERT methods. PERT analysis commonly
feeds into Critical Path Analysis and to other broader project management
systems, such as those mentioned here.
Critical Path Analysis flow diagrams are very good for showing
interdependent factors whose timings overlap or coincide. They also
enable a plan to be scheduled according to a timescale. Critical Path
Analysis flow diagrams also enable costings and budgeting, although not
quite as easily as Gantt charts (below), and they also help planners to
identify causal elements, although not quite so easily as fishbone
diagrams (below).
This is how to create a Critical Path Analysis. As an example, the project is
a simple one - making a fried breakfast.
First note down all the issues (resources and activities in a rough order),
again for example:
Assemble crockery and utensils, assemble ingredients, prepare
equipment, make toast, fry sausages and eggs, grill bacon and tomatoes,
lay table, warm plates, serve.
Note that some of these activities must happen in parallel - and crucially
they are interdependent. That is to say, if you tried to make a fried
breakfast by doing one task at a time, and one after the other, things
would go wrong. Certain tasks must be started before others, and certain
tasks must be completed in order for others to begin. The plates need to
be warming while other activities are going on. The toast needs to be
toasting while the sausages are frying, and at the same time the bacon
and sausages are under the grill. The eggs need to be fried last. A Critical
Path Analysis is a diagrammatical representation of what needs done and
when. Timescales and costs can be applied to each activity and resource.
Here's the Critical Path Analysis for making a fried breakfast:
This Critical Path Analysis example below shows just a few activities over
a few minutes. Normal business projects would see the analysis extending
several times wider than this example, and the time line would be based
on weeks or months. It is possible to use MS Excel or a similar
spreadsheet to create a Critical Path Analysis, which allows financial totals
and time totals to be planned and tracked. Various specialised project
management software enable the same thing. Beware however of
spending weeks on the intricacies of computer modelling, when in the
early stages especially, a carefully hand drawn diagram - which requires
no computer training at all - can put 90% of the thinking and structure in
place. (See the details about the most incredible planning and
communications tool ever invented, and available for just a tiny fraction of
the price of all the alternatives.)
project critical path analysis flow diagram

example

gantt charts
Gantt Charts (commonly wrongly called gant charts) are extremely useful
project management tools. The Gantt Chart is named after US engineer
and consultant Henry Gantt (1861-1919) who devised the technique in the
1910s.
Gantt charts are excellent models for scheduling and for budgeting, and
for reporting and presenting and communicating project plans and
progress easily and quickly, but as a rule Gantt Charts are not as good as
a Critical Path Analysis Flow Diagram for identifying and showing
interdependent factors, or for 'mapping' a plan from and/or into all of its
detailed causal or contributing elements.
You can construct a Gantt Chart using MSExcel or a similar spreadsheet.
Every activity has a separate line. Create a time-line for the duration of
the project (the breakfast example shows minutes, but normally you
would use weeks, or for very big long-term projects, months). You can
colour code the time blocks to denote type of activity (for example,
intense, watching brief, directly managed, delegated and left-to-run, etc.)
You can schedule review and insert break points. At the end of each line
you can show as many cost columns for the activities as you need. The
breakfast example shows just the capital cost of the consumable items
and a revenue cost for labour and fuel. A Gantt chart like this can be used
to keep track of progress for each activity and how the costs are running.
You can move the time blocks around to report on actuals versus planned,
and to re-schedule, and to create new plan updates. Costs columns can
show plan and actuals and variances, and calculate whatever totals,
averages, ratios, etc., that you need. Gantt Charts are probably the most
flexible and useful of all project management tools, but remember they do
not very easily or obviously show the importance and inter-dependence of

related parallel activities, and they won't obviously show the necessity to
complete one task before another can begin, as a Critical Path Analysis
will do, so you may need both tools, especially at the planning stage, and
almost certainly for large complex projects.
gantt chart example
A wide range of computerised systems/software now exists for project

management and planning, and new methods continue to be developed. It
is an area of high innovation, with lots of scope for improvement and
development. I welcome suggestions of particularly good systems,
especially if inexpensive or free. Many organizations develop or specify
particular computerised tools, so it's a good idea to seek local relevant
advice and examples of best practice before deciding the best
computerised project management system(s) for your own situation.
Project planning tools naturally become used also for subsequent project
reporting, presentations, etc., and you will make life easier for everyone if
you use formats that people recognize and find familiar.
project financial planning and reporting

For projects involving more than petty cash you'll probably need a
spreadsheet to plan and report planned and actual expenditure. Use
MSExcel or similar. Financial accounting for small projects can sometimes
be managed using the project's Gantt Chart. Large projects are likely to
require some sort of require dedicated accounting system, although
conceivably Gantt Charts and financial management accounts can easily
be administered within a spreadsheet system given sufficient expertise. If
you don't know how to put together a basic financial plan, get some help
from someone who does, and make sure you bring a good friendly,
flexible financial person into your team - it's a key function of project
management, and if you can't manage the financial processes your self
you need to be able to rely completely on whoever does it for you. The
spreadsheet must enable you to plan, administer and report the detailed
finances of your project. Create a cost line for main expenditure activity,
and break this down into individual elements. Create a system for
allocating incoming invoices to the correct activities (your bought-ledger
people won't know unless you tell them), and showing when the costs hit
the project account. Establish clear payment terms with all suppliers and
stick to them. Projects develop problems when team members get
dissatisfied; rest assured, non- or late-payment is a primary cause of
dissatisfaction.
Remember to set some budget aside for 'contingencies' - you will almost
certainly need it.
project contingency planning

Planning for and anticipating the unforeseen, or the possibility that things
may not go as expected, is called 'contingency planning'. Contingency
planning is vital in any task when results and outcomes cannot be
absolutely guaranteed. Often a contingency budget needs to be planned
as there are usually costs associated. Contingency planning is about
preparing fall-back actions, and making sure that leeway for time, activity
and resource exists to rectify or replace first-choice plans. A simple
contingency plan for the fried breakfast would be to plan for the possibility
of breaking the yolk of an egg, in which case spare resource (eggs) should
be budgeted for and available if needed. Another might be to prepare
some hash-browns and mushrooms in the event that any of the diners are
vegetarian. It may be difficult to anticipate precisely what contingency to
plan for in complex long-term projects, in which case simply a contingency
budget is provided, to be allocated later when and if required.
3 - communicate the project plan to your

team
This serves two purposes: it informs people what's happening, and it
obtains essential support, agreement and commitment. If your project is
complex and involves a team, then you should involve the team in the
planning process to maximise buy-in, ownership, and thereby
accountability. Your project will also benefit from input and consultation
from relevant people at an early stage.
Also consider how best to communicate the aims and approach of your
project to others in your organization and wider network.
Your project 'team' can extend more widely than you might first imagine.
Consider all the possible 'stakeholders' - those who have an interest in
your project and the areas it touches and needs to attract support or
tolerance.
Involvement and communication are vital for cooperation and support.
Failing to communicate to people (who might have no great input, but
whose cooperation is crucial) is a common reason for arousing suspicion

and objections, defensiveness or resistance.
4 - agree and delegate project actions

Your plan will have identified those responsible for each activity. Activities
need to be very clearly described, including all relevant parameters,
timescales, costs, and deliverables. Use the SMART acronym to help you
delegate tasks properly. See the delegation tips and processes. Using
proper delegation methods is vital for successful project management
involving teams. When delegated tasks fail this is typically because they
have not been explained clearly, agreed with the other person, or
supported and checked while in progress. So publish the full plan to all in
the team, and consider carefully how to delegate medium-to-long-term
tasks in light of team members' forward-planning capabilities. Long-term
complex projects need to be planned in more detail, and great care must
be taken in delegating and supporting them. Only delegate tasks which
pass the SMART test. Other useful materials to help understand team
delegation are the Tannenbaum and Schmidt Continuum, and Tuckman's
group forming/performing model. The Johari Window model is also an
excellent review framework for quickly checking or reminding about
mutual awareness among team members in large complex projects,
where there is often a risk of project fragmentation and people 'doing
their own thing' in blissful isolation - which seriously undermines even the
best planned projects.
5 - manage, motivate, inform, encourage,

enable the project team
Manage the team and activities in meetings, communicating, supporting,
and helping with decisions (but not making them for people who can make
them for themselves). 'Praise loudly; blame softly.' (a wonderful maxim
attributed to Catherine the Great). One of the big challenges for a project
manager is deciding how much freedom to give for each delegated
activity. Tight parameters and lots of checking are necessary for
inexperienced people who like clear instructions, but this approach is the
kiss of death to experienced, entrepreneurial and creative people. They
need a wider brief, more freedom, and less checking. Manage these
people by the results they get - not how they get them. Look out for
differences in personality and working styles in your team.
Misunderstanding personal styles can get in the way of team cooperation.
Your role here is to enable and translate. Face to face meetings, when you
can bring team members together, are generally the best way to avoid
issues and relationships becoming personalised and emotional.
Communicate progress and successes regularly to everyone. Give the
people in your team the plaudits, particularly when someone high up
expresses satisfaction - never, never accept plaudits yourself. Conversely
- you must take the blame for anything that goes wrong - never 'dump'
(your problems or stresses) on anyone in your team. As project manager
any problem is always ultimately down to you anyway. Use empathy and

conflict handling techniques, and look out for signs of stress and manage
it accordingly. A happy positive team with a basic plan will outperform a
miserable team with a brilliant plan, every time.
6 - check, measure, and review project

performance; adjust project plans;
inform project team and others
Check the progress of activities against the plan. Review performance
regularly and at the stipulated review points, and confirm the validity and
relevance of the remainder of the plan. Adjust the plan if necessary in
light of performance, changing circumstances, and new information, but
remain on track and within the original terms of reference. Be sure to use
transparent, pre-agreed measurements when judging performance.
(Which shows how essential it is to have these measures in place and
clearly agreed before the task begins.) Identify, agree and delegate new
actions as appropriate. Inform team members and those in authority
about developments, clearly, concisely and in writing. Plan team review
meetings. Stick to the monitoring systems you established. Probe the
apparent situations to get at the real facts and figures. Analyse causes
and learn from mistakes. Identify reliable advisors and experts in the team
and use them. Keep talking to people, and make yourself available to all.
7 - complete project; review and report on

project; give praise and thanks to the
project team
At the end of your successful project hold a review with the team. Ensure
you understand what happened and why. Reflect on any failures and
mistakes positively, objectively, and without allocating personal blame.
Reflect on successes gratefully and realistically. Write a review report, and
make observations and recommendations about follow up issues and
priorities - there will be plenty.
8 - follow up - train, support, measure and

report project results and benefits
Traditionally this stage would be considered part of the project
completion, but increasingly an emphasised additional stage of project
follow-up is appropriate.
This is particularly so in very political environments, and/or where projects
benefits have relatively low visibility and meaning to stakeholders (staff,
customers, investors, etc), especially if the project also has very high
costs, as ICT projects tend to do.
ICT (information and communications technology) projects often are like
this - low visibility of benefits but very high costs, and also very high
stress and risk levels too.
Project management almost always involves change management too,

within which it's very important to consider the effects of the project on
people who have to adapt to the change. There is often a training or
education need. There will almost certainly be an explanation need, in
which for example methods like team briefing have prove very useful.
Whatever, when you are focused on project management it is easy to
forget or ignore that many people are affected in some way by the results
of the project. Change is difficult, even when it is good and for right
reasons. Remembering this during and at the end of your project will help
you achieve a project that is well received, as well as successful purely in
project management terms.
Someone once said "Don't you love it when a plan comes together?"
It's true.
As project manager, to be at the end of a project and to report that the
project plan has been fully met, on time and on budget, is a significant
achievement, whatever the project size and complexity. The mix of skills
required are such that good project managers can manage anything.
amusing project management analogies

To the optimist, the glass is half full. To the pessimist, the glass is half
empty. To the project manager, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
A clergyman, a doctor and a project manager were playing golf together
one day and were waiting for a particularly slow group ahead. The project
manager exclaimed, "What's with these people? We've been waiting over
half and hour! It's a complete disgrace." The doctor agreed, "They're
hopeless, I've never seen such a rabble on a golf course." The clergyman
spotted the approaching greenkeeper and asked him what was going on,
"What's happening with that group ahead of us? They're surely too slow
and useless to be playing, aren't they?" The greenkeeper replied, "Oh,
yes, that's a group of blind fire-fighters. They lost their sight saving our
clubhouse from a fire last year, so we always let them play for free
anytime." The three golfers fell silent for a moment. The clergyman said,
"Oh dear, that's so sad. I shall say some special prayers for them tonight."
The doctor added, rather meekly, "That's a good thought. I'll get in touch
with an ophthalmic surgeon friend of mine to see if there's anything that
can be done for them." After pondering the situation for a few seconds,
the project manager turned to the greenkeeper and asked, "Why can't
they play at night?"
And this (thanks G Bee)... A project manager was out walking in the
countryside one day when a frog called out to him. He bent down, picked
up the frog and put it in his pocket. The frog called out again, saying, "If
you kiss me I shall turn me back into a beautiful princess, and I'll stay with
you for a week as your mistress." The project manager took the frog out of
his pocket, smiled at it, and put it back into his pocket. The frog called out
once more, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a princess, I'll stay with
you for as long as you wish and do absolutely anything that you want.
Again the Project manager took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it and
put it back. Finally, the frog demanded, "What's the matter? You can turn
me back into a beautiful princess, and I'll stay with you for ever and do
anything you want. Why won't you kiss me?" to which the project
manager replied, "Understand, I'm a project manager. I simply don't have
time for a girlfriend, but a talking frog .... that's cool."
business process modelling

business process modelling explanation -
diagrams, definitions, examples
Business Process Modelling (BPM) is a modern term and methodology
which has evolved through different stages and names, beginning during
the 'division of labour' of the late 1700s, when manufacturing first moved
into factories from cottage industry. More explanation is in the historical
development of Business Process Modelling below.
Broadly the term 'business' in Business Process Model/Modelling/modeling
is interchangeable with 'organisation'. Business Process Modelling is not
only carried out in conventional businesses; the methodology is
increasingly applicable to all sorts of other organisations, for example
government agencies and departments, charities, mutuals and
cooperatives, etc.
Confusingly, the acronym BPM can mean different things, some closely
related to Business Process Modelling; others less so. 'Business Process
Management' is an example of a different and related meaning. More
details are in the glossary below.
Business Process Modelling is a method for improving organisational
efficiency and quality. Its beginnings were in capital/profit-led business,
but the methodology is applicable to any organised activity.
The increasing transparency and accountability of all organisations ,
including public service and government, together with the modern
complexity, penetration and importance of ITC (information and
communications technology), for even very small organisations nowadays,
has tended to heighten demand for process improvement everywhere.
This means that Business Process Modelling is arguably more widely
relevant than say Time and Motion Study or Total Quality Management (to
name two earlier 'efficiency methodologies') were in times gone by.
Put simply Business Process Modelling aims to improve business
performance by optimising the efficiency of connecting activities in the
provision of a product or service.

Business Process Modelling techniques are concerned with 'mapping' and

'workflow' to enable understanding, analysis and positive change.
Diagrams - essentially 'flow diagrams' - are a central feature of the
methodology.
The diagrammatical representation of Business Process Modelling is
commonly called 'notation'. Many and various proprietary software (off-
the-shelf computer programs) exist to enable this, but the basic principles
of Business Process Modelling can also be applied using a pen and a table-
napkin or a flip-chart or a bunch of sticky notes, and in some cases these
are still effective aids for creating and communicating fundamental ideas.
Computers sometimes get in the way, over-complicate simple things, and
exclude groups. So choose your devices wisely. Business Process
Modelling generally needs support from people to work in practice.
While Business Process Modelling relates to many aspects of management
(business, organisation, profit, change, projects, etc) its detailed technical
nature and process-emphasis link it closely with quality management and
the analytical approaches and responsibilities arising in the improvement
of quality.
Business Process Modelling is a quality management tool, like for example
Six Sigma, and is useful especially in change management.
SWOT Analysis, Balanced Scorecard and Project Management methods
provide further examples of change management tools, and Business
Process Modelling can be regarded as working alongside these methods.
The term Business Process Model (also abbreviated to BPM) is the noun
form of Business Process Modelling, and refers to a structural
representation, description or diagram, which defines a specified flow of
activities in a particular business or organisational unit.
(N.B. US-English spelling is 'organization'. 'Organisation' spelling is UK-

English, and used in this article, including some other ise/ize and our/or
words like labour and colour. Modelling is UK-English spelling. Modeling is
US-English. )
business process modelling index

definition and purpose
a note about sequence
background and history
modelling a business process - how to - overview
creating a new business process model - how to
example business process model

glossary of main BPM terms
business process modelling definition

A Business Process Model (BPM) is commonly a diagram representing a
sequence of activities. It typically shows events, actions and links or
connection points, in the sequence from end to end.
Sequence is significant and essential to most aspects of business process
modelling, but there are exceptions to this especially at the higher level of
organizational operations (see the note about sequence).
Typically but not necessarily, a Business Process Model includes both IT
processes and people processes.
Business Process Modelling by implication focuses on processes, actions
and activities, etc. Resources feature within BPM in terms of how they are
processed. People (teams, departments, etc) feature in BPM in terms of
what they do, to what, and usually when and for what reasons, especially
when different possibilities or options exist, as in a flow diagram.
Business Process Modelling is cross-functional, usually combining the work
and documentation of more than one department in the organisation.
In more complicated situations, Business Process Modelling may also
include activities of external organisations' processes and systems that
feed into the primary process.
In large organisations operations Business Process Models tend to be
analysed and represented in more detail than in small organisations, due
to scale and complexity.
Business Process Modelling is to an extent also defined by the various
computerized tools or software which are used in applying its methods.
These methods and the standard features within them continue to evolve,
which means that we should keep an open and curious mind as to how
BPM can be used, and what people actually mean when they refer to it.
purpose of business process modelling

A Business Process Model diagram is a tool - a means to an end, not a
performance outcome in its own right.
The final output is improvement in the way that the business process
works.
The focus of the improvements is on 'value added' actions that make the
customer service and experience better, and on reducing wasted time and
effort.
There are two main different types of Business Process Models:
• the 'as is' or baseline model (the current situation)

• and the 'to be' model (the intended new situation)
which are used to analyse, test, implement and improve the process.
The aim of modelling is to illustrate a complete process, enabling
managers, consultants and staff to improve the flow and streamline the
process.
The outcomes of a business process modelling project are essentially:
• value for the customer, and
• reduced costs for the company,
leading to increased profits.
Other secondary consequences arising from successful Business Process
Modelling can be increased competitive advantage, market growth, and
better staff morale and retention.
There are no absolute rules for the scope or extent of a Business Process
Model in terms of departments and activities covered.
Before committing lots of resources to Business Process Modelling proper
consideration should be given to the usefulness and focus of the exercise -
ask the questions:
• Does the modelling have the potential to produce gains that will
justify the time and effort?
• Will the modelling be structured so that people will understand the
outputs (not too big and complex as to be self-defeating)?
• Do people understand why we are doing it, and "what's in it for
them"?
As with other management tools, there is no point producing a

fantastically complex model that no-one can understand or use, just as it
is a bit daft to spend hundreds of hours analysing anything which is of
relatively minor significance.
Business Process Modelling is a powerful methodology when directed
towards operations which can benefit from improvement, and when
people involved are on-board and supportive.
adding value for the customer

Adding value for customers, whether internal or external customers, is at
the centre of a Business Process Model. It starts with a customer need and
ends with the satisfaction of that need. Unlike a workflow diagram, which
is generally focused on departmental activities, a BPM spans departments
and the whole organisation.

This point about customers being internal as well as external is

crucial:
Staff are among the internal customers of modern right-minded
organisations.
If you approach Business Process Modelling purely from a systems and
'things' viewpoint with a fixation on costs and profitability, and squeezing
every activity to its theoretical optimum, then people (notably staff) tend
to get squeezed too.
Organisations work well when people enjoy and support the processes
that they are required to perform, and you will only add sustainable value
for your customers, when you also add value for your staff too.
Successful BPM added value for customers is self-sustaining because for
staff it contains the magical WIIFM element - (What's In It For Me).
example - BPM added value

An example could be the actions involved in processing a customer order
from an internet-based mail order company.
• Starting with a customer placing an order (the customer need)
• send IT-based information to the warehouse
• stock picking
• packing and recording
• sending the appropriate IT-based information to the distribution hub
• sending IT-based information to the accounts department
• generation of an invoice
• allocation and organisation of shipment for the vehicle drivers
• delivery of the item and invoicing (the customer need fulfilled).
This is a simple 'high-level' example. In practice each part or sub-process
(for example, stock-picking) may require a 'low-level' BPM of its own.
Please note that: Added value for internal customers, notably staff, does
not have to be financial, as is commonly imagined by many top business
executives. Consider Maslow, Herzberg, McGregor, and Adams and what
these concepts teach about motivation and reward, and attrition. Business
Process Modelling has enormous potential to address many of the critical
demotivators among staff (e.g., poor working relationships, confused
structure, failure, etc) and also many strong motivators (e.g., the quality
of work itself, recognition, advancement, new responsibilities, etc). But it
needs thinking about or it won't happen
Think beyond merely adding value for external customers, and optimising
efficiency and profit - make a special effort to look for added value

for staff too, and then the BPM methodology will work on a much more
effective level.
sequence - significance in business process

modelling
Sequence can have a pivotal influence on business process activities, but
sequence is not always pivotal, and indeed certain situations are best
analysed from a non-sequential viewpoint. As a general guide, sequence
is usually vital for elemental processes, but sequence tends to become
less significant - and require more 'cause and effect' flexibility - when
elements such as already sequenced processes and resources are brought
together in a bigger picture of organizational operations.
This Business Process Modelling summary necessarily concentrates on
modelling systems which can be defined using sequence based
techniques, since at an elemental level sequence is crucial to quality and
related factors of process, quality, monitoring, management, and change,
etc. Also, at an elemental level, i.e., when a big activity is broken down
into its constituent parts, sequence can have a vital effect upon the
effectiveness of each of the individual processes.
However a wider consideration is that many large scale systems
commonly contain related processes and resources for which a fixed
related sequence is not a specific or crucial or predictable aspect, and for
which consequently it is not always possible or easy (or in many cases
necessary) to define the exact sequential relationship of processes on a
big systemic scale. An example could be the bringing together of separate
sub-assemblies, or the buying in of stock, or the recruitment of sub-
contract staff. This is especially so where demand is unpredictable.
Importantly for these sorts of related process, a bigger priority is to focus
on understanding and creating the necessary flexible connections
between cause and effect relationships (see and make use of other
project management tools for analysing and improving non-sequential
elements), rather than try to force a fixed sequence into the analysis or
modelling approach.
As with many other tools and methodologies, be mindful of the need for
flexibility; use tools and methods as far as they are helpful, but do not
blindly force a tool to fit your purposes if it is inappropriate or could distort
common sense, or be too constraining, whether for planning, analysis,
communications or implementation.
Sequence is always an important consideration, especially when trouble-
shooting. Sometimes - at any level - it can be the key to finding dramatic
improvements, but sequence is not a mandatory feature, and there is no
need to search for and apply sequential conditions within any stage of
process modelling or other type of project or change management, if
doing so is unhelpful.

business process modelling - background

and history
The quest for standardisation and efficiency in business processes is a
long one. Its history is characterised by surges of enthusiasm followed by
disillusionment, when the fashionable idea of the moment tends to be
dumped for a while before the next generation of process efficiency
methodology makes the subject more exciting again. Well, as exciting as
business processes can be.
CEOs, consultants and change managers get all fired up about an
improvement push (mainly about profits and change and fees). And there
lies the central problem: the people who actually put process
improvements into practice have never been that excited by the concept.
The explicit agenda is about the employer and organisation while the
benefit for ordinary employees is not immediately obvious, if at all. For
most staff, a new efficiency initiative looks like change, hard work and
discomfort, and feels like a threat. Instead workers ideally need to be
engaged, involved and included from the start. Like other top-down
initiatives and trends over the years, the most common reason for the
failure of business process improvement is generally poor internal
marketing, poor implementation and poor follow-through. A theoretical
model for success devised among senior managers, rarely looks like the
same thing further down the organisation.
origins of business process modelling

The origins of BPM principles can be traced back as far as Adam Smith's
idea of the division of labour in manufacturing (in 'An Inquiry into the
Nature and causes of the Wealth of Nations', 1776). Originally, one person
would make one item from beginning to end in a cottage industry
situation. When factories became the norm, employing many people who
all made items from beginning to end proved time-consuming and
inefficient.
specialisation - 'division of labour' - 1776

Using the example of a pin maker, Adam Smith argued that breaking up
the whole process and creating specialised tasks (or peculiar tasks, as he
called them) would simplify and speed up the whole process. He showed
that if the different stages of the manufacture were completed by
different people in a chain of activities, the result would be very much
more efficient. The business process was born.
analysis of specialised tasks - 'time and

motion' - early 1900s
Over a century later, Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915) the US
engineer and business efficiency theorist moved thinking forward,
merging his 'time study' with the 'motion study' work of Frank and Lillian
Gilbreth (early US theorists on productivity and workplace science),
resulting in new scientific management methods (1911) and the infamous
'time and motion' studies. These studies documented and analysed work
processes with the aim of reducing the time taken and the number of
actions involved in each process, improving both productivity and
workers' efficiency. This was enthusiastically embraced by employers and
viewed with scepticism and animosity by workers. The term 'Taylorism'
still generally refers to a highly scientific and dehumanised approach to
efficient operation in business, organisations, economies, etc.
work process flow - 'the one best way' -

early to mid-1900s
Meanwhile, Frank Gilbreth was busy developing the first method for
documenting process flow. He presented his paper 'Process charts - First
Steps to Finding the One Best Way' to the American Society for
Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in 1921. By 1947, the ASME Standard for
Process Charts was universally adopted, using Gilbreth's original notation.
disenchantment with the assembly line -

1930s
In the first decade of the 20th century, 'time and motion' was a familiar
concept, in tune with the modern 'scientific' age. However, by 1936,
disenchantment had set in, reflected in Charlie Chaplin's film Modern
Times. The film satirised mass production and the assembly line, echoing
cultural disillusionment with the dreary treadmill of industry during the
great depression. It is perhaps no coincidence that theories for optimising
productivity, and those who profit most from them, are more strongly
questioned or criticised when the economic cycle moves into recession.
workflow - mid 1970s

Research and development of office automation flourished between 1975
and 1985. Specialist workflow technologies and the term 'workflow' were
established.
While BPM has its historical origins in workflow, there are two key
differences:
• Document-based processes performed by people are the focus of
workflow systems, while BPM focuses on both people and system
processes.
• Workflow is concerned with processes within a department while
BPM addresses processes spanning the whole organisation.
the quality era - 1980s

In the 1980s, Quality or Total Quality Management (TQM) was the

fashionable management and business process theory, championed by
Deming and Juran. Used initially in engineering and manufacturing, it is
based on the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen or continuous improvement.
The aim was to achieve incremental improvements to processes of cost,
quality, service and speed. Key aspects of Total Quality Management have
now become mainstream and successfully adapted to suit the businesses
of the 2000s. Six Sigma and Lean manufacturing are the best-known of
these methodologies.
business process re-engineering (BPR) -

1990s
In the early 1990s, Business Process Re-engineering made its appearance
and started to gain momentum in the business community. While TQM (at
this point facing a decline in popularity) aimed to improve business
processes incrementally, BPR demanded radical change to business
processes and performance.
In 1993, Michael Hammer (US professor of computer science) and James
Champy (a successful corporate CEO, consultant and author) developed
the concept in their book 'Re-engineering the Corporation: A Manifesto for
Business Revolution' (1993). Hammer and Champy stated that the process
was revolutionary, fast-track and drastic rather than evolutionary and
incremental. It was a huge success and organisations and consultants
embraced it with fervour. The re-engineering industry grew and triumphed
before it began to wane.
By the end of the 1990s, BPR as a whole-organisation approach had fallen
dramatically out of favour. It proved to be too long-winded for most
organisations, was therefore poorly executed and has consequently been
sidelined as a whole-organisation approach. Critics of this completely 'new
broom' methodology would say that it is impossible to start from a clean
slate in an already established organisation. Other criticisms were that it
was dehumanising and mechanistic, focusing on actions rather than
people - Taylorism by another name. Crucially, it is associated with the
terms 'delayering', 'restructuring' and 'downsizing' of organisations, all
lumped together as euphemisms for layoffs. Not what Hammer and
Champy had envisaged..
business process modelling - 2000s

The best principles of this approach still survive in BPM, on a less drastic,
less brutal and more manageable scale. Lessons have been learnt.
Business Process Modelling can and does work, but it must be treated with
caution. The key is in the implementation. When it is conducted and
implemented sensitively and inclusively, it can be good for the company,
and its staff too.
For a workforce drowning in administration, much of it repeated or re-
entered into multiple databases, BPM can be a great thing. It can free up

time to focus on the 'value added' tasks that are empowering and
rewarding: talking and listening to customers, making decisions or doing
what they are good at rather than dealing with dull and meaningless
duties.
BPM is effective like any other tool can be. In the hands of an idiot BPM
can suffocate and hinder an organisation and its people.
The tool doesn't produce the results - what matters is how you use it.
modelling a business process - an overview

A Business Process Model is central to a host of other related activities,
briefly outlined below. Redesigning a process and implementing it is not a
speedy enterprise. It can take months and occasionally years, depending
on the extent of the process and sub-processes, how many people and
systems are involved and how much of it needs to be redesigned.
As the project develops, the business will change and new requirements
will surface, so the approach must be flexible and frequently reviewed and
re-prioritised. It is advisable to stage the process in a succession of
'builds', each one completed within a business quarter, so that it can be
reviewed and measured for return on investment.
It is essential that the people involved in the process, at all levels, are
engaged, all the way through. Not only because their input is vital, but
also because they need to be fully 'on board.' Senior management buy-in
is important to ensure that the resources are available to involve
managers and staff members and overcome any resistance to the change.
Without this, the redesign cannot work. Focus groups, formal and informal
discussions and workshops are useful at each stage and 'build'.
stages in the development of the modelling

project
Developing the models in practice follows the sequence:
• Identify the process and produce an 'as is' or baseline model.
• Review, analyse and update the 'as is' process model.
• Design the 'to be' model.
• Test and implement the 'to be'.
• Continuously update and improve the new model.
creating a business process model

This section provides a guide to creating an initial, 'as is' or baseline

model, in other words - the current situation.
component parts of a BPM

An 'as is' or baseline model gives an overall picture of how the process
works, now. Any structural, organisational and technological weak points
and bottlenecks can then be identified, along with possible improvements
at the next stage.
You will need the following information before you start to construct your
model:
• The desired outcome of the process.
• The start and end points (customer need and customer need
fulfilment).
• The activities that are performed.
• The order of activities.
• The people who perform the activities.
• The documents and forms used and exchanged between functions
and from customers and suppliers.
first draft
The first draft of the model will involve a lot of positioning and
repositioning of events and activities, so make sure you use a method that
is flexible and easily changed. Use a flipchart, pens and some sticky notes
or a whiteboard and a rubber. If you're working with a group of users,
everyone needs to be able to see it.
second draft
Once you have established an agreed sequence of events, you can create
it as a flowchart on generic software or on specialised proprietary
software.
At this stage, you will need to check your model with the users by carrying
out 'live' observations of the sequence in practice. People in focus groups
or meetings invariably either forget their exact actions or say what should
be happening rather than what does happen!
symbols and notation

The diagrammatical representation of Business Process Modelling is
commonly 'notation'.
If you are using generic software, decide on the visual symbols you will
use for the different activities.
There is no definitive system for Business Process Modelling notation

(note the small 'n'), although efforts persist to standardise one.
The Business Process Modelling Notation (BPMN) system (note the upper-
case 'N', since this is like a brand name), is an example of an attempt to
establish a standard BPM notation system. The BPMN system is
maintained the OMG consortium (Object Management Group) which
comprises a few hundred computer-related corporations).
Organisations may develop their own notation systems or use the notation
of their chosen proprietary software.
Importantly - whatever notation system/software you use - its symbols
must be understood within your own group or organisation.
The example below uses four symbols that are widely understood:
IT-based activity - Decision point or Gateway

documentation, sending or - where a decision has to be
requesting information, for made and the flow can go
example) more than one way.
Event - an action or IT-based

Action - to be carried out by activity from an external
a person in the organisation. source or carried out by the
customer.

In the example model diagram below the customer service desk, accounts
and shipping departments are shown as icons and text.
There are many other symbols used in BPM notation.
Below is just a simple example to illustrate the technique.
example of a business process model

diagram
This example of a Business Process Model diagram is based on an online
order-through-to-delivery process.
It's a flowchart, which makes it very easy to see the process and the key
elements within it.
Here is a better quality picture of the same Business Process Model
diagram example in PDF format.
Note that while most Business Process Modelling diagrams necessarily
include a strong sequencing dimension, there are circumstances where
sequence is not so crucial and more of a 'mapping' perspective is
appropriate. Refer to the note about sequence, and see other project
management tools for examples of analysis methods which enable non-
sequential activity 'mapping'.


business process model glossary - a few

selected terms and acronyms
Different organisations refer to the elements related to Business Process
Modelling in different ways. This is complicated by the fact that acronyms
can stand for more than one thing, and are often used interchangeably.
For example, BPR stands for Business Process Re-engineering as well as
Business Process Redesign. BPM itself stands for Business Process
Modelling/Modeling, Business Process Model, and Business Process
Management. In the healthcare sector incidentally BPM would more
readily be interpreted to mean Beats Per Minute, relating to pulse rate,
which emphasises the need to explain acronyms when you use them.
Organisations develop their own ways of referring to the different
elements. They know what they mean, but someone from another
organisation could become very confused! This glossary may help anyone
feeling lost.
Broadly the term 'business' below is interchangeable with 'organisation'.
Business Process Modelling is not only carried out in conventional
businesses; the methodology is increasingly applicable to all sorts of other
organisations, for example government agencies and departments,
charities, mutuals and cooperatives, etc.
'As is' and 'To be' models - The common two perspectives of a
modelling exercise - Where are we now?, and Where do we want to be? -
• The 'as is' or baseline model is an accurate depiction of what
actually happens now. Once the model is developed, it is used to
analyse and improve the process.
• The 'to be' model is a proposed diagram of how the future process
could look, incorporating improvements. This is used to demonstrate,
model and test the new process and then to implement it.
Brainstorming - Not usually part of BPM technical language, but actually
a very useful initial stage in mapping or attempting to
represent/understand/agree/scope a BPM project given little or no
information to begin with. Also a useful way to achieve essential
involvement, input, support, etc., from people affected by the modelling
exercise. See Brainstorming.
Business Architecture - A vague and widely used term basically
referring to the structure of a business.
Business Model - A vague term used to refer to how a business aims to
operate and make money in a given market. This term is not directly
related to Business Process Modelling. A detailed business model might
typically contain descriptions of basic business processes implied or
necessary for the the model to operate, but a business model is mainly
concerned with strategy and external market relationships, rather than
the internal processes which feature in BPM.
Business Process - A structured series of work activities, IT

interventions and events that generate one complete service or product
for an organisation's customers.
Business Process Model - A representation - usually computer-
generated and diagrammatic, but can be a low-tech whiteboard or
flipchart and marker pens and sticky notes - of a process within a
business. Two models are usually produced: an 'as is' and a 'to be'. The
process(es) featured in a Business Process Model can be very simple or
highly complex, and will typically involve different departments working
(hopefully) together while the provision or creation of a product or service
flows through different stages and decision-points in an organisation on its
way to the customer. A Business Process Model for a large process can be
comprised of other smaller modelled processes which contribute to the
whole. In theory an entire huge business can be modelled, although for
the modelling to be useful and meaningful to people it is normally built in
sections, each representing a self-contained process alongside potentially
scores, hundreds or even thousands of others, all inter-relating, hopefully
smoothly, efficiently and enjoyably. (The 'enjoyable' part is not a technical
necessity, but is actually important for any model to translate from theory
into sustainable practice.)
Business Process Modelling/Business Process Modeling - The term
which refers to the methodology and techniques of producing a Business
Process Model, or several Business Process Models, in the course of
business improvement/development or quality management or change
management, etc. (Modelling is UK-English; Modeling is US-English.)
Business Process Change Cycle - An overall term for the life cycle of
business processes, including the external environment in which the
organisation operates. This external environment drives change in the
business processes and the organisation responds to it by adjusting its
strategy and goals. As the external environment keeps changing, the
cycle also changes, prompting continuous change and improvement to
business processes.
Business Reference Model - A (usually computerised and
diagrammatic) key to understanding and using a Business Architecture
Model. It presents certain core structural elements as fixed, thereby
encouraging and enabling others using or developing the model to
understand and adhere to essential aspects of structural policy and
foundation. In this respect a Business Reference model may be relevant to
Business Process Modelling
BPR - Business Process Re-engineering (also known as BPI -
Business Process Innovation) - A radical approach to restructuring an
organisation in every area, starting with what the organisation is trying to
achieve, rethinking its core processes and redesigning every one. It is a
way of reassessing and restructuring the whole organisation, all at once,
starting from scratch.
BPI - Business Process Improvement - This refers to improving
existing processes, continuously and incrementally, reducing waste and

driving efficiency. Six Sigma is currently one of the most popular of many
BPI approaches in use today.
BPM - Business Process Management - Used in two different ways by
two different groups within the business processing community:
• Firstly, it is used by the people and process management group to
describe the overall management of business process improvement,
aligning processes with an organisation's strategic goals: designing,
implementing and measuring them and educating managers to use
them effectively.
• Secondly, it is used by IT people to describe the systems, software
and applications that provide the process framework.
BPM - Business Process Mapping - Often used interchangeably with
Business Process Modelling, Business Process Mapping is also used to
mean documenting all the processes in the business, showing the
relationships between them. This provides a comprehensive visual
overview of the processes in an organisation.
BPM - Business Process Model/Business Process Modelling - See
Business Process Model/Modelling above.
BPMN - Business Process Modeling Notation - A 'branded' Business
Process Modelling notation system of the OMG Consortium, representing
several hundred primarily US computer-related corporations. (UK-English
'Modelling'.)
BPR - Business Process Redesign - Rethinking, redesigning and
implementing one complete process using Business Process Modelling
tools.
Enterprise Architecture - Basically the same as Business Architecture.
Enterprise is a relatively modern term for a business organisation or
company than 'business', probably because business has quite specific
associations with profit and shareholders, whereas the word enterprise
can more loosely encompass all sorts of business-like activities which
might be constituted according to mutual or cooperative rather than
traditional capitalistic aims. Enterprise is also a popular way to refer to
business development and entrepreneurial creativity. The relevance of all
this to BPM is merely the use of the word enterprise in BPM terminology,
where previously the word 'business' would have been used.
Gateway - A stage in a Business Process Model diagram or notation at
which decision or choice is made because more than one main option or
outcome exists.
Notation - The technical term for a Business Process Model diagram or
computer-generated map or flowchart.
OBASHI - A methodology, and related aspect of BPM, for mapping and
developing how IT systems relate to organisational operations (OBASHI
stands for Ownership, Business Processes, Applications, Systems,
Hardware, and Infrastructure).

UML - Unified Modeling Language - a visual representation/design

system for software-led modelling, overseen by the OMG Consortium (as
with BPMN).
What if? (scenario) - A popular term given to discussion or modelling of
possible shapes, structures, resourcing and any other options that are
available to people considering change in businesses and organisations.
The 'What if?' principle extends far beyond Business Processes, but is a
useful technique in team-working and attempting to make BPM methods
more consultative and involving. This is especially important given that
the nature of BPM (the computer systems, terminology, highly detailed
aspects) often tend to position the methods as a lone job away from
people and groups affected by its implications and opportunities. BPM
works best when people are involved - considering questions like 'What
if?' - and often fails when it guarded and developed secretively by
technocrat minority.
Value-added/Added-value - The principle of increasing the usefulness,
attractiveness and benefits of a product or service, which in the context of
BPM, ideally improves progressively with each modelling exercise. Added-
value is commonly represented as benefiting customers and shareholders
(via reduced costs, and increased efficiencies and profits) but should also
benefit staff/employees too.
Zachman Framework - In this list mainly because an interesting listing
under the letter Z is irresistible. This is a computerised diagrammatical
notation system for representing an enterprise (or business or other
organisation) - notably its 'enterprise architecture'. It was devised by John
Zachman, a US ex-naval officer computer scientist, while working for IBM
in the 1980s.
goal planner
goal planning template for personal and
organizational aims
To achieve a goal or a vision you must plan

how to make it happen. goal planner template
tool (pdf)
You cannot 'do' a goal or a vision. Instead
you must do the things that enable it -
goal planner template
usually several things, in several steps.
tool (doc working file)
A goal without a plan remains just a goal -
many people have visions, intentions,
ideas, dreams which never happen,
because they are not planned.
A plan makes things happen.

Goal planning can be especially helpful in advancing your career and job
hunting, or staring your own business, or becoming self-employed or
freelance.
A good plan identifies causes and effects in achievable stages. These
need not necessarily be very detailed or time-bound unless the aim
requires it.
Having a clear aim begins to define the plan.
For example: a large-scale short-term aim requires a plan with detail and
strict timescales, whereas a goal to achieve a personal life change within
five-to-ten years requires much less detail and scheduling, provided the
crucial causes and effects stages are identified.
Plans can also be structured in different ways according to individual
preference and the various planning tools and methods which exist.
Detailed people prefer detailed plans. Intuitive people prefer broader
more flexible plans. The section on project management explains some of
the common more complex planning methods. Also see for example the
SMART planning model, which provides an excellent simple basis for
outline planning. The delegation tips also refer to SMART, and these
pointers are helpful for setting objectives for yourself, aside from other
people. Personal goal planning for yourself is rather like delegating a
responsibility to yourself, hence the relevance of the principles of
delegation.
Choose a planning format that you are comfortable using - and
adapt and develop it as you need.
There is no point in adopting a complex spreadsheet if you'll not enjoy
using it. Conversely, if you want to analyse lots of details, then choose a
format which will accommodate this.
Whatever planing format you prefer, all plans begin as a simple outline,
like the planning template provided here.
Beyond this you can add more detail and structure to suit your aims and
preferences, but you must begin with a clear goal, and an outline of
what will make your goal happen.
Whatever the aim, all good plans tend to include:
1. A clearly defined aim.

2. Linked steps or stages or elements - resources, actions,
knowledge, etc - the factors of cause and effect.
3. Relevant and achievable proportions and timings (for steps,
stages, elements)
Note that the overall aim or vision does not have to be limited or
constrained.
Where aims and visions are concerned virtually anything is possible - for
an individual person or an organization - provided the above goal planning
criteria are used.

Here is a simple outline goal planning template and process, which can be
used as the full planning method for certain personal aims, or as an initial
outline planning tool for the most complex organizational vision.
It is structured in stages. You can add more stages and elements (in other
words the factors which cause things to happen) as necessary.
If any element is too big to imagine realistically achieving in one go, then
break it down into further elements.
Even the most ambitious goals and plans are achievable when broken
down and given time.
A plan to achieve a goal or vision is normally best developed by working
backwards from the aim.
Ask yourself at each stage of the plan: "What must happen before this?"
And then plan to achieve each element, working back in realistic bite-
sized elements, to where you are today.
goal planning template

the aim - level one
1. Write down
Define your aim - clearly and measurably.
your aim or
vision.
My aim/vision/goal: Measures: Timescale: Describe it.
Clearly define
it so that a
stranger could
understand it
and know what
it means.
2. Attach some
measures or
parameters or
standards
(scale, values,
comparative
references,
etc) to prove
that it is
achieved.
3. Commit to a
timescale -
even if it is five
or ten years
away.

4. Then ask
yourself and
identify: What
factors would
directly cause
the aim to be
achieved?
Insert these
below.
direct cause factors - level two

1. Consider
Identify - clearly and measurably - the factors which
realistically
would directly cause the aim to be be achieved.
and identify
the factors
Factors which will cause Measures: Timescale: which would
the aim to be achieved: cause the aim
1 to be
achieved.
2. If necessary
research this -
2 you will only
be kidding
yourself if you
3 guess or
ignore an
unavoidable
aspect.
4 3. Write these
factors down
and clearly
5 define them,
again so that
even a
stranger could
understand
them.
4. If necessary
add more
rows.
5. Attach
measures or
parameters or
standards as
necessary
(scale, values,
comparative
references,
etc).
6. Attach timings.
7. Then ask
yourself and
identify: What
enabling
factors must
exist or be
achieved for
these level two
causal factors
to happen?
Insert them
below.
enabling factors - level three

1. Consider
Identify the factors - clearly and measurably - which
realistically
will directly enable the directly causal factors to
and identify
happen or exist. It is natural for causal factors to
the factors
depend on a number of enabling factors. The plan
necessary to
therefore develops like the roots of a tree, or the
enable the
tributaries of a river. The numbering is merely a
causal factors.
suggestion. Your own plan will be different. Some
2. If necessary
plans may contain lots more factors and levels -
again research
some plans will contain far fewer.
this.
3. Write these
Factors enabling the Measures: Timescale: factors down
level-two causal factors: and clearly
1.1 define them,
again so that
even a
1.2 stranger could
understand
1.3 them.
4. If necessary
2.1 add more
rows.
5. You can
2.2 improve the
linkage of the
2.3 factors
through the
levels by
3.1
colour or
number
3.2 referencing.
6. Attach
3.3 measures or
parameters or
standards as
4.1
necessary
(scale, values,
4.2 comparative
references,
4.3 etc).
7. Attach timings.
8. Then ask
5.1
yourself and
identify any
5.2 earlier
enabling
5.3 factors which
need to
happen before
level three. If
so, add a
fourth level
and complete
the enabling
factors
accordingly.
9. When you
have
completed
your plan, you
can then start
to work
through the
levels - from
the bottom to
the top.
10. Adapt
your plan as
required -
especially add
new factors as
you discover
them, and plan
how each can
be achieved by
incorporating
them into this
model.
11. A natural way

to develop this
outline
planning
method is to
use project
management
tools, such as
Critical Path
Analysis, or a
Gantt Chart, or
the various
computerised
project tools
now available.
See the project
management
section.
This is a sample template not a fixed structure - adapt and develop the
model to suit your own situation. Add more or remove factors and levels
as you need.
You should add a fourth level if any third level enabling factors are not
already possessed and cannot easily be achieved.
Create your plan from top to bottom.
Implement your plan from bottom to top.
goal planning - in summary

Start with a clear aim.
Define it and understand what will cause it to be achieved.
Break down these causal factors and identify what will enable these to
happen.
Ensure every listed item can be tracked back to achievable enabling
factors - achievable in terms of size and time.
Remember that causal and enabling factors come in all shapes and sizes.
If necessary research what they are for your own aim.
Success is mostly based on understanding what is required for it, before
setting out to achieve it.
For example, enabling factors can include:
• resources
• tools
• knowledge
• experience
• qualifications

• reputation
• contacts
• style
• skills
• decisions and commitments
• re-direction, re-allocation and prioritization
• attitude and outlook
• encouragement and support
• time and space
• maturity and wisdom
• energy and enthusiasm
• determination and persistence
• money and other assets
• mistakes and disasters - yes, mistakes and disasters can be very
useful enablers, so it helps to see them in this way
Where you already possess an identified enabling factor, then re-direct

and prioritize it 'upwards' towards your aim and the next relevant causal
factor(s) in your plan. This can even apply for factors like money and time,
where such enablers are often possessed but are currently misdirected or
wasted. The decision and commitment to re-direct and prioritize become
the enabling factor.
Conversely (and perhaps more commonly) if you do not possess a factor
and cannot attain it easily then identify what will cause it to happen, and
extend your plan to a prior level. Apply the logic of the planning method -
identify the prior enabling factors, and extend the plan to a prior level.
Behind every factor lies a cause. When you approach any aim in this way
it becomes achievable.
This is a simple yet powerful approach. Be careful what you wish for - if
you follow this method you will get it.
assertiveness and self-

confidence
how to help build, boost, and develop self-
confidence and assertiveness
Building self-confidence and assertiveness is probably a lot easier than
you think. 'Non-assertive' people (in other words 'normal people') do not
generally want to transform into being excessively dominant people.

When most people talk about wanting to be more assertive, what they
usually really mean is:
• 'How can I become more able to resist the pressure and dominance
of excessively dominant people?'
• 'How can I stand up to bullies (or one bully in particular)?'
• And also, 'How can I exert a little more control in situations that are
important to me?'
Pure assertiveness - dominance for the sake of being dominant - is not a

natural behaviour for most people. Most people are not naturally
assertive. Most people tend to be passive by nature. The assertive
behaviour of highly dominant people tends to be driven by their
personality (and often some insecurity). It is not something that has been
'trained'.
For anyone seeking to increase their own assertiveness it is helpful to
understand the typical personality and motivation of excessively dominant
people, who incidentally cause the most worry to non-assertive people.
It's helpful also at this point to explain the difference between leadership
with dominance: Good leadership is inclusive, developmental, and a force
for what is right. Good leadership does not 'dominate' non-assertive
people, it includes them and involves them. Dominance as a management
style is not good in any circumstances. It is based on short-term rewards
and results, mostly for the benefit of the dominant, and it fails completely
to make effective use of team-members' abilities and potential.
The fact is that most excessively dominant people are usually bullies.
Bullies are deep-down very insecure people. They dominate because they
are too insecure to allow other people to have responsibility and influence,
and this behaviour is generally conditioned from childhood for one reason
or another. The dominant bullying behaviour is effectively reinforced by
the response given by 'secure' and 'non-assertive' people to bullying. The
bully gets his or her own way. The bullying dominant behaviour is
rewarded, and so it persists.
Dominant, bullying people, usually from a very young age, become
positively conditioned to bullying behaviour, because in their own terms it
works. Their own terms are generally concerned with satisfying their ego
and selfish drives to get their own way, to control, to achieve status (often
implanted by insecure ambitious parents), to manipulate, make decisions,
build empires, to collect material signs of achievement, monetary wealth,
and particularly to establish protective mechanisms, such as 'yes-men'
followers ('body-guards'), immunity from challenge and interference,
scrutiny, judgement, etc. Early childhood experiences play an important
part in creating bullies. Bullies are victims as well as aggressors. And
although it's a tough challenge for anyone on the receiving end of their
behaviour they actually deserve sympathy.
N.B. Sympathy is not proposed here to be a sole or significant
tactic in countering bullying. Rather, sympathy is advocated as a

more constructive, stronger, alternative feeling to being fearful

or intimidated.
Non-assertive people do not normally actually aspire to being excessively
dominant people, and they certainly don't normally want to become
bullies. When most people talk about wanting to be more assertive, what
they really mean is 'I'd like to be more able to resist the pressure and
dominance of excessively dominant people.' Doing this is not really so
hard, and using simple techniques it can even be quite enjoyable and
fulfilling.
Importantly, the non-assertive person should understand where they
really are - a true starting point: non-assertive behaviour is a sign of
strength usually, not weakness, and often it is the most appropriate
behaviour for most situations - don't be fooled into thinking that you
always have to be more assertive.
Understand where you want to be: what level of assertiveness do you
want? Probably to defend yourself, and to control your own choices and
destiny (which are relatively easy using the techniques below), not to
control others.
For people who are not naturally assertive, it is possible to achieve a
perfectly suitable level of assertiveness through certain simple methods
and techniques, rather than trying to adopt a generally more assertive
personal style (which could be counter-productive and stressful, because
it would not be natural). People seeking to be more assertive can
dramatically increase their effective influence and strength by using just
one or two of these four behaviours prior to, or when confronted by a
more dominant character or influence, or prior to and when dealing with a
situation in which they would like to exert more control. Here are some
simple techniques and methods for developing self-confidence and more
assertive behaviour.
assertiveness and self-confidence methods

and techniques
1. Know the facts relating to the situation and have the details to
hand.
2. Be ready for - anticipate - other people's behaviour and prepare
your responses.
3. Prepare and use good open questions.
4. Re-condition and practice your own new reactions to aggression
(posters can help you think and become how you want to be -
display positive writings where you will read them often - it's a
proven successful technique).
5. Have faith that your own abilities and style will ultimately work if
you let them.
6. Feel sympathy for bullies - they actually need it.
7. Read inspirational things that reinforce your faith in proper values
and all the good things in your own natural style and self, for
example, Ruiz's The Four Agreements, Kipling's If, Desiderata,

Cherie Carter-Scott's 'rules of life', Wimbrow's The Guy In The Glass,

etc.
know the facts and have them to hand

Ensure you know all the facts in advance - do some research, and have it
on hand ready to produce (and give out copies if necessary). Bullies
usually fail to prepare their facts; they dominate through bluster, force
and reputation. If you know and can produce facts to support or defend
your position it is unlikely that the aggressor will have anything prepared
in response. When you know that a situation is going to arise, over which
you'd like to have some influence, prepare your facts, do your research,
do the sums, get the facts and figures, solicit opinion and views, be able
to quote sources; then you will be able to make a firm case, and also
dramatically improve your reputation for being someone who is organised
and firm.
anticipate other people's behaviour and

prepare your responses
Anticipate other people's behaviour and prepare your own responses.
Role-play in your mind how things are likely to happen. Prepare your
responses according to the different scenarios that you think could unfold.
Prepare other people to support and defend you. Being well prepared will
increase your self-confidence and enable you to be assertive about what's
important to you.
prepare and use good open questions

Prepare and use good questions to expose flaws in other people's
arguments. Asking good questions is the most reliable way of gaining the
initiative, and taking the wind out of someone's sails, in any situation.
Questions that bullies dislike most are deep, constructive, incisive and
probing, especially if the question exposes a lack of thought, preparation,
consideration, consultation on their part. For example:
• 'What is your evidence (for what you have said or claimed)?'
• 'Who have you consulted about this?'
• 'How did you go about looking for alternative solutions?'
• 'How have you measured (whatever you say is a problem)?'
• 'How will you measure the true effectiveness of your solution if you
implement it?'
• 'What can you say about different solutions that have worked in
other situations?'
And don't be fobbed off. Stick to your guns. If the question is avoided or
ignored return to it, or re-phrase it (which you can prepare as well).

re-condition and practice your own new

reactions to aggression
Re-conditioning your own reaction to dominant people, particularly
building your own 'triggered reactions', giving yourself 'thinking time' to
prevent yourself being bulldozed, and 'making like a brick wall' in the face
of someone else's attempt to dominate you without justification. Try
visualising yourself behaving in a firmer manner, saying firmer things,
asking firm clear, probing questions, and presenting well-prepared facts
and evidence. Practice in your mind saying 'Hold on a minute - I need to
consider what you have just said.' Also practice saying 'I'm not sure about
that. It's too important to make a snap decision now.' Also 'I can't agree to
that at such short notice. Tell me when you really need to know, and I'll
get back to you.' There are other ways to help resist bulldozing and
bullying. Practice and condition new reactions in yourself to resist, rather
than cave in, for fear that someone might shout at you or have a tantrum.
If you are worried about your response to being shouted at then practice
being shouted at until you realise it really doesn't hurt - it just makes the
person doing the shouting look daft. Practice with your most scary friend
shouting right in your face for you to 'do as you are told', time after time,
and in between each time say calmly (and believe it because it's true)
'You don't frighten me.' Practice it until you can control your response to
being shouted at.
have faith that your own abilities will

ultimately work if you use them
Non-assertive people have different styles and methods compared to
dominant, aggressive people and bullies. Non-assertive people are often
extremely strong in areas of process, detail, dependability, reliability,
finishing things (that others have started), checking, monitoring,
communicating, interpreting and understanding, and working
cooperatively with others. These capabilities all have the potential to undo
a bully who has no proper justification. Find out what your strengths and
style are and use them to defend and support your position. The biggest
tantrum is no match for a well organised defence.
feel sympathy rather than fear towards

bullies
Re-discover the belief that non-assertive behaviour is actually okay - it's
the bullies who are the ones with the problems. Feeling sympathy for
someone who threatens you - thereby resisting succumbing to fearful or
intimidated feelings - can help to move you psychologically into the
ascendancy, or at least to a position where you can see weaknesses in the
bully.
Aggressors and bullies were commonly children who were not loved, or
children forced to live out the aspirations of their parents. In many ways
all bullies are still children, and as far as your situation permits, seeing
them as children can help you find greater strength and resistance.
Transactional Analysis theory, and especially the modern TA concepts, are
helpful for some people in understanding how this sort of childhood
emotional damage affects people, and how specific communications can
be planned and used in response to excessive dominance, bullying,
temper tantrums, and other threatening behaviours.
N.B. The point above about feeling sympathy for bullies should not be
seen as approval or justification for bullying. Neither is sympathy
proposed here to be a sole or significant tactic in countering bullying.
Rather, sympathy is advocated as a more constructive, stronger,
alternative feeling to being fearful or intimidated. People responsible for
bullying are the bullies, not the victims. So if you are a bully: get some
feedback, get some help, and grow up.
Several tactics are explained above to tackle bullying head-on, as is often
very necessary. Additionally in most western world countries, and many
others besides, there are now serious laws and processes to protect
people from bullying, and these protections should be invoked whenever
bullying becomes a problem.
brainstorming process
brainstorming technique for problem-
solving, team-building and creative
process
Brainstorming with a group of people is a powerful technique.
Brainstorming creates new ideas, solves problems, motivates and
develops teams. Brainstorming motivates because it involves members of
a team in bigger management issues, and it gets a team working
together. However, brainstorming is not simply a random activity.
Brainstorming needs to be structured and it follows brainstorming rules.
The brainstorming process is described below, for which you will need a
flip-chart or alternative. This is crucial as Brainstorming needs to involve
the team, which means that everyone must be able to see what's
happening. Brainstorming places a significant burden on the facilitator to
manage the process, people's involvement and sensitivities, and then to
manage the follow up actions. Use Brainstorming well and you will see
excellent results in improving the organization, performance, and
developing the team.
N.B. There has been some discussion in recent years - much of it plainly
daft - that the term 'brainstorming' might be 'political incorrect' by virtue
of possible perceived reference to brain-related health issues. It was
suggested by some that the alternative, but less than catchy 'thought-
showers' should be used instead, which presumably was not considered to
be offensive to raindrops (this is serious…). Happily recent research

among relevant groups has dispelled this non-pc notion, and we can
continue to use the brainstorming expression without fear of ending up in
the law courts…
brainstorming process
1. Define and agree the objective.
2. Brainstorm ideas and suggestions having agreed a time
limit.
3. Categorise/condense/combine/refine.
4. Assess/analyse effects or results.
5. Prioritise options/rank list as appropriate.
6. Agree action and timescale.
7. Control and monitor follow-up.
In other words:
plan and agree the brainstorming aim

Ensure everyone participating in the brainstorm session understands and
agrees the aim of the session (eg, to formulate a new job description for a
customer services clerk; to formulate a series of new promotional
activities for the next trading year; to suggest ways of improving
cooperation between the sales and service departments; to identify costs
saving opportunities that will not reduce performance or morale, etc).
Keep the brainstorming objective simple. Allocate a time limit. This will
enable you to keep the random brainstorming activity under control and
on track.
manage the actual brainstorming activity

Brainstorming enables people to suggest ideas at random. Your job as
facilitator is to encourage everyone to participate, to dismiss nothing, and
to prevent others from pouring scorn on the wilder suggestions (some of
the best ideas are initially the daftest ones - added to which people won't
participate if their suggestions are criticised). During the random
collection of ideas the facilitator must record every suggestion on the flip-
chart. Use Blu-Tack or sticky tape to hang the sheets around the walls. At
the end of the time limit or when ideas have been exhausted, use
different coloured pens to categorise, group, connect and link the random
ideas. Condense and refine the ideas by making new headings or lists.
You can diplomatically combine or include the weaker ideas within other
themes to avoid dismissing or rejecting contributions (remember
brainstorming is about team building and motivation too - you don't want
it to have the reverse effect on some people). With the group, assess,
evaluate and analyse the effects and validity of the ideas or the list.
Develop and prioritise the ideas into a more finished list or set of actions
or options.

implement the actions agreed from the

brainstorming
Agree what the next actions will be. Agree a timescale, who's responsible.
After the session circulate notes, monitor and give feedback. It's crucial to
develop a clear and positive outcome, so that people feel their effort and
contribution was worthwhile. When people see that their efforts have
resulted in action and change, they will be motivated and keen to help
again.
personal brainstorming
for creativity, planning, presentations,
decision-making, and organizing your
ideas
Personal brainstorming - just by yourself - is very useful for the start of
any new project, especially if you can be prone to put things off until
tomorrow.
Planning a new venture, a presentation, or any new initiative, is generally
much easier if you begin simply by thinking of ideas - in no particular
order or structure - and jotting them down on a sheet of paper or in a
notebook. Basically this is personal brainstorming, and it can follow the
same process as described above for groups, except that it's just you
doing it.
Sometimes it's very difficult to begin planning something new - because
you don't know where and how to start. Brainstoming is a great way to
begin. The method also generates lots of possibilities which you might
otherwise miss by getting into detailed structured planning too early.
A really useful tool for personal brainstorming - and
note-taking generally - is the wonderful Bic 4-colour
ballpen.
The pen enables you quickly to switch colours

between red, blue, black and green, without having
to walk around with a pocket-full of biros.
Using different colours in your creative jottings and

written records helps you to make your notes and
diagrams clearer, and dramatically increases the
ways in which you can develop and refine your
ideas and notes on paper. To prove the point,
review some previous notes in black or blue ink
using a red pen - see how you can organize/connect
the content, still keeping it all clear and legible.
This simple pen is therefore a brilliant tool for

organizing your thoughts on paper much more
clearly and creatively than by being limited to a
single colour - especially if you think in visual terms
and find diagrams helpful.
For example, using different colours enables you to

identify and link common items within a random
list, or to show patterns and categories, or to over-
write notes without making a confusing mess, and
generally to generate far more value from your
thoughts and ideas. Keeping connected notes and
ideas on a single sheet of paper greatly helps the
brain to absorb and develop them. Try it - you'll be
surprised how much more useful your notes
become.
The principle is the same as using different colours

of marker pens on a flip-chart. Other manufacturers
produce similar pens, but the Bic is reliable, widely
available, and very inexpensive.
The usefulness of different colours in written notes is further illustrated
(please correct me or expand on this if you know more) in a wider
organizational sense in the UK health industry. Apparently, black is the
standard colour; green is used by pharmacy services, red is used after
death and for allergies, and blue tends to be avoided due to poorer
reprographic qualities (thanks M Belcher). As I say, correct me if this is
wrong, and in any event please let me know any other examples of
different coloured inks being used to organize or otherwise clarify written
communications within corporations, institutions or industries.
Additionally I am informed (thanks T Kalota, Oct 2008) of a useful
brainstorming/organizing technique using coloured pens when reviewing a
written specification, or potentially any set of notes for a design or plan.
Underline or circle the words according to the following:
nouns/people/things black (entities)

verbs ('doing'/functional
red (relationships)
words)
adjectives/adverbs
blue (attributes)
(describing words)
This technique was apparently used for clarifying written specifications or

notes for a database design, and was termed 'extended relational
architecture', advocated by a company of the same name, at one time.
(I've been unable to find any further details about the company or this
application. If you know more please tell me.)

This method of colour-coding notes (using underlines or circles or boxes)

to help clarification/prioritization/organization/etc can itself naturally be
extended and adapted, for example:
nouns/people/things black (entities)

verbs ('doing'/functional
red (relationships)
words)
adjectives (describing a
blue (attributes)
noun/thing/etc)
adverbs (describing a
green (degrees/range/etc)
verb/function)
timings/costs/quantities yellow (measures)
The colours and categories are not a fixed industry standard. It's an
entirely flexible technique. You can use any colours you want, and devise
your own coding structures to suit the situation.
In relation to the group brainstorming process above, see also the

guidelines for running workshops. Workshops provide good situations for
group brainstorming, and brainstorming helps to make workshops more
productive, motivational and successful.
To create more structured brainstorming activities which illustrate or
address particular themes, methods, media, etc., there is a helpful set of
reference points on the team building games section. Unless you have
special reasons for omitting control factors, ensure you retain the the
essence of the rules above, especially defining the task, stating clear
timings, organising participants and materials, and managing the review
and follow-up.
see also
The following tools and models can be used within the brainstorming
process to build and create a context for brainstorming, and a framework
for brainstorming actions. When using any of these tools or models within
the brainstorming process, select models appropriate to the group, and
the desired development and outcomes for the brainstorming session:
• SWOT analysis - for assessing the strength of a company,
department, proposition or idea.
• PEST analysis - for measuring the attractiveness and potential of a
market.
• The McKinsey Seven-S's - criteria for a successful company
• Adizes corporate life-cycle model - phases of company development

• Delegation model - successful task delegation and staff

development through delegation
• Tuckman's group development model - forming, storming, norming,
performing
• Kolb's learning styles - for training the trainers, coaching the
coaches, and management development
• Leadership attributes - for developing leadership among managers
• Negotiation process - for sales and commercial staff and optimising
on profitable outcomes and customer relationships
• Cherie Carter-Scott's rules of life - behaviour and attitude
development and soft skills development
• The Four Agreements - behaviour and attitude development and
soft skills development
• Advanced 'Kaleidoscope Brainstorming'© technique
business plans and marketing

strategy
free business planning and marketing tips,
samples, examples and tools - how to
write a business plan, techniques for
writing a marketing strategy, strategic
business plans and sales plans
Writing business plans and marketing strategy can be
simple.
See the free business plan and marketing plan sample/template.
A slightly more detailed version is on the quick business/operational plan

page. Business planning might appear very complex but in essence it's
common sense, and begins with some very simple business start-up
principles.
To explore personal direction and change (for example for early planning
of self-employment or new business start-up) see the passion-to-profit
exercise and template on the teambuilding exercises page.
Planning a new business or business project must at some stage address

a few financial details, and challenges and opportunities relating to
modern technology, the internet, websites, etc.
However the techniques of how to write strategic business plans (or a

strategic marketing plan) remain basically straight-forward.

Business planning and marketing strategy are mostly common-sense and

logic, based on cause and effect.
Here are tips, examples, techniques, tools and a process for writing a
marketing strategy, business and sales plans, to produce effective results.
This free online guide explains how to put together a marketing strategy,
basic business plan, and a sales plan, including free templates and
examples, such as the Ansoff and Boston matrix tools. New pages are
being added soon on advertising, sales promotion, PR (public relations)
and press releases, sales enquiry lead generation, advertising copy-
writing, internet and website marketing, in the meanwhile see the
marketing tips page for free marketing and advertising techniques and
advice.
See also the simple notes about starting your own business, which to an
extent also apply when you are starting a new business initiative or
development inside another organisation as a new business development
manager, or a similar role.
Here's a free profit and loss account spreadsheet template tool (xls) for
incorporating these factors and financials into a more formal phased
business trading plan, which also serves as a business forecasting and
reporting tool too.
Adapt it to suit your purposes. This plan example is also available as a
PDF, see the Profit and Loss Account (P&L) Small Enterprise Business Plan
Example (PDF). The numbers could be anything: ten times less, ten times
more, a hundred times more - the principle is the same.
Towards the end of this article there is also a simple template/framework
for a feasibility study or justification report, such as might be required to
win funding, authorisation or approval for starting a project, or the
continuation of a project or group, in a commercial or voluntary situation.
If you are starting a new business you might also find the tips and
information about buying a franchise business to be helpful, since they
cover many basic points about choice of business activity and early
planning.
(Note: Some UK-English and US-English spellings differ, for example

organisation/organization, colour/color. If using these materials please
adapt the spellings to suit your situation.)
how to write strategic marketing plans,

business plans and sales plans
People use various terms referring to the business planning process -
business plans, business strategy, marketing strategy, strategic business
planning, sales planning - they all cover the same basic principles. When
faced with business planning or strategy development task it's important
to clarify exactly what is required: clarify what needs to be done

rather than assume the aim from the description given to it - terms are
confused and mean different things to different people. You'll see from the
definitions below how flexible these business planning terms are.
business planning definitions

a plan - a statement of intent - a calculated intention to organize effort
and resource to achieve an outcome - in this context a plan is in written
form, comprising explanation, justification and relevant numerical and
financial statistical data. In a business context a plan's numerical data -
costs and revenues - are normally scheduled over at least one trading
year, broken down weekly, monthly quarterly and cumulatively.
a business - an activity or entity, irrespective of size and autonomy,
which is engaged in an activity, normally the provision of products and/or
services, to produce commercial gain, extending to non-commercial
organizations whose aim may or may not be profit (hence why public
service sector schools and hospitals are in this context referred to as
'businesses').
business plan - this is now rightly a very general and flexible term,
applicable to the planned activities and aims of any entity,
individual group or organization where effort is being converted
into results, for example: a small company; a large company; a corner
shop; a local window-cleaning business; a regional business; a multi-
million pound multi-national corporation; a charity; a school; a hospital; a
local council; a government agency or department; a joint-venture; a
project within a business or department; a business unit, division, or
department within another organization or company, a profit centre or
cost centre within an an organization or business; the responsibility of a
team or group or an individual. The business entity could also be a
proposed start-up, a new business development within an existing
organization, a new joint-venture, or any new organizational or business
project which aims to convert action into results. The extent to which a
business plan includes costs and overheads activities and resources (eg.,
production, research and development, warehouse, storage, transport,
distribution, wastage, shrinkage, head office, training, bad debts, etc)
depends on the needs of the business and the purpose of the plan. Large
'executive-level' business plans therefore look rather like a 'predictive
profit and loss account', fully itemised down to the 'bottom line'. Business
plans written at business unit or departmental level do not generally
include financial data outside the department concerned. Most business
plans are in effect sales plans or marketing plans or departmental plans,
which form the main bias of this guide.
strategy - originally a military term, in a business planning context
strategy/strategic means/pertains to why and how the plan will work,
in relation to all factors of influence upon the business entity and activity,
particularly including competitors (thus the use of a military combative
term), customers and demographics, technology and communications.

marketing - believed by many to mean the same as advertising or sales

promotion, marketing actually means and covers everything from
company culture and positioning, through market research, new
business/product development, advertising and promotion, PR
(public/press relations), and arguably all of the sales functions as well.
Marketing is the process by which a business decides what it will
sell, to whom, when and how, and then does it.
marketing plan - logically a plan which details what a business will sell,
to whom, when and how, implicitly including the business/marketing
strategy. The extent to which financial and commercial numerical data is
included depends on the needs of the business. The extent to which this
details the sales plan also depends on the needs of the business.
sales - the transactions between the business and its customers whereby
services and/or products are provided in return for payment. Sales (sales
department/sales team) also describes the activities and resources that
enable this process, and sales also describes the revenues that the
business derives from the sales activities.
sales plan - a plan describing, quantifying and phased over time, how the
the sales will be made and to whom. Some organizations interpret this to
be the same as a business plan or a marketing plan.
business strategy - see 'strategy' - it's the same.
marketing strategy - see 'strategy' - it's the same.
service contract - a formal document usually drawn up by the supplier
by which the trading arrangement is agreed with the customer. See the
section on service contracts and trading agreements.
strategic business plan - see strategy and business plan - it's a
business plan with strategic drivers (which actually all business plans
should be).
strategic business planning - developing and writing a strategic
business plan.
philosophy, values, ethics, vision - these are the fundamentals of
business planning, and determine the spirit and integrity of the business
or organisation - see the guide to how philosophical and ethical factors fit
into the planning process, and also the principles and materials relating to
corporate responsibility and ethical leadership.
You can see that many of these terms are interchangeable, so it's
important to clarify what needs to be planned for rather than assuming or
inferring a meaning from the name given to the task. That said, the
principles explained here can be applied to business plans of all sorts.
Business plans are often called different names - especially by senior
managers and directors delegating a planning exercise that they do not
understand well enough to explain. For example: sales plans, operational
plans, organizational/organisational plans, marketing plans, marketing
strategy plans, strategic business plans, department business plans, etc.
Typically these names reflect the department doing the planning, despite

which, the planning process and content required in the document is

broadly similar.
Other useful and relevant business planning definitions are in the business
dictionary; the sales and selling glossary; some are also in the financial
terms glossary, and more - especially for training - are in the business and
training acronyms listing, which also provides amusing light relief if this
business planning gets a little dry (be warned, the acronyms listings
contain some adult content).
when writing a business or operating plan,

remember...
A useful first rule of business planning is to decide what you are
actually trying to achieve and always keep this in mind. Write your
aim large as a constant reminder to yourself, and to anyone else involved.
Keeping your central aim visible will help you minimise the distractions
and distortions which frequently arise during the planning process.
An increasingly vital and perhaps second rule of business planning is to
establish a strong ethical philosophy at the outset of your planning.
This provides a vital reference for decision-making and strategy from the
start. A strong clear ethical code communicates your values to staff,
customers, suppliers, and creates a simple consistent basis for operations
which conventional financials, processes, systems and even people, do
not address. It is very difficult to introduce ethical principles later into an
enterprise, especially when planning shifts into implementation, and more
so if problems arise relating to integrity, honesty, corporate responsibility,
trust, governance, etc., any of which can have massive impact on
relationships and reputation. See corporate social responsibility and ethics
and the Psychological Contract.
It is easy to address issues of ethics and corporate responsibility when you
are the owner of a new enterprise. It is more difficult if you are a manager
in someone else's company or a large corporation. Nevertheless ethics
and corporate responsibility are highly significant in planning, and strong
justification for their proper consideration can now be made. There are
now plenty of recent examples of corporations - indeed entire national
economies and governments - which have failed because of poor regard
to ethical considerations. The world is changing and learning, slowly, but it
is, and anyone ignoring ethics in planning today does so at their own peril.
A third crucial requirement for business plans is return on investment,
or for public services and non-profit organisations: effective use of
investment and resources, which is beyond simple 'cost control'.
For the vast majority of organisations, whether companies, public
services, not-for-profit trusts and charities, all organisations need to be
financially effective in what they do, otherwise they will cease to
function.

Ultimately - whatever the organisation and aims - financial viability is

necessary to sustain any organised activity.
While it's essential to manage ethical and socially responsible
aspects of organisational aims, these must allow for adequate
return on investment (or in less traditional and 'non-profit' enterprises,
must allow for the effective use of investment and resources,
according to the financial requirements of the particular organisation).
Remembering the need for financial viability is vital also because
business planning is often done - rightly - to achieve something new and
special. This tends to focus thinking on creativity, innovation, ambition,
quality, excellence, perhaps even social good, etc., which can easily
distract planning away from the basic need to be financially viable - and
crucially not to make a loss. By treating return on investment as a vital
requirement of planning we increase the likelihood that plans will be
viable and therefore sustainable.
Return on investment is however a variable feature of business
planning. It is flexible according to the type of enterprise, its main
purpose and philosophy.
In a conventional profit-driven corporation return on investment (at an
optimal rate) is typically a strong strategic driver for local planning and
decisions, and by implication also a basic requirement of the enterprise as
a whole. On the other hand, in a business or organization less focused on
shareholder reward, such as a public services trust or charity, or a social
enterprise or cooperative, return on investment (at a relatively lower
rate), may be a requirement simply to sustain viable operations,
according to the aims of the enterprise. In the first example, return on
investment is the aim; in the second example, return on investment
enables some other higher aim to be achieved. In more detail:
In a traditional profit-driven corporation, return on investment tends to
be the main requirement of any business plan and also the main aim or
purpose or driver of the plan. In most traditional corporations return on
investment tends to be at the heart of all activities, since typically the
corporation exists to maximize the yield (profit and growth effectively) of
shareholder funds invested in the business. Planning in traditional
corporations at times forgets this basic obligation, especially when a
junior manager is asked to 'write a business plan' for the first time.
In traditional profit-driven corporations, when a new manager starts to
write a business plan or operational plan for the first time (and for some
experienced managers also, for the umpteenth time), the manager
wonders: What is the aim? What am I trying to achieve? Often when they
ask their own manager, the manager has the same doubts. The central
aim is usually return on investment.
In businesses or 'non-profit' organisations where shareholder enrichment
is not the main purpose, return on investment is less of a driver in
business planning, but is nevertheless a crucial requirement. Such
enterprises are becoming more popular, and will continue to become so,
since the collapse of the western economies in 2008, and increasing

disillusionment with old-style business thinking. Here return on

investment is not the primary driver or objective of the business. Instead
the main driver of enterprise may be some other purpose.
An example of 'some other purpose' might be the activities of a social
enterprise or cooperative, or maybe an employee ownership company, or
perhaps a trust or charity, whose main aim is (rather than the traditional
profit generation for external/institutional shareholders) perhaps to
benefit its members/staff, and/or to sustain local jobs, and/or to benefit
the local community, or maybe to advance science or learning or health,
etc. Here, while return on investment may seem less crucial or
appropriate to planning and operations, the enterprise must
nevertheless remain financially viable, or it ceases to be able to
operate at all.
In such examples, return on investment in business planning is not
usually maximized, but must still be treated as an underpinning
requirement to planning, and flexed according to the fundamental aims
and financial requirements of the enterprise.
Before planning, therefore, it is helpful to understand clearly:
1. What are we actually aiming to achieve?

2. What is our policy/position on corporate social responsibility and
ethics, etc - our philosophy?
3. And what return on investment (or alternative financial
performance) does our activity/enterprise require - is this a strategic
driver in itself, or simply the means by which we maintain our
activities in support of our (point 1) aims?
planning - cause and effect..

The basic methodology of business planning is identifying causes and
effects, according to your relevant business requirements (financials and
ethics) and strategic drivers (what we are actually aiming to achieve).
Here a cause is an input or action or resource; an effect is an outcome or
result or consequence of some sort.
We want to achieve xyz effect (for example a given return on investment,
or a certain sales level or market share, whatever) - so what should we
plan to cause this to happen?
Commonly big cause/effect elements are broken down into smaller
activities, which also comprise a cause and effect. (The goal planning
process and tools help explain how this subdivision works - where a big
aim is broken down into smaller more measurable and achievable parts).
Junior managers have responsibility for plans and activities which feed
into larger departmental plans and activities of senior managers. The
plans and activities of senior managers feed into the divisional plans of
executives and directors. There is a hierarchy or tree structure of cause
and effects, all hopefully contributing to the overall organizational aim.

In many good businesses a substantial business planning responsibility

extends now to front line customer-facing staff, and the trend is
increasing. In this context, the business plan could be called also be called
a marketing plan, or a sales plan - all departmental plans are basically
types of business planning:
"What you are going to sell to whom, when and how you are going to sell
it, how much contribution (gross profit) the sales will produce, what the
marketing and/or selling cost will be, and what will be the return on
investment."
Where a department is a 'cost centre' not a 'profit-centre' - providing
products or services internally to other departments rather than externally
to customers - then the language and planning elements may alter, but
the principles remain the same.
Also, these principles and methods apply to very large complex
multinational organizations, which tend to entail more and different costs,
fixed overheads, revenues, and consequently larger planning formats;
more and bigger spreadsheets, more lines and columns on each, more
attention and people working on the numbers, more accountants, and
typically - especially at middle-management level and above - more
emphasis on cashflow and the balance sheet, alongside basic 'profit and
loss' planning.
carry out your market research, including

understanding your competitor activity
'The market' varies according to the business or organisation concerned,
but every organised activity has a market. Knowing the market enables
you to assess and value and plan how to engage with it. A common failing
of business planning or operational planning outside of the 'business'
world, is to plan in isolation, looking inward, when ideas can seem very
positive and reliable because there's no context and nothing to compare.
Hence research is critical. And this applies to any type of organisation -
not just to businesses. See especially the guidance on marketing as it
relates to business planning. Planning very much concerns processes. The
principles of marketing will explain additionally how to put meaning and
values into what you plan.
Your market research should focus on the information you need, to help
you to formulate strategy and make business decisions. Market research
should be pragmatic and purposeful - a means to an end, and not a means
in itself. Market information potentially covers a vast range of data, from
global macro-trends and statistics, to very specific and detailed local or
technical information, so it's important to decide what is actually relevant
and necessary to know. Market information about market and industry
trends, values, main corporations, market structure, etc, is important to
know for large corporations operating on a national or international basis.
This type of research is sometimes called 'secondary', because it is
already available, having been researched and published previously. This
sort of information is available from the internet, libraries, research

companies, trade and national press and publications, professional

associations and institutes. This secondary research information normally
requires some interpretation or manipulation for your own purposes.
However there's no point spending days researching global statistical
economic and demographic data if you are developing a strategy for a
relatively small or local business. Far more useful would be to carry out
your own 'primary' research (i.e. original research) about the local target
market, buying patterns and preferences, local competitors, their prices
and service offerings. A lot of useful primary market research can be
performed using customer feed-back, surveys, questionnaires and focus
groups (obtaining indicators and views through discussion among a few
representative people in a controlled discussion situation). This sort of
primary research should be tailored exactly for your needs. Primary
research requires less manipulation than secondary research, but all types
of research need a certain amount of analysis. Be careful when
extrapolating or projecting figures to avoid magnifying initial mistakes or
wrong assumptions. If the starting point is inaccurate the resulting
analysis will not be reliable. For businesses of any size; small, local, global
and everything in between, the main elements you need to understand
and quantify are:
• customer (and potential customer) numbers, profile and mix
• customer perceptions, needs, preferences, buying patterns, and
trends, by sub-sector if necessary
• products and services, mix, values and trends
• demographic issues and trends (especially if dependent on
consumer markets)
• future regulatory and legal effects
• prices and values, and customer perceptions in these areas
• distribution and routes to market
• competitor activities, strengths, weaknesses, products, services,
prices, sales methods, etc
Primary research is recommended for local and niche services. Keep the
subjects simple and the range narrow. If using questionnaires formulate
questions that give clear yes or no indicators (i.e. avoid three and five
options in multi-choices which produce lots of uncertain answers) always
understand how you will analyse and measure the data produced. Try to
convert data to numerical format and manipulate on a spreadsheet. Use
focus groups for more detailed work. For large research projects consider
using a market research organization because they'll probably do it better
than you, even though this is likely to be more costly. If you use any sort
of marketing agency ensure you issue a clear brief, and that your aims are
clearly understood. Useful frameworks for research are PEST analysis and
SWOT analysis.
establish your corporate philosophy and the

aims of your business or operation
First establish or confirm the aims of the business, and if you are
concerned with a part of a business, establish and validate the aims of
your part of the business. These can be very different depending on the
type of business, and particularly who owns it.
Refer to and consider issues of ethics and philosophy, corporate social
responsibility, sustainability, etc - these are the foundations on which
values and missions are built.
Look at the reasons ethics and corporate responsibility are so important.
And see also the fundamental organisational planning stages.
Consider the Psychological Contract and the benefits of establishing a
natural balance and fairness between all interests (notably staff,
customers, the organization).
Traditional business models are not necessarily the best ones. The world
is constantly changing, and establishing a new business is a good time to
challenge preconceptions of fundamental business structure and purpose.
A business based on a narrow aim of enriching a few investors while
relegating the needs and involvement of everyone else may contain
conflicts and tensions at a deep level. There are other innovative business
structures which can inherently provide a more natural, cooperative and
self-fuelling relationship - especially between employees and the
organization, and potentially between customers and the organization too.
When you have established or confirmed your philosophical and ethical
position, state the objectives of the business unit you are planning to
develop - your short, medium and long term aims - (typically 'short,
medium and long' equate to 1 year, 2-3 years and 3 years plus). In other
words, what is the business aiming to do over the next one, three and five
years?
Bear in mind that you must reliably ensure the success and viability of the
business in the short term or the long term is merely an academic issue.
Grand visions need solid foundations. All objectives and aims must be
prioritised and as far as possible quantified. If you can't measure it, you
can't manage it.
define your 'mission statement'

All businesses need a ‘mission statement'. It announces clearly and
succinctly to your staff, shareholders and customers what you are in
business to do. Your mission statement may build upon a general ‘service
charter' relevant to your industry. You can involve staff in defining and
refining the business's mission statement, which helps develop a sense of
ownership and responsibility. Producing and announcing the mission
statement is also an excellent process for focusing attention on the
business's priorities, and particularly the emphasis on customer service.
Whole businesses need a mission statement - departments and smaller
business units within a bigger business need them too.

define your 'product offering(s)' or 'service

offering(s)' - your sales proposition(s)
You must understand and define clearly what you are providing to your
customers. This description should normally go beyond your products or
services, and critically must include the way you do business, and
what business benefits your customers derive from your products
and services, and from doing business with you. Develop offerings or
propositions for each main area of your business activity - sometimes
referred to as 'revenue streams', or 'business streams' - and/or for the
sector(s) that you serve. Under normal circumstances competitive
advantage is increased the more you can offer things that your
competitors cannot. Good research will tell you where the opportunities
are to increase your competitive advantage in areas that are of prime
interest to your target markets. Develop your service offering to
emphasise your strengths, which should normally relate to your business
objectives, in turn being influenced by corporate aims and market
research. The important process in developing a proposition is
translating your view of these services into an offer that means
something to your customer. The definition of your service offer must
make sense to your customer in terms that are advantageous and
beneficial to the customer, not what is technically good, or scientifically
sound to you. Think about what your service, and the manner by which
you deliver it, means to your customer.
Traditionally, in sales and marketing, this perspective is referred to as
translating features into benefits. The easiest way to translate a feature
into a benefit is to add the prompt ‘which means that...'. For example, if a
strong feature of a business is that it has 24-hour opening, this feature
would translate into something like: "We're open 24 hours (the feature)
which means that you can get what you need when you need it - day or
night." (the benefit). Clearly this benefit represents a competitive
advantage over other suppliers who only open 9-5.
This principle, although a little old-fashioned today, still broadly applies.
The important thing is to understand your services and
proposition in terms that your customer will recognise as being
relevant and beneficial to them.
Most businesses have a very poor understanding of what their customers
value most in the relationship, so ensure you discover this in the research
stage, and reflect it in your stated product or service proposition(s).
Customers invariably value these benefits higher than all others:
• Making money
• Saving money
• Saving time
If your proposition(s) cannot be seen as leading to any of the

above then customers will not be very interested in you.
A service-offer or proposition should be an encapsulation of what you do

best, that you do better than your competitors (or that they don't do at
all); something that fits with your business objectives, stated in terms that
will make your customers think ‘Yes, that means something to me and I
think it could be good for my business (and therefore good for me also as
a buyer or sponsor).'
This is the first 'brick in the wall' in the process of business planning, sales
planning, marketing planning, and thereafter, direct marketing, and
particularly sales lead generation.
write your business plan - include sales,

costs of sales, gross margins, and if
necessary your business overheads
Business plans come in all shapes and sizes. Pragmatism is essential.
Ensure your plan shows what your business needs it to show. Essentially
your plan is a spreadsheet of numbers with supporting narrative,
explaining how the numbers are to be achieved. A plan should show all
the activities and resources in terms of revenues and costs, which
together hopefully produce a profit at the end of the trading year. The
level of detail and complexity depends on the size and part of the
business that the plan concerns. Your business plan, which deals with all
aspects of the resource and management of the business (or your part of
the business), will include many decisions and factors fed in from the
marketing process. It will state sales and profitability targets by activity. In
a marketing plan there may also be references to image and reputation,
and to public relations. All of these issues require thought and planning if
they are to result in improvement, and particularly increasing numbers of
customers and revenue growth. You would normally describe and provide
financial justification for the means of achieving these things, together
with customer satisfaction improvement. Above all a plan needs to be
based on actions - cost-effective and profitable cause and effect; inputs
required to achieved required outputs, analysed, identified and quantified
separately wherever necessary to be able to manage and measure the
relevant activities and resources.
quantify the business you seek from each

of your market sectors, segments,
products and customer groupings, and
allocate investment, resources and
activities accordingly
These principles apply to a small local business, a department within a
business, or a vast whole business. Before attending to the detail of how
to achieve your marketing aims you need to quantify clearly what they
are. What growth targets does the business have? What customer losses
are you projecting? How many new customers do you need, by size and
type, by product and service? What sales volumes, revenues and
contributions values do you need for each business or revenue stream
from each sector? What is your product mix, in terms of customer type,
size, sector, volumes, values, contribution, and distribution channel or
route to market? What are your projected selling costs and net
contributions per service, product, sector? What trends and percentage
increase in revenues and contributions, and volumes compared to last
year are you projecting? How is your market share per business stream
and sector changing, and how does this compare with your overall
business aims? What are your fast-growth high-margin opportunities, and
what are your mature and low-margin services; how are you treating
these different opportunities, and anything else in between? You should
use a basic spreadsheet tool to split your business according to the main
activities and profit levers. See the simple sales/business planning tool
example below.
ansoff product-market growth matrix -

strategic tool
A useful planning tool in respect of markets and products is the matrix
developed by Igor Ansoff (H Igor Ansoff, 1918-2002), who is regarded by
some as the 'Father of Strategic Management'.
Fully titled the Ansoff Product-Market Growth Matrix, the tool was first
published in Harvard Business Review, 1957, in Ansoff's paper Strategies
for Diversification.
The Ansoff product-market matrix helps to understand and assess
marketing or business development strategy. Any business, or part of a
business can choose which strategy to employ, or which mix of strategic
options to use.
This is a fundamentally simple and effective way of looking at strategic
development options.
existing products new products
existing market product

markets penetration development
new market
diversification
markets development
Each of these strategic options holds different opportunities and
downsides for different organizations, so what is right for one business
won't necessarily be right for another. Think about what option offers the
best potential for your own business and market. Think about the
strengths of your business and what type of growth strategy your
strengths will enable most naturally. Generally beware of diversification -

this is, by its nature, unknown territory, and carries the highest risk of
failure.
Here are the Ansoff strategies in summary:
market penetration - Developing your sales of existing products to your
existing market(s). This is fine if there is plenty of market share to be had
at the expense of your competitors, or if the market is growing fast and
large enough for the growth you need. If you already have large market
share you need to consider whether investing for further growth in this
area would produce diminishing returns from your development activity. It
could be that you will increase the profit from this activity more by
reducing costs than by actively seeking more market share. Strong
market share suggests there are likely to be better returns from extending
the range of products/services that you can offer to the market, as in the
next option.
product development - Developing or finding new products to take to
your existing market(s). This is an attractive strategy if you have strong
market share in a particular market. Such a strategy can be a suitable
reason for acquiring another company or product/service capability
provided it is relevant to your market and your distribution route.
Developing new products does not mean that you have to do this yourself
(which is normally very expensive and frequently results in simply re-
inventing someone else's wheel) - often there are potential manufacturing
partners out there who are looking for their own distribution partner with
the sort of market presence that you already have. However if you already
have good market share across a wide range of products for your market,
this option may be one that produces diminishing returns on your growth
investment and activities, and instead you may do better to seek to
develop new markets, as in the next strategic option.
market development - Developing new markets for your existing
products. New markets can also mean new sub-sectors within your market
- it helps to stay reasonably close to the markets you know and which
know you. Moving into completely different markets, even if the
product/service fit looks good, holds risks because this will be unknown
territory for you, and almost certainly will involve working through new
distribution channels, routes or partners. If you have good market share
and good product/service range then moving into associated markets or
segments is likely to be an attractive strategy.
diversification - taking new products into new markets. This is high risk -
not only do you not know the products, but neither do you know the new
market(s), and again this strategic option is likely to entail working
through new distribution channels and routes to market. This sort of
activity should generally be regarded as additional and supplementary to
the core business activity, and should be rolled out carefully through
rigorous testing and piloting.
Consider also your existing products and services themselves in terms of
their market development opportunity and profit potential. Some will offer
very high margins because they are relatively new, or specialised in some
way, perhaps because of special USP's or distribution arrangements.
Other products and services may be more mature, with little or no

competitive advantage, in which case they will produce lower margins.
The Boston Matrix is a useful way to understand and assess your different
existing product and service opportunities:
boston matrix model - product/service

develeopment
The Boston Matrix model is a tool for assessing existing and development
products in terms of their market potential, and thereby implying strategic
action for products and services in each category.
low market share high market share
growing
market problem child (rising) star
mature
market dog cash cow
cash cow - The rather crude metaphor is based on the idea of 'milking'
the returns from previous investments which established good distribution
and market share for the product. Products in this quadrant need
maintenance and protection activity, together with good cost
management, not growth effort, because there is little or no additional
growth available.
dog - This is any product or service of yours which has low market
presence in a mature or stagnant market. There is no point in developing
products or services in this quadrant. Many organizations discontinue
products/services that they consider fall into this category, in which case
consider potential impact on overhead cost recovery. Businesses that
have been starved or denied development find themselves with a high or
entire proportion of their products or services in this quadrant, which is
obviously not very funny at all, except to the competitors.
problem child - These are products which have a big and growing
market potential, but existing low market share, normally because they
are new products, or the application has not been spotted and acted upon
yet. New business development and project management principles are
required here to ensure that these products' potential can be realised and
disasters avoided. This is likely to be an area of business that is quite
competitive, where the pioneers take the risks in the hope of securing
good early distribution arrangements, image, reputation and market
share. Gross profit margins are likely to be high, but overheads, in the
form of costs of research, development, advertising, market education,
and low economies of scale, are normally high, and can cause initial
business development in this area to be loss-making until the product
moves into the rising star category, which is by no means assured - many
problem children products remain as such.

rising star - Or 'star' products, are those which have good market share
in a strong and growing market. As a product moves into this category it
is commonly known as a 'rising star'. When a market is strong and still
growing, competition is not yet fully established. Demand is strong;
saturation or over-supply do not exists, and so pricing is relatively
unhindered. This all means that these products produce very good returns
and profitability. The market is receptive and educated, which optimises
selling efficiencies and margins. Production and manufacturing overheads
are established and costs minimised due to high volumes and good
economies of scale. These are great products and worthy of continuing
investment provided good growth potential continues to exist. When it
does not these products are likely to move down to cash cow status, and
the company needs to have the next rising stars developing from its
problem children.
After considering your business in terms of the Ansoff matrix and Boston
matrix (which are thinking aids as much as anything else, not a magic
solution in themselves), on a more detailed level, and for many
businesses just as significant as the Ansoff-type-options, what is the
significance of your major accounts - do they offer better opportunity for
growth and development than your ordinary business? Do you have a high
quality, specialised offering that delivers better business benefit on a
large scale as opposed to small scale? Are your selling costs and
investment similar for large and small contracts? If so you might do better
concentrating on developing large major accounts business, rather than
taking a sophisticated product or service solution to smaller companies
which do not appreciate or require it, and cost you just as much to sell to
as a large organization.
customer matrix
This customer matrix model is used by many companies to understand
and determine strategies according to customer types.
good products not so good products
develop and find more educate and convert these

customers like these - customers to good products
allocate your best resources if beneficial to them, failing
good
to these existing customers which, maintain customers
customers
and to prospective via account management
customers matching this
profile
invest cautiously to develop assess feasibility of moving

and improve relationship, these customers left or up,
not so good
failing which, maintain failing which, withdraw from
customers
customers via account supplying sensitively
management
Assessing product type is helped by reference to the Boston matrix model.

There is a lot of flexibility as to what constitutes 'good' and 'not so good
customers' - use your own criteria. A good way to do this is to devise your
own grading system using criteria that mean something to your own
situation. Typical criteria are: size, location, relationship, credit-rating and
payment terms, is the customer growing (or not), the security of the
supply contract, the service and support overhead required, etc. This kind
of customer profiling tool and exercise is often overlooked, but it is a
critical aspect of marketing and sales development, and of optimising
sales effectiveness and business development performance and
profitability. Each quadrant requires a different sales approach. The type
of customer also implies the type of sales person who should be
responsible for managing the relationship. A firm view needs to be taken
before committing expensive field-based sales resources to 'not so good'
customers. Focus prospect development (identifying and contacting new
prospective customers) on the profile which appears in the top left
quadrant. Identify prospective new customers who fit this profile, and
allocate your business development resources (people and advertising) to
this audience.
Consider also What are your competitor weaknesses in terms of sectors,
geographical territory and products or services, and how might these
factors affect your options? Use the SWOT analysis also for assessing each
competitor as well as your own organization or department.
Many organizations issue a marketing budget from the top down (a
budget issued by the Centre/HQ/Finance Director), so to speak, in which
case, what is your marketing budget and how can you use it to produce
the best return on investment, and to help the company best to meet its
overall business aims? Use the models described here to assess your best
likely returns on marketing investment.
The best way to begin to model and plan your marketing is to
have a record of your historical (say last year's) sales results
(including selling and advertising costs if appropriate and
available) on a spreadsheet. The level of detail is up to you; modern
spreadsheets can organize massive amounts of data and make very
complex analysis quick easy. Data is vital and will enable you to do most
of the analysis you need for marketing planning. In simple terms you can
use last year's results as a basis for planning and modelling the next
year's sales, and the marketing expenditure and activities required to
achieve them.
simple business plan or sales plan tools

examples
These templates examples help the planning process. Split and analyse
your business or sales according to your main products/services (or
revenue streams) according to the profit drivers or 'levers' (variables that
you can change which affect profit), eg., quantity or volume, average
sales value or price, % gross margin or profit. Add different columns which
reflect your own business profit drivers or levers, and to provide the most
relevant measures.

total total sales

quantit average % gross
sales or gross
y value margin
value margin
product
1
product
2
product
3
product
4
totals
Do the same for each important aspect of your business, for example,
split by market sector (or segment):
total total sales

sales or gross
y value margin
value margin
sector
1
sector
2
sector
3
sector
4
totals
And, for example, split by distributor (or route to market):
total total sales

sales or gross
y value margin
value margin
distributo
r1
distributo
r2
distributo
r3
distributo
r4
totals
These simple split analysis tools are an extremely effective way to plan
your sales and business. Construct a working spreadsheet so that the
bottom-right cell shows the total sales or gross margin, or profit, whatever
you need to measure, and by changing the figures within the split
(altering the mix, average prices, quantities, etc) you can carry out 'what
if?' analysis to develop the best plans.
If you are a competent working with spreadsheets it is normally
possible to assemble all of this data onto a single spreadsheet
and then show different analyses by sorting and graphing
according to different fields.
When you are happy with the overall totals for the year, convert this into a
phased monthly plan, with as many lines and columns as you need and
are appropriate for the business. Develop this spreadsheet by showing
inputs as well as sales outputs - the quantifiable activity (for example, the
numbers of enquiries necessary to produce the planned sales levels)
required to produce the planned performance. Large businesses need
extensive and multiple page spreadsheets. A business plan needs costs as
well as sales, and will show profit as well as revenue and gross margin,
but the principle is the same: plan the detailed numbers and values of
what the business performance will be, and what inputs are required to
achieve it.
Here's a free MSExcel profit and loss account template tool for
incorporating these factors and financials into a more formal phased
business trading plan, which also serves as a business forecasting and
reporting tool too. Adapt it to suit your purposes. This plan example is also
available as a PDF, see the Profit and Loss Account (P&L) Small Enterprise
Business Plan Example (PDF). The numbers could be anything: ten times
less, ten times more, a hundred times more - the principle is the same.
Consider also indirect activities that affect sales and business levels, such
as customer service. Identify key performance indicators here too, such as
customer complaints response and resolution levels and timescales.
Internal lead referral schemes, strategic partnership activity; the
performance of other direct sales activities such as sales agencies,
distributorships, export activities, licensing, etc. These performance
factors won't normally appear on a business plan spreadsheet, but a
separate plan should be made for them, otherwise they won't happen.
write your marketing plan or business plan

Your marketing plan is actually a statement, supported by relevant
financial data, of how you are going to develop your business. Plans
should be based on actions, not masses of historical data. The historical
and market information should be sufficient just to explain and justify the
opportunities, direction, strategy, and most importantly, the marketing

actions, methods and measures - not to tell the story of the past 20 years
of your particular industry.
"What you are going to sell to whom, when and how you are going to sell
it, how much contribution (gross profit) the sales produce, what the
marketing cost will be, and what will be the return on investment."
As stated above it is easiest and best to assemble all of this data onto a
spreadsheet, which then allows data to be manipulated through the
planning process, and then changed and re-projected when the trading
year is under way. The spreadsheet then becomes the basis of your sales
and marketing forecasting and results reporting tool.
As well as sales and marketing data, in most types of businesses it is also
useful to include measurable aims concerning customer service and
satisfaction.
The marketing plan will have costs that relate to a marketing budget in
the overall business plan. The marketing plan will also have revenue and
gross margin/profitability targets that relate to the turnover and
profitability in the overall business plan. This data is essentially numerical,
and so needs also some supporting narrative as to how the numbers will
be achieved - the actions - but keep the narrative concise; if it extends to
more than a half-dozen sheets make sure you put a succinct executive
summary on the front.
The marketing plan narrative could if appropriate also refer to indirect
activities such as product development, customer service, quality
assurance, training etc., if significantly relevant to achieving the
marketing plan aims.
Be pragmatic - marketing plans vary enormously depending on the type,
size and maturity of business. Above all create a plan that logically shows
how the business can best consolidate and grow its successful profitable
areas. The marketing plan should be a working and truly useful tool - if it
is, then it's probably a good one.
sample business plan, marketing plan or

sales plan sample structure and example
format/template
Keep the written part of the business plan as concise and brief as possible
- most situations and high-ranking executives do not need to see plans
that are an inch thick. If you can make your case on a half dozen pages
then do so. Particularly if your plan is more than 5-6 pages long, produce
an executive summary (easiest to do when you have completed the plan)
and insert it at the beginning of the document. If you need to include lots
of reference material, examples, charts, evidence, etc, show these as
appendices at the back of the document and make sure they are
numbered and referenced during the main body of the plan. Each new
section should start at the top of a new page. Number the pages.
Important plans should be suitably bound. All business plans should be
professionally and neatly presented, with no grammar and spelling errors,
clearly laid out in an easy to read format (avoid lots of upper-case or fancy
fonts or italics as these are all difficult to read). Your business plan
contents and structure should be as follows:
business plans structure

• Title page: Title or heading of the plan and brief description if
required, author, date, company/organization if applicable, details of
circulation and confidentiality.
• Contents page: A list of contents (basically the sections listed
here, starting with the Introduction page) showing page numbers, plus a
list of appendices or addendums (added reference material at the back
of the document) allowing the reader to find what they need and
navigate the document easily, and to refer others to particular items
and page numbers when reviewing or querying.
• Introduction page: Introduction and purpose of the plan, terms of
reference if applicable (usually for formal and large plans or projects).
• Executive summary page: Optional and usually beneficial, this
should normally be no more than a page long (or it's not an executive
summary) - the key points of the whole plan including conclusions,
recommendations, actions, financial returns on investment, etc., clearly
readable in a few minutes.
• Main body of plan: sections and headings as required, see
template below.
• Acknowledgments and bibliography/reference sources: if
relevant (only required normally for very large formal plans)
• Appendices: appendices or addendums - additional detailed
reference material, examples, statistics, spreadsheets, etc., for
reference and not central to the main presentation of your plan.
business plans - main body sections

examples template
This sample template is typical for a sales/marketing/new business
development business plan. (A business plan for a more complex project
such as an international joint-venture, or the formation of a new company
including manufacturing plant or other overhead activities would need to
include relevant information and financials about the overheads and
resources concerned, and the financials would need to show costs and
profits more like a fully developed profit and loss account, with cashflow
projections, balance sheet, etc.) Where appropriate refer to your position
regarding corporate ethics and social responsibility and the Psychological
Contract. While these aspects are not mechanisms within the plan, they
are crucial reference points.
1. Define your market - sector(s) and segment(s) definitions

2. Quantify your market (overview only) - size, segmentation, relevant

statistics, values, numbers (locations, people/users, etc) - make this
relevant to you business
3. Explain your market(s) - sector trends, eg., growth, legislation,
seasonality, PEST factors where relevant, refer to Ansoff matrix,
show the strategic business drivers within sector and segments,
purchasing mechanisms, processes, restrictions - what are the
factors that determine customers' priorities and needs - this is a
logical place to refer to ethics and CSR (corporate social
responsibility
4. Explain your existing business - your current business according to
sector, products/services, quantities, values, distributor, etc.
5. Analyse your existing customer spread by customer type, values
and products/services including major accounts (the 'Pareto
Principle' or the '80:20 rule' often applies here, eg., 80% of your
business comes from 20% of your customers)
6. Explain your products and services - refer to Boston matrix and
especially your strategic propositions (what these propositions
will do for your customers) including your USP's and UPB's (see sales
training section and acronyms)
7. Explain you routes to market, gatekeepers, influencers and strategic
partners - the other organizations/individuals you will work with to
develop your market, including 'what's in it for them', commissions,
endorsements, accreditations, approvals, licenses, etc.
8. Case studies and track record - the credibility, evidence and proof
that your propositions and strategic partnerships work
9. Competitor analysis, eg., SWOT analysis of your own business
compared to SWOT analysis of each competitor
10. Sales/marketing/business plan (1 year min) showing sales and
margins by product/service stream, mix, values, segment,
'distributor', etc, whatever is relevant, phased monthly, in as much
detail as you need. This should be on a spreadsheet, with as
many different sheets as necessary to quantify relevant inputs and
outputs.
11. List your strategic actions (marketing campaigns, sales activities,
advertising, etc) that will deliver the above, with costs and returns.
This should be supported with a spreadsheet, showing cost and
return on investment for each activity.
Tip: If the business plan concerns an existing activity, use the previous
year's sales/business analysis as the basis for the next year's
sales/business plan. Adapt as necessary according to your new strategic
plans.
other business planning and marketing

issues
staffing and training implications
Your people are unlikely to have all the skills they need to help you
implement a marketing plan. You may not have all the people that you
need so you have to consider justifying and obtaining extra. Customer
service is acutely sensitive to staffing and training. Are all of your people
aware of the aims of the business, its mission statement and your sales
propositions? Do they know what their responsibilities are? How will you
measure their performance? Many of these issues feed back into the
business plan under human resources and training, where budgets need
to be available to support the investment in these areas.
customer service charter

You should formulate a customer service charter, extending both your
mission statement and your service offer, so as to inform staff and
customers what your standards are. These standards can cover quite
detailed aspects of your service, such as how many times the telephone
will be permitted to ring until the caller is gets an answer. Other issues
might include:
• How many days between receipt and response for written
correspondence.
• Complaints procedure and timescales for each stage.
This charter sets customer expectations, so be sure you can meet them.
Customers get disappointed particularly when their expectations are not
met, and when so many standards can be set at arbitrary levels, think of
each one as a promise that you should keep. Business-to-business
customers would expect to agree these standards with their suppliers and
have them recorded as part of their contracts, or as SLA's (service level
agreements). Increasingly, large customers demand SLA's to be tailored
to their own specific needs, and the process of developing these
understandings and agreements is absolutely crucial to the maintenance
and development of large contracts.
Remember an important rule about customer service: It's not so much the
failure to meet standards that causes major dissatisfaction among
customers - everyone can make a mistake - the biggest cause of upset is
the failure of suppliers to inform customers and keep them updated when
problems arise. Not being told in advance, not receiving any apology, not
getting any explanation why, and not hearing what's going to be done to
put things right, are key areas of customer dissatisfaction, and therefore
easy areas for suppliers to focus their efforts to achieve and communicate
improvements.
A special point of note for businesses that require a strong technical
profile among their service staff: these people are often reactive by
nature and so not good at taking initiative to identify and anticipate
problem areas in customer service. It's therefore helpful to establish
suitable mechanisms and responsibility to pick up problems and deal with
them - a kind of trouble-shooting capability - which can be separately
managed and monitored at a strategic level. Do not assume that
technically-oriented staff will be capable of proactively developing
customer service solutions and revisions to SLA's - they generally need

help in doing so from staff with high creativity, empathy, communications
and initiative capabilities.
establish systems to measure customer

service and staff performance
These standards and the SLA's established for large customers need to be
visible, agreed with customers, absolutely measurable. You must keep
measuring your performance against them, and preferably publishing the
results, internally and externally. Customer complaints handling is a key
element:
Measuring customer complaints is crucial because individual complaints
are crucial areas to resolve, and also as a whole, complaints serve as a
barometer for the quality and performance of the business. You need to
have a scheme which encourages, not discourages, customers to
complain, to open the channels as wide as possible. Most businesses are
too defensive where complaints are concerned, preferring to minimise
their importance, or to seek to justify and excuse them. Wrong.
Complaints are the opportunities to turn ordinary service into unbeatable
service.
Moreover, time and again surveys suggest that anything up to nine out of
ten people do not complain to the provider when they feel dissatisfied -
they just keep their dissatisfaction to themselves and the provider never
finds out there's a problem, even when the customer chooses to go
elsewhere. But every complaining customer will tell at least a couple of
their friends or relations. Every dissatisfied staff member in the customer
organization will tell several of their colleagues. Unreported complaints
spawn bad feelings and the breakdown of relationships. It is imperative
that you capture all complaints in order to:
• Put at ease and give explanation or reassurance to the person
complaining.
• Reduce the chances of them complaining to someone else.
• Monitor exactly how many dissatisfied customers you have and
what the causes are, and that's even more important if you're failing to
deliver your mission statement or service offer!
• Take appropriate corrective action to prevent a re-occurrence.
• If appropriate (ie for large customers) review SLA's and take the
opportunity to agree new SLA's with the customer.
implications for IT, premises, and reporting

systems
Also relating to your business plan are the issues of:
Information Technology - are your computers and communications
systems capable of giving you the information and analysis you need?
How do you use email - is it helping or hindering your business and the
quality of service you give to your customers? What internet presence and
processes do you need? How should your voice and data systems work
together? What systems need to be available to mobile staff? What
customer relationship management (CRM) systems should you have? How
should you consider all these issues to see the needs and opportunities?
IT and communications systems increasingly offer marketing and
competitive advantage to businesses in all sectors - make sure you know
hat IT can do for you and for your customers.
Premises - Review your premises and sites in light of your customer
service, distribution, and customer relationship requirements. Pay
particular attention anywhere in your organization that your customers
visit - the impression and service you give here is critical.
Reporting systems - If you can't measure it you can't manage it, and
where finance and business performance is concerned this is certainly
true. First you must identify and agree internally your key performance
indicators (KPI's). Identify every aspect of your service or performance
that is important - then you need to be able to measure it and report on it,
and where people are involved in performing to certain standards then the
standards and the reporting needs to be transparent to them also.
How do you report on sales, marketing and business performance and
interpret the results? Who needs to know? Who needs to capture the
data?
communications and ongoing customer

feedback are essential
Having an open dialogue with your customers is vital. There's a double
benefit to your business in ensuring this happens:
• You nip problems in the bud and stay aware of how you're
performing.
• Your customers feel better about the service you provide as a result
of the communications, or from the fact that the channel is open even if
they don't use it - it's human nature.
Try to devise a standard feedback form. It can double as a promotional

tool as well if it's made available on a wider scale. The form can carry
details of your mission statement, service offer and your customer service
charter.
Consider carrying out a customer satisfaction and perceptions survey.
There are many ways to do this on a small or large scale, and valuable
feedback is always obtained from customer survey exercises.
tips for starting a small business or self-

employment - for non-financial people
Some of us are not naturally inclined towards the sort of detailed financial
thinking that is required for traditional detailed business planning. If this is
you, you'll possess other valuable capabilities that will be useful in your
own enterprise, and you'll maybe find it helpful to use this alternative
approach to planning a new enterprise or self-employment. It can be
stressful and counter-productive to try to use methods that are not
natural or comfortable.
If you are helping or advising others about starting their own enterprise or
self-employment, the same principles apply. Not everyone is naturally
good at business planning, but everyone who dreams of being self-
employed or who wants to start and run their own independent enterprise
is capable of doing so, provided they work to their strengths, capabilities
and passions.
People running successful enterprises come in all shapes and sizes, from
all backgrounds, all ages, with skills, passions, and capabilities in any field
you can imagine. Anyone can run their own business or be successful in
self-employment given the simple determination to do so. Business and
enterprise is not just for stereotypical 'business-types'; the benefits and
advantages of being your own boss are available to us all.
Here are some pointers for people considering starting their own new
enterprise, or for helping others to do the same.
First, and especially if you are not clear of your own real strengths, or
what direction to pursue, focus on using tools to understanding your own
personality style and strengths. Then use this knowledge to imagine and
realise how your natural capabilities can be used to best effect in defining
and providing your own services or running your own enterprise.
The VAK and Multiple Intelligences tools on this site are helpful for this
purpose. They assess people's strengths completely differently to
traditional IQ or academic evaluations, which are extremely narrow and
generally not relevant at all for people who want to be their own boss.
Understanding personality is also useful since personality-type greatly
influences the way that a person approaches self-employment or running
an enterprise, and what sort of service or business to offer. The
Personality Styles page provides a lot of explanation about this.
Many people are conditioned by schools and over-cautious parents to
under-estimate their own potential and capabilities, which is a big reason
to take a fresh look at what you are good at, and to re-think and
understand better the ways that your personality type tends to be
successful in life and business.
There are many ways to be successful and independent in life aside from
building and running a conventional business and adhering to
conventional financial planning methods.
The basic economics of becoming successfully independent in any sort of
venture are actually extremely simple, and focusing on the following
simple fundamentals (a process really) can help many folk turn your
dream or an idea into a successful enterprise or self-employment reality.
It's usually easiest to think first of these factors in terms of daily, weekly
or monthly numbers and values, and then to extend the figures to give
totals for a whole year:
1. What's your product or service? (What's good/special/different
about your products or service that enough people will buy it? And
importantly is this something that you have a real passion for? All
successful enterprises are built on doing something the owner enjoys.)
2. What does it cost to make/buy in/provide the product or
service? (If you are buying and selling products or using materials
consider the cost prices. If the main resource is your own time then attach
a cost to your labour that reflects your available time for the work and the
wage you need to draw. Divide your required annual wage by the number
of work hours available to you, and this is your notional hourly labour
cost.)
3. What price will the product/service sell for? (Ideally small
businesses need a healthy profit margin or mark-up - doubling the cost is
good if the market will accept it. A mark-up of less than 50% is cause for
concern unless you are selling products in relatively high volumes or
values. Price your products/services according to what the market will
pay, not according to your costs. Take into account your competitors and
what they charge and their relative quality. Service businesses that use
only the person's time are often very attractive and profitable because
there is no added complication of buying and holding stock - hence why
window-cleaning, sign-writing, repairs, gardening, decorating, tutoring,
writing, therapy, training, coaching and consultancy, etc., are such good
businesses for people who prefer a simple approach to self-employment
and enterprise. Consider the effect of VAT especially for 'consumer'
businesses - ie., selling to the general public - assuming your business is
or must be VAT registered. Private consumers of course are more
sensitive to VAT than business customers who can generally reclaim VAT
should you have to add it to your prices.)
4. Who will buy the product/service? (Identify your customers and
market. Do you know this for sure? Test your assumptions: this is a critical
part of the proposition and generally benefits from more thought and
research to confirm that a big enough market exists for your idea.
Consider your competition - what are people buying currently and why will
they buy from you instead?)
5. How much/many do you need to sell in a year? And how many
customers do you need? (This is a vital part of the proposition to
confirm that the gross profit (the difference between costs of bought in
products/labour and sales revenues) covers your/their financial needs
(including a living wage and other fixed costs of running the enterprise.
Again remember the affect of VAT on your selling prices if applicable.)
6. How will people know about the service/product? (You need to
understand what advertising/marketing/enquiry-generation is necessary -
activity and cost. There is usually a cost for generating new customers,
especially in the early stages of a new enterprise. Once the business is
established, say after six months to a year, 'word-of-mouth' referrals are
for some businesses all that is required to produce new customers -

especially those based in a local community, but virtually any new
enterprise requires marketing at its launch. See the articles on marketing
and selling.)
7. Does all this add up, and better still provide a cash surplus at
the end of a year? - if so then it's probably a good business model.
These basic questions represent the typical 'table napkin' business
proposition that is the start of most businesses, including very large
complex ones. People who dislike and are not fluent in detailed business
calculations might find the above process a useful starting point when
thinking about how to begin a new enterprise or a venture in self-
employment.
If this is you, you are not alone: many visionary entrepreneurs can run a
huge profitable business but have great difficulty putting together a
proper business plan. Hence many highly successful business leaders rely
heavily on their financial directors to take care of the financial details,
leaving them free to get on with the business activity that makes best use
of their natural skill, be it creativity, selling, service-provision, people-
skills, technical skills, or whatever.
Incidentally the above factors are the essential components which make
up a basic Profit and Loss Account, which is the primary management tool
for a business of any scale and complexity. Here's a free MSExcel profit
and loss account template tool for extending these factors and financials
into a more formal phased plan, which also serves as a business
forecasting and reporting tool too. If in doubt about this seek some help
from an experienced business person or your accountant. Adapt it to suit
your purposes. The example P&L trading plan is also available as a pdf.
The numbers could be anything - ten times less, ten times more, a
hundred times more - the principle is the same.
company types and financial set up - quick

guide
When you have confirmed and refined the basic viability of your business
idea you can then begin getting to grips with the more detailed aspects of
forming the business itself.
This necessarily includes deciding your type of business constitution - the
legal format of your company - or 'company type' as it is often described.
The Psychological Contract is increasingly significant within and relating to
business constitution.
Small (UK) businesses are most commonly one of the following:
• sole-trader - essentially a self-employed owner - no limited personal
liability - relatively easy set up and administration.

• partnership - essentially a group of self-employed partners/owners -

no limited personal liability - easy-ish set up and administration,
although ultimately dependent on the complexity of the company and
partnership.
• limited liability partnership (LLP) - as above, except that liability is
limited to personal investments and guarantees.
• limited company (abbreviated to Ltd after the company name) -
liability is limited to the assets of the company - registered with
Companies House and legally obliged to publish accounts.
There are less common variations of limited companies, and other

business structures and constitutions, for example:
• social enterprise - various structures including , trusts, associations
and especially cooperatives - these are not common typical or
traditional business structures, but social enterprises are growing in
popularity, and will be explained in more detail on this website in due
course. Meanwhile here is useful information about cooperatives.
• public limited company (plc) - not appropriate for small companies.
Sole-trader and partnership companies are very easy to set up and

administer, but the owner/partners are personally liable for all business
debts and potential claims, so good insurance cover (including
professional indemnity and public liability) is essential especially if
business liabilities are potentially serious.
A limited liability partnership offers protection to partners in terms of
personal liabilities, in that liabilities are limited to the extent of personal
investment and any other guarantees. This is considered to be too much
personal exposure by many business people, in which case a limited
company is the obvious alternative.
A limited company exists in its own right - a tricky concept to understand
for many people - basically meaning that financial liabilities belong to the
company (its shareholders, to the value of their shares in other words)
rather than the directors and executives of the business, as would apply in
a partnership. Limited companies ultimately offer more flexibility for large
complex businesses but can be over-complicated and administratively
heavy if all you want to do is run a local shop or landscape gardening
business or modest training or coaching business.
Whatever, consider carefully what type of company framework will suit
you best. Once established it can be quite difficult to unravel and change
if you get it wrong - not impossible, but a nuisance if you could have got it
right first time with a bit of extra thought at the planning stage.
A good accountant will help you decide what is best for your situation
from a legal and financial standpoint, although before this you should
think for yourself what sort of business structure best fits your wider
business situation, and especially your business aims and philosophy.
Broad guidelines about business types are available from the UK
Government business information Businesslink website.

You'll need a business bank account. In fact it is a legal requirement of all

limited companies to have a business bank account. Shop around. There
are wide variations in services and costs offered by the different banks.
You must also understand and organize the tax implications for your type
of business.
Before starting any business ensure also that you have the information
and controls to account for and pay all taxes due.
Helpfully to learn more about this in the UK, most tax affairs are within the
responsibilities of HM Revenue and Customs - until they too change their
name to something very silly. That said, the relevance today of HM (Her
Majesty's) is a bit puzzling when you stop to think about it and surely due
for updating to the modern age. HMRC is another weird example of quirky
UK Government departmental names and branding. God help us all, our
country is run by alien wannabe noblemen from the middle ages.
VAT (Value Added Tax or your national equivalent) is an issue warranting
serious thought if your business is small enough to have a choice in the
matter. Beyond a certain turnover (£68,000 as at 2010) any UK business
must register for VAT. Check the HMRC website for the current position.
Being VAT registered means you must charge VAT on all VAT-rated
supplies, which means also that the VAT you receive on payments from
your customers must be paid to HM Revenue and Customs. (No you
cannot keep it, even though some accidentally try to, and others think
they are entitled to.)
Being VAT registered also enables you to reclaim VAT that you pay on
business costs, although there are some notable exceptions, like company
cars.
Retail and consumer businesses are especially affected by VAT. Private
consumers cannot claim back VAT, so the effect of VAT on pricing and
margins needs careful thought in planning any consumer business.
Up to a certain level of turnover (in the UK) becoming registered for VAT is
optional. If your business turnover is likely to be below the threshold for
mandatory VAT registration, you must decide for yourself if the
advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The main advantages of VAT
registration are:
• your business will be perceived by certain people - especially other
businesses - to be larger and more credible (not being registered for
VAT indicates immediately that your turnover is below the VAT
threshold)
• you will be able to reclaim VAT that you are charged on legitimate
allowable business costs
The main disadvantages of being VAT registered are:

• the administrative burden in keeping VAT records and submitting
VAT returns (although this has been enormously simplified in recent
years so that for small simple businesses it is really not a problem at all)
• risks of getting onto cashflow difficulties if you fail to set funds aside
to pay your VAT bills (see the tax tips below)
Information about VAT (and all other tax issues) is at the UK Government
HM Revenue and Customs website: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk
VAT is not the only tax. Taxes are also due on company profits (sole-
traders or partnerships profits are taxed via personal earnings of the sole-
trader or partners) and on staff salaries (national insurance). A sole-trader
or partnership can employ staff, in which case national insurance tax is
due on salaries paid to employees, which is different to the tax that
employees pay themselves.
Failing to retain funds in a company to pay taxes is a serious problem
that's easily avoided with good early planning. Contact your tax office.
Inform them of your plans and seek their help. Tax offices are generally
extremely helpful, so ask. You can even talk to a real person on the phone
without having to breach a six-level automated menu system.
Ideally find a decent accountant too. Preferably one who comes
recommended to you. With all the greatest respect to accountants
everywhere, accountants are quite commonly very intense people, like
solicitors and scientists, very much focused on process, accuracy, rules,
etc., which in terms of personality fit can be a little at odds with the style
of many entrepreneurs. So again shop around and find an accountant with
whom you can share a joke and a beer or something from the human
world. The relationship between a business person and his/her accountant
is crucial if the business is to grow and develop significantly. Accountants
might seem at times to be from another planet, but I can assure you the
good ones are bloody magicians when it comes to business development,
especially when the figures get really interesting. The statement that one
stroke of an accountant's pen is mightier than the world's most successful
sales team, is actually true.
For many entrepreneurs, the ideal scenario is to grow your business large
enough to support the cost of a really excellent finance director, who can
take care of all the detailed legal and financial matters for you, and leave
you completely free to concentrate on growing the business -
concentrating your efforts and ideas and strategy externally towards
markets and customers, and internally towards optimizing innovation and
your staff.
See the quick tax tips below, especially for small businesses which might
not easily be able to achieve immediate and accurate control of their tax
liabilities, which is one of the major early risks for a new successful small
business.
tax tips - understanding and accounting for

taxes from the start

A significant potential problem area for newly self-employed people, and

for new business start-ups, is failing to budget and save for inevitable
taxes which arise from your business activities.
N.B. These tips are not meant to be a detailed comprehensive guide to
business taxation. This section merely addresses a particular vulnerability
of new start-up businesses in failing to set aside sufficient reserves to
meet tax liabilities, especially small businesses, and even more especially
sole-traders and partnerships and small limited companies, which lack
expertise in accounting and consequently might benefit from these simple
warnings and tips related to tax liabilities.
In general these issues would normally be managed via a cashflow
forecast, together with suitable financial processes to allocate and make
payments for all costs and liabilities arising in the course of trading. I
recognise however that many small business start-ups do not begin with
such attention to financial processes, and it's primarily for those situations
that these particular notes are provided.
These notes in no way suggest that this is the normal fully controlled
approach to planning and organizing tax liabilities and other cashflow
issues within any business of significant scale. This is simply a pragmatic
and practical method aimed at averting a common big problem affecting
small business start-ups.
While your type of company and business determines precisely which
taxes apply to you, broadly taxes are due on sales (for VAT registered
businesses in the UK, or your VAT equivalent if outside the UK), and on the
profits of your business and your earnings. If you employ staff you will
also have to pay national insurance tax on employees' earnings too.
Generally sole-traders and partnerships have simpler tax arrangements -
for example, profits are typically taxed as personal earnings - as
compared with the more complex taxes applicable to limited companies,
which also pay taxes on company profits and staff salaries.
Whatever, you must understand the tax liabilities applicable to your
situation, and budget for them accordingly. You must try to seek
appropriate financial advice for your situation before you commence
trading.
Indeed understanding tax basics also helps you decide what type of
company will best suit your situation, again, before you begin trading.
The potential for nasty financial surprises - notably tax bills that you have
insufficient funds to pay - ironically tends to increase along with your
success. This is because bigger sales and profits and earnings inevitably
produce bigger tax bills (percentage of tax increases too in the early
growth of a business), all of which becomes a very big problem if you've
no funds to pay taxes when due.
The risks of getting into difficulties can be greater for the self-employed
and small partnerships which perhaps do not have great financial
knowledge and experience, than for larger Limited Company start-ups
which tend to have more systems and support in financial areas.

Start-ups are especially prone to tax surprises because the first set of tax
bills can commonly be delayed, and if you fail to account properly for all
taxes due then obviously you increase the chances of spending more than
you should do, resulting in not having adequate funds to cover the
payments when they are due.
Risks are increased further if you are new to self-employment, previously
having been employed and accustomed to receiving a regular salary on
which all taxes have already been deducted, in other words 'net' of tax. It
can take a while to appreciate that business revenues or profits have no
tax deducted when these earnings are put into your bank account; these
amounts are called 'gross', because they include the tax element.
Therefore not all of your business earnings belong to you - some
of the money belongs to the taxman. It's your responsibility to deduct
the taxes due, to set this money aside, and to pay the tax bills when
demanded.
Additionally, if you are a person who is in the habit of spending everything
that you earn, you must be even more careful, since this tendency will
increase the risks of your being unable to pay your taxes.
Failing to get on top of the reality of taxes from the very beginning can
lead to serious debt and cashflow problems, which is a miserable way to
run a business.
So you must anticipate and set aside funds necessary to meet your tax
liabilities from the very start of your business, even if you do not initially
have a very accurate idea of what taxes will be due, or you lack effective
systems to calculate them - many small start-ups are in this position.
Nevertheless it is too late to start thinking about tax when the first
demands fall due.
If when starting your business you do not have information and systems
to identify and account accurately for your tax liabilities, here are two
simple quick tax tips to avoid problems with the taxman:
1. You must estimate your tax liabilities and ensure that you set aside
funds to cover these liabilities while you are banking your payments
received into the business. The easiest way to do this is to identify
the taxes applicable to your business, for example VAT and your
own personal income tax and national insurance. Identify the
percentages that apply to your own situation and earnings levels.
You can do this approximately. It does not need to be very precise.
Add these percentages together, and then set aside this percentage
of all your earnings that you receive into your business. Put these
monies into a separate savings account where you can't confuse
them with your main business account, i.e., your 'working capital'
typically held in a current account.
2. Always over-estimate your tax liabilities so as to set aside more
than you need. Having a surplus is not a problem. Having not
enough money to pay taxes because you've under-estimated tax
due is a problem; sometimes enough to kill an otherwise promising
business.

Here's an example to show how quickly and easily you can plan and set
aside a contingency to pay your tax bills, even if you've no experience or
systems to calculate them precisely. This example is based on a self-
employed consultancy-type business, like a training or coaching business,
in which there are no significant costs of sales (products or services
bought in) or overheads, i.e., revenues are effectively the profits too,
since there are minimal costs to offset against profits:
example of estimating and setting aside

money to pay taxes
1. In the UK VAT on most products and services is 17.5%. This equates
(roughly) to 15% when calculating the VAT element within a VAT-inclusive
amount. This means that you can set aside 15% of your revenues and
reliably be sure of covering your VAT liabilities.
2. In the UK personal income tax and national insurance combined is
roughly 30% of earnings up to about £30,000 (a little over in fact), rising
to 49% - call it 50% - of earnings above £30k - roughly.
N.B. Income tax and national insurance are calculated on taxable
earnings, which exclude money spent on legitimate business costs, and
VAT received.
These figures in the above example are approximate I emphasise again,
which is all you need for this purpose, moreover the approximations are
on the high side of what the precise liabilities actually are. Accountants
call this sort of thinking 'prudent'. It's a pessimistic approach to
forecasting liabilities rather than optimistic, which is fundamental to good
financial planning and management: if the pessimism is wrong then you
end up with a surplus (which is good), but if you are wrong in making
optimistic forecasts and estimates (over-ambitious sales, and lower-than-
actual costs and liabilities), then you run out of money (which is bad).
Back to the percentages.. Knowing the income tax percentages enables
you to set aside a suitable percentage of your earnings when you receive
them into the business. Roughly speaking, for earnings up to £30k you
need to set aside 30% to cover income tax and national insurance. For
earnings over £30k you need to set aside 50% to cover your income tax
and national insurance. (Earnings below £30k remain taxable at 30%).
Remember you can arrive at these figures based on the VAT exclusive
revenues, but to keep matters simpler it is easier to use an adjusted total
percentage figure to apply to the total gross earnings. If it's kept very
simple and quick you'll be more likely to do it - and/or to communicate the
method effectively to your partner if they are responsible for handling the
financials, as often happens.
Given this example, if in your first year your gross revenues (banked
payments received) are say £50,000, assuming you are VAT registered,
then your tax liabilities will be (roughly):
17.5% VAT liabilities £7.5k (again we are assuming no

equates to 15% of significant costs to offset these

gross sales revenues figures)
total net earnings are say £42.5k,

30% Income tax/NI on being £50k less £7.5k VAT, again
£9.0k
first £30k earnings we are assuming negligible costs
to offset against earnings
£12.5k of the net £43.5k earnings

50% Income tax/NI on
£6.25 is taxed at the higher rate, again
remaining £12.5k
k assuming negligible costs offset
earnings
against earnings
total tax liabilities =

£22.75 (£22.75k total tax ÷ £50k gross
45.5%, or to be extra
k revenues = 45.5%)
prudent call it 50%...
From this example you can see that setting aside 45.5% of earnings (yes
it's a lot isn't it - which is why you need to anticipate it and set the money
aside) would comfortably cover VAT and income tax liabilities. To be extra
safe and simpler in this example you could round it up to 50%. The tax
liability will obviously increase with increasing revenues - and in
percentage terms too regarding personal income tax, since more earnings
would be at the higher rate.
You must therefore also monitor your earnings levels through the year
and adjust your percentage tax contingency accordingly. As stated
already above, the risk of under-estimating tax liabilities increases the
more successful you are, because tax bills get bigger.
In truth you will have some costs to offset against the earnings figures
above, but again for the purposes of establishing a very quick principle of
saving a fixed percentage as a tax reserve until you know and can control
these liabilities more accurately, the above is a very useful simple easy
method of initially staying solvent and on top of your tax affairs, which are
for many people the most serious source of nasty financial surprises in
successful start-up businesses.
The above example is very simple, and is provided mainly for small start-
up businesses which might otherwise neglect to provide for tax liabilities.
The figures and percentages are not appropriate (but the broad principle
of forecasting and providing funds for tax liabilities is) to apply to retail
businesses for example, or businesses in which staff are employed, since
these businesses carry significant costs of sales and overheads, which
should be deducted from revenues before calculating profits and taxes
liabilities. Neither does the example take account of the various ways to
reduce tax liabilities by reinvesting profits in the business, writing off
stock, putting money into pensions, charitable donations, etc.
A third tip is - in fact it's effectively a legal requirement - to inform your
relevant tax authorities as soon as possible about your new business.
Preferably do this a few weeks before you actually begin trading. That way
you can be fully informed of the tax situation - and your best methods of

dealing with tax, because there are usually different ways, and sometimes
the differences can be worth quite a lot of money.
I do not go into more detail about tax here because it's a very complex
subject with wide variations depending on your own situation, for which
you should seek relevant information and advice from a qualified
accountant and/or the relevant tax authorities.
template and structure for a feasibility

study or project justification report
First, and importantly, you need to clarify/confirm the criteria that need to
be fulfilled in order to justify starting or continuing the project or group, in
other words, what do the decision-makers need to see in order to
approve the project or its continuation?
Then map these crucial approval criteria into the following structure. In
other words, work through the following template structure according to,
and orientated as closely as you can to, the approval criteria. (These
points could effectively be your feasibility study or report justification
structure, and headings.)
• past, present and particularly future ('customer') need (for the
outputs/results produced by group or project)
• benefits and outcomes achieved to date for what
cost/investment
• benefits and outcomes to be produced in the future
• resources, costs, investment, etc., required to produce future
required outcomes and benefits (identify capital vs revenue costs,
i.e., acquisition of major assets and ongoing overheads)
• alternative methods or ways of satisfying needs, with relative
cost/return (return on investment) comparisons (ie., what other ways
might there be for satisfying the need if the group or project doesn't
happen or ceases?)
• outline strategy and financial plan, including people, aims,
philosophy, etc (ideally tuned to meet the authorising power's
fulfilment criteria) for proposed start or continuation of project
(assuming you have a case, and assuming there is no better
alternative)
Keep it simple. Keep to the facts and figures. Provide evidence. Be clear
and concise. Refer to the tips about effective writing. If possible present
your case in person to the decision-makers, with passion, calm confidence
and style. Look at the tips on presentations, and assertiveness.

tips on finding and working with business

planning advisors and consultants
If you need help putting together a business plan, and if you want to get
the best from the engagement, it's important to find the right person to
work with, and to establish and maintain a good working relationship with
them. If you are great big organisation you'll probably not need to work
with outsiders, and if you do then you'll probably opt for a great big
supplier, however there are significant benefits from working with much
smaller suppliers - even single operators - and if you are a small business
yourself, then this is probably the best choice anyway: to seek a good
single operator, or small partnership of experts. Here are some ideas of
what to look for.
You'll be best finding someone who meets as much of this criteria as
possible:
• lives close-by you so you can work face-to-face with them and get to
know each other properly, and so that their time is efficiently used,
instead of being in traffic on their way to and from your place
• is high integrity and very discreet
• is grown-up and got no baggage or emotional triggers - wise and
mature - and it needn't be an age thing
• can help you see and decide where and how you want to take the
business, rather than tell you where he/she thinks you need to go - a
mentor not an instructor
• understands or can immediately relate to your industry sector and
type of work
• is experienced working with small family companies, but is also a
big picture strategist and visionary (advisors who've only ever worked
with big corporations can sometimes be a bit free and easy with
relatively small amounts of money - you need someone with a very very
practical approach to managing cash-flow, and real business realities,
who've worked in situations without the protection of vast corporate
bureaucracy and the lack of transparency that this often brings)
• is triple-brained or whole-brained - mostly front-brained - (see the
stuff on Benziger) - intuitive-creative, thinking, but also able to be
personable and grounded, subject to the point below
• complements your own strengths and fills the gaps and weaknesses
in your collective abilities (again see the stuff on Benziger and Jung etc)
- ie., if collectively you need hard facts and figures and logic then seek
people with these strengths - conversely if you are strong on all this,
then seek the creative humanist ethical strengths - he/she must work
with you in a balanced team - so that the team has no blind spots, and
no subjective biases in style or emphasis
• has two or three referees you can talk to and see evidence of past
work (although if you check most of the above it will be a formality)
• doesn't smoke or drink too much
• isn't desperate for the work
As regards finding someone like this, without doubt the most reliable and
quickest method is by networking introductions through trusted people.
The person you seek might be three or more links away, but if it's a friend
or associate of someone trusted, by someone who's trusted, by someone
you trust, then probably they'll be right for you. Start by talking to people
you know and asking if they know anyone, or if they know anyone who
might know anyone - and take it from there.
The chances of finding the right person in the local business listings or
directory, out of the blue and from cold, are pretty remote.
Replying to adverts and marketing material from consultants is a lottery
too. You'll find someone eventually but you'll need to kiss a lot of frogs
first, which takes ages and is not the cleverest way to spend your valuable
time.
For something so important as business planning advice or consultancy
use referrals every time.
Referrals work not only because you get to find someone trusted, but the
person you find has a reasonable assurance that you can be trusted too,
you see: good suppliers are just as choosy as good clients. It works both
ways.
Be prepared to reward the person in whatever way is appropriate and fair
(I'm thinking percentage share of incremental success beyond
expectations - perhaps even equity share if the person is really good and
you'd value their on-going contribution and help).
Often the best people won't ask for much money up front at all, but from
your point of view you will attract a lot more commitment and work
beyond the call of normal duty from them if you reward higher than they
ask or need.
Good suppliers are immensely motivated by good clients and lots of
appreciation, even if they don't want the financial reward.
Good suppliers have usually seen too many ungrateful greedy people
taking them for granted and penny pinching, and will tend to sack clients
like these without even telling them why, and move on to more deserving
enjoyable work with people who are fair and appreciative, which is how
you'll be I'm sure.
Finally, when you've found the right person, always continually agree
expectations and invite feedback about how the relationship is working,
not just how the work is going.
starting your own business - or starting any

new business

These are the simple rules for planning and starting your own business.
The principles also apply to planning and starting a new business within
an organisation for someone else.
In amongst the distractions and details of new business planning, it is
important to keep sight of the basic rules of new business success:
Your successful new business must offer something unique that people
want.
Uniqueness is vital because otherwise there is no reason for customers to
buy from you.
Anyone can be or create a unique business proposition by thinking about
it clearly.
Uniqueness comes in all shapes and sizes - it's chiefly being especially
good and different in a particular area, or field or sector.
Uniqueness can be in a product or service, or in a trading method, or in
you yourself, or any other aspect of your business which makes what you
are offering special and appealing to people.
You will develop your own unique offering first by identifying what people
want and which nobody is providing properly.
Second you must ensure that your chosen unique offering is also an
extension of your own passion or particular expertise or strength -
something you will love and enjoy being the best at - whatever it is.
Every successful business is built on someone's passion.
new business start-ups by older people

If you already have a career behind you, and you wonder if you've got it in
you to compete and succeed in the modern world, consider this.
First - you have definitely got it in you to succeed.
Experience and wisdom are fundamental building blocks of success, and
will be for you from the moment you start looking at yourself in this way.
The reassuring wisdom that older people generally possess is extremely
helpful in forming trusting relationships - with customers, suppliers,
partners, colleagues, etc - which are essential for good business.
Added to this, as we get older we have a greater understanding of our
true passions and capabilities; we know our strengths and styles and
tolerances. This gives older people a very special potency in business.
Older people know what they are good at. They play to their strengths.
They know which battles they can win, and which to avoid.
Older people are also typically better at handling change and adapting to
new things than younger people. This is because older people have had
more experience doing just this. Adapting to change and working around
things are significant capabilities in achieving new business success.

If you are an older person considering starting a new business, think about
the things you can do better than most other people - think about your
strengths and use them.
business start-ups for younger people

Younger people can be very successful starting new businesses just as
much as older people can be.
The essential principle of playing to your strengths applies, although the
implications are different for younger people compared to older people.
Younger people are likely to have lots of fresh ideas. This is an advantage,
so avoid people pour cold water on them.
Test your ideas on potential customers, rather than to take advice from
those people who are ready with their buckets of water.
Next, get the help you need. It's difficult for young people to know all the
answers.
You'll have the ideas and the energy to make things happen, but consider
the gaps in your experience, and the things you don't enjoy doing, and
seek good quality reliable help for these things.
Getting good help at what you can't do or don't want to do will enable you
to put all your energy into what you are good at and what you want to
spend your time doing.
Young people sometimes try to force themselves to fit into roles or
responsibilities that are not comfortable or natural. This is de-stabilising
and stressful. Learn what you love and excel at, and focus on building
success from this.
Which brings us back to playing to your strengths.
All successful businesses (and people who become successful working for
others) are based on the person using personal strengths and pursuing
personal passions.
Success in business is always based on doing something you love and
enjoy, which is fundamentally related to your natural strengths and
unique personal potential, whatever that is.
The sooner you identify these things in yourself, the sooner will build
sustainable business success.
planning business success - in summary

Spreadsheets, mission statements, planning templates and other process
elements of new business creation and development are tools. They
enable the business to be properly structured, started and run. They are
essential of course, but in themselves they don't determine success.
Business success is determined by deeper factors.
Increasingly business success depends on having a solid philosophical

foundation - where relevant interests, inside and outside of the
organization, are balanced rather than conflicting. The bigger the
business, the more widely it must consider how it relates to external
interests and responsibilities - to society and the world at large.
A business with this sort of harmony and balance built into its shape and
principles at the outset has a huge advantage over a business which
contains tensions and competing pressures. Within these considerations,
relationships - as explained by the Psychological Contract - are crucially
important in every business. Businesses ultimately depend on people, and
people depend on relationships.
Aside from this - and without diminishing the significance of other vital
business components such as reliability, value, quality, etc., which are
necessary merely to survive at a basic level - uniqueness and passion
are the remaining special ingredients for success:
• Uniqueness (just one word, with so many implications) - so that
people will want what you offer, and
• Passion, so that you will enjoy being and offering your best - and so
that this belief and commitment conveys to others.
swot analysis
SWOT analysis method and examples, with
free SWOT template
The SWOT analysis is an extremely useful tool for
understanding and decision-making for all sorts of situations in business
and organizations. SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, Threats. Information about the origins and inventors of
SWOT analysis is below. The SWOT analysis headings provide a good
framework for reviewing strategy, position and direction of a company or
business proposition, or any other idea. Completing a SWOT analysis is
very simple, and is a good subject for workshop sessions. SWOT analysis
also works well in brainstorming meetings. Use SWOT analysis for
business planning, strategic planning, competitor evaluation, marketing,
business and product development and research reports. You can also use
SWOT analysis exercises for team building games. See also PEST analysis,
which measures a business's market and potential according to external
factors; Political, Economic, Social and Technological. It is often helpful to
complete a PEST analysis prior to a SWOT analysis. See also Porter's Five
Forces model, which is used to analyse competitive position.
Here is a free SWOT analysis template worksheet (in MSWord). And the
same free SWOT analysis tool in pdf format.
If you have difficulty opening the above doc file here are two other
formats:

• SWOT Analysis Template doc file using table format instead of text-
boxes (portrait layout)
• SWOT Analysis Template doc for Apple Mac (thanks U Weissbach)
A SWOT analysis measures a business unit, a proposition or idea; a PEST

analysis measures a market.
A SWOT analysis is a subjective assessment of data which is organized by
the SWOT format into a logical order that helps understanding,
presentation, discussion and decision-making. The four dimensions are a
useful extension of a basic two heading list of pro's and con's (free pro's
and con's template here).
SWOT analysis can be used for all sorts of decision-making, and the SWOT
template enables proactive thinking, rather than relying on habitual or
instinctive reactions.
The SWOT analysis template is normally presented as a grid, comprising
four sections, one for each of the SWOT headings: Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats. The free SWOT template below includes
sample questions, whose answers are inserted into the relevant section of
the SWOT grid. The questions are examples, or discussion points, and
obviously can be altered depending on the subject of the SWOT analysis.
Note that many of the SWOT questions are also talking points for other
headings - use them as you find most helpful, and make up your own to
suit the issue being analysed. It is important to clearly identify the subject
of a SWOT analysis, because a SWOT analysis is a perspective of one
thing, be it a company, a product, a proposition, and idea, a method, or
option, etc.
Here are some examples of what a SWOT analysis can be used to assess:
• a company (its position in the market, commercial viability, etc)
• a method of sales distribution
• a product or brand
• a business idea
• a strategic option, such as entering a new market or launching a
new product
• a opportunity to make an acquisition
• a potential partnership
• changing a supplier
• outsourcing a service, activity or resource
• an investment opportunity
Be sure to describe the subject for the SWOT analysis clearly so that
people contributing to the analysis, and those seeing the finished SWOT
analysis, properly understand the purpose of the SWOT assessment and
implications.

SWOT analysis template
Subject of SWOT analysis: (define the

subject of the analysis here)
strengths weaknesses
• Disadvantages of proposition?
• Advantages of proposition?
• Gaps in capabilities?
• Capabilities?
• Lack of competitive strength?
• Competitive advantages?
• Reputation, presence and
• USP's (unique selling points)?
reach?
• Resources, Assets, People?
• Financials?
• Experience, knowledge, data?
• Own known vulnerabilities?
• Financial reserves, likely
• Timescales, deadlines and
returns?
pressures?
•Marketing - reach, distribution,
• Cashflow, start-up cash-drain?
awareness?
• Continuity, supply chain
• Innovative aspects?
robustness?
• Location and geographical?
• Effects on core activities,
• Price, value, quality? distraction?
• Accreditations, qualifications, • Reliability of data, plan
certifications? predictability?
• Processes, systems, IT, • Morale, commitment,
communications? leadership?
• Cultural, attitudinal, • Accreditations, etc?
behavioural?
• Processes and systems, etc?
• Management cover,
• Management cover,
succession?
succession?
opportunities threats
• Market developments? • Political effects?
• Competitors' vulnerabilities? • Legislative effects?
• Industry or lifestyle trends? • Environmental effects?
• Technology development and • IT developments?
innovation? • Competitor intentions -
• Global influences? various?
• New markets, vertical, • Market demand?
horizontal?
• Niche target markets?
• New technologies, services,
• Geographical, export, import? ideas?
• New USP's? • Vital contracts and partners?
• Tactics - surprise, major • Sustaining internal
contracts, etc? capabilities?
• Business and product • Obstacles faced?
development?
• Insurmountable weaknesses?
• Information and research?
• Loss of key staff?
• Partnerships, agencies,
distribution? • Sustainable financial backing?
• Volumes, production, • Economy - home, abroad?
economies?
• Seasonality, weather effects?
• Seasonal, weather, fashion
influences?
free SWOT analysis template worksheet

version in MSWord
swot analysis example

This SWOT analysis example is based on an imaginary situation. The
scenario is based on a business-to-business manufacturing company, who
historically rely on distributors to take their products to the end user
market. The opportunity, and therefore the subject for the SWOT analysis,
is for the manufacturer to create a new company of its own to distribute
its products direct to certain end-user sectors, which are not being
covered or developed by its normal distributors.
Subject of SWOT analysis example: the

creation of own distributor company to
access new end-user sectors not
currently being developed.
strengths weaknesses
• End-user sales control and • Customer lists not tested.
direction. • Some gaps in range for certain
• Right products, quality and

reliability. sectors.
• Superior product performance • We would be a small player.
vs competitors. • No direct marketing
•Better product life and experience.
durability. • We cannot supply end-users
• Spare manufacturing capacity. abroad.
• Some staff have experience of • Need more sales people.
end-user sector. • Limited budget.
• Have customer lists. • No pilot or trial done yet.
• Direct delivery capability. • Don't have a detailed plan yet.
• Product innovations ongoing. • Delivery-staff need training.
• Can serve from existing sites. • Customer service staff need
• Products have required training.
accreditations. • Processes and systems, etc
• Processes and IT should cope.
• Management cover
• Management is committed and insufficient.
confident.
opportunities
threats
• Could develop new products.
• Legislation could impact.
• Local competitors have poor
products. • Environmental effects would
favour larger competitors.
• Profit margins will be good.
• Existing core business
• End-users respond to new distribution risk.
ideas.
• Market demand very seasonal.
• Could extend to overseas.
• Retention of key staff critical.
• New specialist applications.
•Could distract from core
• Can surprise competitors. business.
• Support core business • Possible negative publicity.
economies.
• Vulnerable to reactive attack
• Could seek better supplier by major competitors.
deals.
See also the free PEST analysis template and method, which measures a
business according to external factors; Political, Economic, Social and
Technological. It is often helpful to complete a PEST analysis prior to
competing a SWOT analysis.

See also Porter's Five Forces model.
more on the difference and relationship

between PEST and SWOT
PEST is useful before SWOT - not generally vice-versa - PEST definitely
helps to identify SWOT factors. There is overlap between PEST and SWOT,
in that similar factors would appear in each. That said, PEST and SWOT
are certainly two different perspectives:
PEST assesses a market, including competitors, from the standpoint of a
particular proposition or a business.
SWOT is an assessment of a business or a proposition, whether your own
or a competitor's.
Strategic planning is not a precise science - no tool is mandatory - it's a
matter of pragmatic choice as to what helps best to identify and explain
the issues.
PEST becomes more useful and relevant the larger and more complex the
business or proposition, but even for a very small local businesses a PEST
analysis can still throw up one or two very significant issues that might
otherwise be missed.
The four quadrants in PEST vary in significance depending on the type of
business, eg., social factors are more obviously relevant to consumer
businesses or a B2B business close to the consumer-end of the supply
chain, whereas political factors are more obviously relevant to a global
munitions supplier or aerosol propellant manufacturer.
All businesses benefit from a SWOT analysis, and all businesses benefit
from completing a SWOT analysis of their main competitors, which
interestingly can then provide some feed back into the economic aspects
of the PEST analysis.
the origins of the SWOT analysis model

This remarkable piece of history as to the origins of SWOT analysis was
provided by Albert S Humphrey, one of the founding fathers of what we
know today as SWOT analysis. I am indebted to him for sharing this
fascinating contribution. Albert Humphrey died on 31 October 2005. He
was one of the good guys.
SWOT analysis came from the research conducted at Stanford Research

Institute from 1960-1970. The background to SWOT stemmed from the
need to find out why corporate planning failed. The research was funded
by the fortune 500 companies to find out what could be done about this

failure. The Research Team were Marion Dosher, Dr Otis Benepe, Albert
Humphrey, Robert Stewart, Birger Lie.
It all began with the corporate planning trend, which seemed to appear
first at Du Pont in 1949. By 1960 every Fortune 500 company had a
'corporate planning manager' (or equivalent) and 'associations of long
range corporate planners' had sprung up in both the USA and the UK.
However a unanimous opinion developed in all of these companies that
corporate planning in the shape of long range planning was not working,
did not pay off, and was an expensive investment in futility.
It was widely held that managing change and setting realistic objectives
which carry the conviction of those responsible was difficult and often
resulted in questionable compromises.
The fact remained, despite the corporate and long range planners, that
the one and only missing link was how to get the management team
agreed and committed to a comprehensive set of action programmes.
To create this link, starting in 1960, Robert F Stewart at SRI in Menlo Park
California lead a research team to discover what was going wrong with
corporate planning, and then to find some sort of solution, or to create a
system for enabling management teams agreed and committed to
development work, which today we call 'managing change'.
The research carried on from 1960 through 1969. 1100 companies and
organizations were interviewed and a 250-item questionnaire was
designed and completed by over 5,000 executives. Seven key findings
lead to the conclusion that in corporations chief executive should be the
chief planner and that his immediate functional directors should be the
planning team. Dr Otis Benepe defined the 'Chain of Logic' which became
the core of system designed to fix the link for obtaining agreement and
commitment.
1. Values
2. Appraise
3. Motivation
4. Search
5. Select
6. Programme
7. Act
8. Monitor and repeat steps 1 2 and 3
We discovered that we could not change the values of the team nor set
the objectives for the team so we started as the first step by asking the
appraisal question ie what's good and bad about the operation. We began
the system by asking what is good and bad about the present and the
future. What is good in the present is Satisfactory, good in the future is an
Opportunity; bad in the present is a Fault and bad in the future is a
Threat. This was called the SOFT analysis.

When this was presented to Urick and Orr in 1964 at the Seminar in Long
Range Planning at the Dolder Grand in Zurich Switzerland they changed
the F to a W and called it SWOT Analysis.
SWOT was then promoted in Britain by Urick and Orr as an exercise in and
of itself. As such it has no benefit. What was necessary was the sorting of
the issues into the programme planning categories of:
1. Product (what are we selling?)

2. Process (how are we selling it?)
3. Customer (to whom are we selling it?)
4. Distribution (how does it reach them?)
5. Finance (what are the prices, costs and investments?)
6. Administration (and how do we manage all this?)
The second step then becomes 'what shall the team do' about the issues
in each of these categories. The planning process was then designed
through trial and error and resulted finally in a 17 step process beginning
with SOFT/SWOT with each issue recorded separately on a single page
called a planning issue.
The first prototype was tested and published in 1966 based on the work
done at 'Erie Technological Corp' in Erie Pa. In 1970 the prototype was
brought to the UK, under the sponsorship of W H Smith & Sons plc, and
completed by 1973. The operational programme was used to merge the
CWS milling and baking operations with those of J W French Ltd.
The process has been used successfully ever since. By 2004, now, this
system has been fully developed, and proven to cope with today's
problems of setting and agreeing realistic annual objectives without
depending on outside consultants or expensive staff resources.
the seven key research findings

The key findings were never published because it was felt they were too
controversial. This is what was found:
1) A business was divided into two parts. The base business plus the
development business. This was re-discovered by Dr Peter Senge at MIT in
1998 and published in his book the Fifth Discipline (not '5th Dimension' as
previously stated here - thanks J Hoffman for this correction, 28 Jan 2011).
The amount of development business which become operational is equal
to or greater than that business on the books within a period of 5 to 7
years. This was a major surprise and urged the need for discovering a
better method for planning and managing change.
2) Dr Hal Eyring published his findings on 'Distributive Justice' and pointed
out that all people measure what they get from their work and divide it by
what they give to the work and this ratio is compared to others. If it is not
equal then the person first re-perceives and secondly slows down if added
demands are not met. (See for interest Adams Equity Theory and the
Equity Theory Diagram pdf)
3) The introduction of a corporate planner upset the sense of fair play at

senior level, making the job of the corporate planner impossible.
4) The gap between what could be done by the organisation and what was
actually done was about 35%.
5) The senior man will over-supervise the area he comes from. Finance-
Finance, Engineering-Engineering etc.
6) There are 3 factors which separate excellence from mediocrity:
a. Overt attention to purchasing
b. Short-term written down departmental plans for improvement
c. Continued education of the Senior Executive
7) Some form of formal documentation is required to obtain approval for
development work. In short we could not solve the problem by stopping
planning.
in conclusion
By sorting the SWOT issues into the 6 planning categories one can obtain
a system which presents a practical way of assimilating the internal and
external information about the business unit, delineating short and long
term priorities, and allowing an easy way to build the management team
which can achieve the objectives of profit growth.
This approach captures the collective agreement and commitment of
those who will ultimately have to do the work of meeting or exceeding the
objectives finally set. It permits the team leader to define and develop co-
ordinated, goal-directed actions, which underpin the overall agreed
objectives between levels of the business hierarchy.
Albert S Humphrey
August 2004
translating SWOT issues into actions under

the six categories
Albert Humphrey advocated that the six categories:
1. Product (what are we selling?)

2. Process (how are we selling it?)
3. Customer (to whom are we selling it?)
4. Distribution (how does it reach them?)
5. Finance (what are the prices, costs and investments?)
6. Administration (and how do we manage all this?)

provide a framework by which SWOT issues can be developed into actions

and managed using teams.
This can be something of a 'leap', and so the stage warrants further
explanation. Translating the SWOT issues into actions, are best sorted into
(or if necessary broken down into) the six categories, because in the
context of the way that business and organizations work, this makes them
more quantifiable and measurable, responsible teams more accountable,
and therefore the activities more manageable. The other pivotal part in
the process is of course achieving the commitment from the team(s)
involved, which is partly explained in the item summarising Humphrey's
TAM® model and process.
As far as identifying actions from SWOT issues is concerned, it all very
much depends on your reasons and aims for using SWOT, and also your
authority/ability to manage others, whom by implication of SWOT's
breadth and depth, are likely to be involved in the agreement and delivery
of actions.
Depending on pretext and situation, a SWOT analysis can produce issues
which very readily translate into (one of the six) category actions, or a
SWOT analysis can produce issues which overlay a number of categories.
Or a mixture. Whatever, SWOT essentially tells you what is good and bad
about a business or a particular proposition. If it's a business, and the aim
is to improve it, then work on translating:
strengths (maintain, build and leverage),
opportunities (prioritise and optimise),
weaknesses (remedy or exit),
threats (counter)
into actions (each within one of the six categories) that can be agreed and
owned by a team or number of teams.
If the SWOT analysis is being used to assess a proposition, then it could be
that the analysis shows that the proposition is too weak (especially if
compared with other SWOT's for alternative propositions) to warrant
further investment, in which case further action planning, other than exit,
is not required.
If the proposition is clearly strong (presumably you will have indicated this
using other methods as well), then proceed as for a business, and
translate issues into category actions with suitable ownership by team(s).
This is my understanding of Albert Humphrey's theory relating to
developing SWOT issues into organizational change actions and
accountabilities. (I'm pleased to say that Albert kindly confirmed that this
is indeed correct.)
There are other ways of applying SWOT of course, depending on your
circumstances and aims, for instance if concentrating on a department
rather than a whole business, then it could make sense to revise the six
categories to reflect the functional parts of the department, or whatever
will enable the issues to be translatable into manageable, accountable
and owned aims.
Here is a summary of Albert Humphrey's impressive TAM® (Team Action

Management) model, developed and used to speed up the process of
initiating and controlling organizational change.
free team building activities

ideas (2) (1)
free ideas for team exercises and activities
- for team-building, training, employee
motivation, learning and development,
recruitment, and other group activities
If you don't need the introduction - go straight to the
games and activities.
Here are lots of free and team building games, activities and exercises
ideas for team development, employee motivation, personal devepment,
ice-breakers, energisers, learning and fun.
These activities extend the first section of team building games and
activities on this website, which also serves as a full listing for all
exercises on the other pages.
The way you run group activities is crucial for their effectiveness.
So please read the tips for planning and running team building activities.
Also helpful are the tips on planning and running workshops.
Use and adapt these group games and exercises ideas to suit your
situation. These free team building activities, games and exercises are
great ice breakers for training sessions, recruitment group selections,
meetings, workshops, seminars, conferences, organisational development,
teaching and lecturing for young people and students.
Team building games and activities are useful also in serious business
project meetings, where games and activities help delegates to see things
differently and use different thinking styles.
Games and exercises help with stimulating the brain, improving retention
of ideas, and increasing fun and enjoyment.
Many activities and games can be used or adapted for children's
development and education, or even for kids party games.
We cannot accept responsibility for any liability which arises from the use
of any of these free team building exercises ideas or games - please see
the disclaimer notice below. Always ensure that you have proper
insurance in place for all team building games activities, and take extra

care when working with younger people, children and if organising

children's party games.
See the team building games and activities page 1, which is a full listing of
the activities on both pages.
team building games - are the exercises or

games appropriate?
Before you decide to use any team building games with a group of people,
think about whether the activities are appropriate for the team members
and the situation. See the notes on checking that games or team activities
are appropriate for your situation.
The subjects on this website increasingly feature ideas for developing the
whole person.
Think beyond providing traditional work skills development. Explore
everything, and show your people that you have a broader view about
development - they'll have lots of ideas of their own if you let them see
it's okay to think that way. Team building games are just a part of a very
wide mix of learning and and development experiences that you can
explore and facilitate for your people - try anything. If it helps your people
to feel good and be good, then it will help your organisation be good too.
See the guidelines and tips for planning and running team building
activities and the free tips on running team building workshops.
Ensure that team-building activities comply with equality policy and law in
respect of gender, race, disability, age, etc. Notably, (because the
legislation is relatively new) team-building facilitators should be familiar
with the Employment Equality Age Regulations, effective 1st October
2006, (UK and Europe). For example, a demanding physical activity might
be great fun for fit young men, but if one of the team members is old
enough to be a grandfather then think again, because it wouldn't be fair,
and it might even be unlawful. The same applies to any activities that
discriminate against people on grounds of gender, race, disability, etc.
Team-building games and activities have to agreeable and acceptable to
team members, and the exercises have to be fair.
free team building games (2) (1)

free team building games - warm-ups, quick
games and exercises, ice-breakers,
exercises and activities
These free team building games and exercises generally last less than one
hour, and can be adjusted to create longer team building activities,
depending on the sort of team building, ice-breakers, training

development activities required. Review and discussion are often useful
and helpful after exercises which have raised relationship issues, or
changed people's perceptions. Plan and practise all unknown aspects of
the activities before using them. Logistics, facilitation and especially how
you split the group into the numbers of team members per team are
factors which have a big effect on how the exercises work and the
experience for all. See the team building activities guidelines for tips and
techniques.
See also the activities and exercises on the team building ideas page 1 on
this website, and the quizballs quizzes, especially the management and
business quiz for aspiring managers and trainers, and anyone interested
in managing people and organizations.
free games, exercises and activities (2) (1)
day colours/colors exercise (individual

perspectives, emotional triggers,
empathy, johari window, respecting
personal differences)
This is a very simple quick and fascinating exercise to illustrate how
people often have different views of the same thing, which is central to
understanding empathy and many related concepts.
The activity may be used as an icebreaker or larger discussion exercise,
for groups of any size and age/seniority, subject to appropriate facilitation
for your situation.
Example explanation and instruction to a group:
Emotions and feelings within each of us are 'triggered' in different ways.
We think differently and therefore see things differently. We often do not
imagine that other people may see something quite differently to how we
see the 'same' thing. Management and relationships, in work and outside
of work too, depend heavily on our being able to understand the other
person's view, and what causes it to be different to our own.
To illustrate this, and to explore how mental associations can 'colour' (US-
English 'color') our worlds differently:
1. Close your eyes and imagine the days of the week

2. What colour is each day?
3. Write down the colour of each day

Review and compare people's different colour associations, and - where

people consciously know and are willing to share their
reasons/associations - review these differences too.
Note: If anyone sees all the days as the same color, or sees no colour
association at all, or perhaps sees or senses a more powerful alternative
association, then this is another equally worthy personal viewpoint and
difference.
The days of the week are a simple fixed pattern. Yet we see them in
different ways. It is easy to imagine the potential for far greater
differences in the way we see more complex situations - like our work, our
responsibilities and our relationships, etc. Human beings will never see
things in exactly the same way - this is not the aim or work or life - instead
the aim should be to understand each other's views far better, so that we
can minimise conflict and maximise cooperation.
Useful reference materials:
Johari Window
Empathy
Transactional Analysis
The Psychological Contract
NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming)
Erikson's Life Stage Theory
Generational Differences
Personality Theories and Models
psychological contract 'iceberg' exercises

(the psychological contract, work/life
alignment, organizational development,
motivational understanding,
employer/employee relationships,
leadership)
The Psychological Contract is increasingly significant in organizational
management and development.
The Psychological Contract 'Iceberg' model diagram assists explanation
and exploration of the subject.
Ask group members to create their own version of the Psychological
Contract 'Iceberg' diagram - individually, in pairs or teams, and
review/discuss as appropriate for your situation.

Versions of the 'Iceberg' may be mapped according to different

perspectives, for example - how people see it currently; how they'd prefer
it to be; from a personal, departmental or workforce standpoints.
The exercise can be used as a basis for all sorts of learning and
development activities, for example relating to:
• motivation and attitude
• work/life balance and wellbeing
• organizational structure and purpose
• alignment of people with organizational aims
• work/management/leadership relationships with employees
• mutual awareness (employee/employer) and organizational
transparency - and especially in identifying hidden or confused
perceptions which may be obstacles to improving employee/employer
relationships
Refer to the Psychological Contract theory and within it whatever related

learning concepts might be helpful to your situation.
Johari Window is particularly relevant.
lifestyle acronyms game (social

demographics, creativity and invention,
lifestyle types and choices, compact
communications, generational theory)
A simple exercise to encourage thinking about demographics,
generational ideas, language, and communications.
For groups of any size. Split into pairs, threes, or work teams and review
as appropriate, or run the activity as a quick ice-breaker.
Instruction to the group:
Acronyms are powerful in communicating a lot of information very
succinctly, and also in illustrating this principle, which relates to
generational issues in management and life.
We have probably all heard of amusing lifestyle aconyms such as DINKY
(Double Income, No Kids Yet); GOFER (Genial Old Farts Enjoying
Retirement); ORCHID (One Recent Child, Heavily In Debt); and the more
formal term NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training).
What acronym can you devise (or suggest one you know already) that is
particularly appropriate for modern times?
Where groups devise their own acronyms you may optionally award a
point for each letter in the acronym and bonus points for:

• true acronyms (which either seem like a word or make a real word,
using the first letter from each word in the full expression)
• a meaningful 'bacronym' (in which the word spelled by the acronym
relates cleverly to the expression)
You can alternatively/additionally ask the group to devise new

portmanteau words, which by itself would enable a quicker activity.
Review/discuss results as appropriate for your situation.
Optional equipment - dictionary and thesaurus.
guessing game (ice-breaker, assumptions,

multiple intelligences, hidden abilities,
risks in judgment )
This is a simple and adaptable exercise which can be used to explore
various themes. You could run a version on a table-top, or use it to get
people moving around quite a lot.
As facilitator you need just a tape measure and a pad of small sticky
notes. You can change the scale targets (in scale or metric/imperial)
according to your situation. You can treat the activities as a competition
by awarding scores, and/or run the activity for teams, which adds an
interesting extra perspective.
Here is the basis of the exercise. Adapt it and use different exercises to
suit your own situations.
Instruction to group:
This is an experiment to explore the brain's capability to estimate scale.
Your guesses will be measured and results given. The exercises involve
simple guessing, but provide a basis for understanding more about how
reliably (or unreliably) our brains can estimate scale, etc., without
measuring tools or precise references. This relates to risks of making
assumptions, and the merits/risks/surprises associated with guessing,
short-cuts, working from habit/instinct, etc. Sometimes guessing and
instinctive assumptions are effective; often they are not.
(Additionally/separately the activity prompts appreciation and exploration
of multiple intelligences theory - specifically how some people are
naturally better at some of these tasks than others.)
Using sticky notes (to be personalised for identification) mark the
following:
• a distance of ten feet on the floor
• a height of three feet on a wall
• a distance of one metre on a table

Note: As facilitator it will take you a while to measure and note scores for
lots of guesses, so think how best to do this. If using the exercise as a
quick icebreaker, or if time is tight, especially if group is large, think
carefully about how many measuring exercises to include. Just one is fine
for an icebreaker. With big groups and treams issue people with tape
measures and have them score each other. Or see the examples for
simplifying the activities below.
Review the activities as appropriate for your purposes, points for example:
• What surprises did we find?
• What clues are there to people's different abilities?
• What differences are there in guessing different types of scale?
• What creative methods were used in 'measuring'.
• How does the brain guess something?
• In work/life how do we decide when to guess and when to measure,
and are these the best criteria?
• How can we make our guessing more reliable?
• (If exercises are performed in teams) are team guesses more
reliable than individual guesses?
• What merit is there in the 'Wisdom of Crowds' in guessing and
making intuitive judgments?
Depending on time and how you want to use the activities, other
materials and measuring devices can be used for different exercises, for
example:
• an angle of 30 degrees (ask people to draw two straight lines on a
sheet of paper, like two sides of a triangle - facilitator needs a protractor
for measuring)
• a square sheet of paper equal to one square metre (newspaper and
sticky tape - a square metre is for some people a surprisingly large area
- each side must measure one metre)
• or, for more adventure, which might appeal to children, explore
volume and weight with water and sand, etc, for which basically you
only need the water, sand, some plastic foodbags or balloons, and a
measuring jug (and some cleaning-up cloths...)
For a smaller table-top activity you can give target distances in

centimetres and/or inches rather than feet and metres, and use a ruler of
greater precision, (and be prepared for some innuendo among certain
groups).
To simplify and speed up the activities, and to reduce preparations and
measuring, have people guess weight/volume/height/distance/etc of a
pre-prepared example (for each exercise), rather than have each person
produce their own, for example:

• Show the group a loosely coiled length of string, on a table or the

floor, and invite estimates as to the length of the string.
• For an exercise requiring people to guess a large quantity of units,
you can show a bucket of marbles, or simply cut or tear a sheet of
paper into lots of pieces (unseen to the group members, too many to
count at a glance) and scatter them on a table.
• Show the group a page of printed words and invite guesses as to
how many words.
• Show the group a pile of coins and ask them to estimate the total
value.
Team guessing enables additional exploration, for example linkage to

ideas about the 'Wisdom of Crowds', and also benefits/disadvantages of
working in isolation versus working in cooperation, especially where
intuitive or subjective judgment is required.
Adapt the exercises depending on how active and logistically involved you
wish the activities to be.
Reference materials, for example:
Multiple Intelligences and MI test - correlations between natural strengths
and task expertise
VAK learning styles test - a simple three-way view of learning/thinking
style
Kolb learning styles theory - different thinking styles suit different tasks
Conscious Competence learning model - how well do we know and trust
our own judgment
Johari Window - specifically knowing our own and others
strengths/weaknesses
early bird/second mouse exercise (ice-

breaker, creative thinking, presentation
skills, debating, analysis, teamworking,
group decision dynamics)
This is a simple exercise for groups between 8 and 30 people, and
involves many different learning elements: understanding strategies,
teamwork, presentations, argument, debate, analysis and group decision-
making.
The activity is based on the funny one-liner (often attributed to comedian
Stephen Wright), which is deeper than first seems:
"The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the
cheese."
Split the group into two teams.
Nominate one team to be 'early bird' and the other team to be 'second
mouse' (or allow the group to decide this themselves, which can be an
interesting mini-exercise in its own right).
Give the teams 5-10 minutes, each to develop a 60-second presentation
(or longer for bigger groups and more learning depth) as to why their
strategy ('early bird' or 'second mouse') is best for business (or work or
life, depending on your situation).
Encourage the teams to make use of the knowledge and abilities and
views of all team members in creating their presentations.
After the two presentations chair a 5-10 minute debate between the
teams of the question:
"Early bird or second mouse: Which is the most effective strategy for
business (or work or life)?"
(Optionally, ask the teams if in light of the presentations they would prefer
to frame the question in a different way. People might now see a more
constructive approach to the question. Again this can be a useful mini-
exercise in its own right.)
After the debate hold a 'free' vote to see what the combined group now
believes about the question. Allow but do not encourage abstentions
('don't knows'). Encourage group members to vote as individuals, putting
their team loyalty to one side.
There are many possible learning areas to review after this exercise,
depending on your situation and development purposes, for example:
• different strategies for different situations - adaptability versus
consistency
• different strategies for different types of people and personalities or
organizational cultures
• assembling an argument/case/presentation in a team against a tight
deadline
• presenting a concise and convincing argument/presentation
• constructive debate and discussion - using evidence, examples,
structure, passion, etc
• (with regard to the optional re-framing of the debate question) the
significance of question wording when a group is asked a question, and
the potential to distort unhelpfully or focus helpfully on the main issue
• how groups consider and decide
• responsibility of those in authority to assist and enable clear
understanding, debate and decision-making
• dilemma of personal views versus 'team' views ('real life' examples:
parliamentary voting - keeping to the party-line, or personal
convictions/local constituency; also management dilemma in
implementing corporate policy with which a manager may personally

disagree - what are the important reference points in making these

judgements?
• and other aspects applicable or arising.
Some reference materials:

Problem-solving and decision-making
Presentations
Selling
Marketing
Personality
Clean Language - an interesting type of neutral enabling questioning,
used in therapy
touchy feely exercises (sensory perception,

self-awareness, non-verbal
communications, body language,
relationships in teamwork and personal
support)
Here are some ideas and exercises to explore human physical contact and
touching; the types, benefits, risks, associated feelings and reactions, in
relation to self others.
Touching people is understandably a neglected aspect of relationships
and communications, especially in management and education relating to
sexual harassment and child protection. Nevertheless touch is a highly
significant part of body language, and crucial to human interaction. We
therefore benefit by improving our understanding of touch and using it
appropriately, rather than avoiding it altogether.
A 2010 New York Times article by Benedict Carey reported some
interesting findings on human touching:
• Research suggests that we may be able to detect at least eight
different emotions using only a simple touching contact from person to
person (M Hertenstein, DePauw University, Indiana US).
• Separate studies found touch and physical contact among teams to
be linked to success in sport (Kraus, Huang and Keltner, Berkeley US).
• And the amount of physical contact between romantic or married
couples when simply sitting side by side has found to correlate with
relationship satisfaction (C Oveis, Harvard US), which while not hugely
surprising, is perhaps often overlooked or forgotten with the passing of
years.

Many and various other studies have reported the positive powers of
human touch. For example see Leo Buscaglia on hugging and love. As
with physical exercise, human touch triggers the release of chemicals in
the brain. These are basic primitive human responses, not easily
understood, and even now only beginning to be researched and analysed
in reliable scientific terms. In time we will know what it all means and how
it all works. Meanwhile a little practical experimentation can be helpful
and enlightening. Here are some ideas:
• Based on the Hertenstien research referenced above, ask people to
work in pairs or threes and with eyes closed, to experiment in giving
their reactions to different types of touches - to the hand, by another
person's hand or fingers. Be careful and seek the entire group's
agreement before encouraging/allowing any more adventurous
touching than this. Hand touching (including handshakes) alone should
be ample to demonstrate emotions such as confidence, aggression,
timidity, reassurance, curiosity, etc., and any other reactions generated.
A third person can act as a toucher and also to observe facial
expressions and give external reaction.
• Hugging: Subject to the group's agreement, get people hugging
each other and noting their reactions and feelings. As Buscaglia
discovered, and many since then, hugging is potentially powerful
medicine. Explore implications and issues.
• Group-hug: Try it and see how it makes people feel. As a variation
split the group into two teams. Ask one team to group-hug. Then give
both teams an identical task, competing against each other (for
example sorting a pack of cards, or making ten big newspaper balls and
throwing them into a bin at the other end of the room). Ask the second
team if they want a group-hug before starting. Maybe ask the first team
if they want another group-hug. Maybe allow group-hugging at will (if
the group likes it go with it..) After the task, discuss relevance of
hugging and physical contact to teamworking and bonding, enthusiasm,
etc. Were the biggest huggers the most motivated? Is a hugging team
generally a winning team?
• Discuss with the group: what are people's own views and feelings
about what sorts of touching are acceptable, unacceptable, positive,
reassuring, supportive, etc., according to different situations. Is a gentle
pat on the back always okay? What cultural differences exist? What are
the real practical no-go areas? Shoulders? Arms? Hands? What's the
difference between a light touch and a caress? Different rules for
different genders? How do observers (other team members, customers,
etc) view touching when they see it? How do we improve our use of this
sort of body-language at work, mindful of the risks? Etc., etc.
• See also the Silent Touch exercise on Teambuilding Games page 1.
Reference materials, for example:

Body language
Johari Window
Love and compassion at work
Maslow - (basic needs - love, belongingness, etc)

Stress management
Tuckman's theory - (from a team-bonding view)
And your own policy material on harassment and child protection as
appropriate.
the outdoors tea-break exercise (different

perspectives, context, relativity,
perception vs 'reality', and how most
things change according to situation)
The nature of anything - especially feelings, relationships and
communications - changes according to situation and context.
This is vitally important in understanding ourselves, others, and the way
that human systems operate, in which subjective views are commonly
more dominant than objective facts, figures and evidence.
Perceptions among people, especially given group effects, has a huge
effect on systemic and organizational behaviour.
Here is a simple and pleasing demonstration of how something can
change when experienced in a new context, particularly when the warmer
spring season approaches (in the northern hemisphere):
When next facilitating or teaching a group, take your tea/coffee break
outside, and ask people if their tea/coffee tastes different, compared to
how it normally tastes indoors.
The demonstration is clearest if first people pour the drink and take a few
sips indoors, and then walk outside, so as to compare the indoor and
outdoor taste.
Strangely the taste is quite different, sometimes remarkably different.
This is probably due to the fresh air being smelled and tasted along with
the drink. I am open to better explanations. The effect also works with
cold drinks. And picnic lunches, if you've time.
In some situations the exercise will work better by not warning people of
the reason for going outside, other than to get some fresh air and a leg-
stretch, both of which are good for groups anyway.
Taste is not the only characteristic altered, for example, in cold weather
the drink cools far quicker. Small and insignificant though it is, the drink
experience and memory is altered by the different outside environment.
The indoor cup of tea or coffee is perceived to be different because of the
outdoor context and situation.
Everything in life - especially concerning human attitude - alters according
to context.

The analogy can be used in many subjects which benefit from interpreting
differences and implications within relative positions, for example:
• Self-awareness and mutual awareness - see Johari Window
• Group dynamics - see Tuckman's group theory
• Different learning and thinking styles - see VAK and Kolb
• Levels of competence and personal development - see Conscious
Competence and Kirkpatrick
• Age and generational issues - see Erikson's Life-Stage Theory
• Systems of people and organizations - see Cybernetics
• Personality - see personality styles models
• Therapy and counselling - see Emergent Knowledge and Clean
Language
• Management and motivation - see Maslow and Adams Equity Theory
and Action Centred Leadership
Very many theories and models for learning, management, development,

etc., contain some sort of relative framework. Understanding relativity is
not merely for theoretical explanation - it's a real practical tool for
interpreting and acting with more appropriate meaning - rather than a
'one size fits all' mentality - especially concerning the widely different
perceptions among people in different situations.
newspaper story interpretation exercise

(understanding and applying
motivational theories, or other principles
and models of management)
For groups of any size, subject to splitting into working teams and
managing the review of the team work.
The exercise will take 5-10 minutes plus whatever review your think is
appropriate for your situation.
Equipment: Some daily national or local newspapers. Enough for every
person to have at least 2-3 sheets.
Issue the newspapers to the group or team(s).
Instruction to team(s):
Each person must find a news story in the newspaper to which he/she can
apply a motivational theory, by way of interpreting the story and being
able to explain the story in terms of the chosen theory.
Example theories, which can be illustrated in news stories:
• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

• McGregor's XY Theory
• Erikson's Life Stage Theory
• Mehrabian's communications theory
• Johari Window model of mutual awareness
• Conscious Competence learning model
• Herzberg's Motivators and Hygiene Factors
• Ethics and Social Responsibility
• Cybernetics
You may of course direct group members to any

management/motivational theories or models that fit your purposes.
You may nominate specific models, or seek examples of models from the
group, then write these on pieces of paper, fold, and have people pick
them 'blind'.
To focus people's attention on key points in their analysis, and to ensure
that reviews are kept compact and fast-moving, you can instruct people
to present their interpretations in a very concise verbal summary,
optionally using a flip chart or white-board, of no more than 30
seconds.
Allow discussion and debate of matters arising as appropriate, according
to the needs and timings of your session.
To save review time - ask people to work in pairs, or in teams - requiring
each pair or team to present an interpretation of only one story, being the
most powerful example that the pair or team can find in the time allowed.
If the group has access to computers, internet and group display this
enables the use of online news websites rather than newspapers.
the three describers exercise

(introductions, icebreaker, johari mutual
awareness, team dynamics, team
development)
This is a long explanation for actually a very simple activity.
The game is for groups of up to twenty people, or more provided they
know each other.
Equipment and set up:
• Split the group into equal teams of three or four people.
• Teams of five or six are okay although will require firm time control.
Teams of seven or more are not recommended.

• Issue each person a pen/pencil and four note-sized pieces of paper,

or four sticky-notes - 3-5 inches wide.
• Each team should be sat around their own table, or around
ends/corners of a big table, or alternatively on the floor, or around a
wall-space if using sticky notes.
Instruction to both teams (to each person):

• Write your own name on one of the notes (in plain handwriting
which cannot be identified to you - or ask someone else to do this if you
have a distinctive writing style).
• Write clearly three words - one on each note - which strongly
describe or represent you. Do this hidden from others, and again in a
plain style of handwriting which will not identify you as the writer.
• Move all describer notes and name notes to the centre of your
team's table (or wall-space) and mix them up.
• (Optionally before this, turn/fold the notes face down. There is
benefit where people do not reveal their descriptions to their own team,
so that discovery and surprise as to who 'owns' the describers is
experienced by everyone and not just the guessing team.)
• Ask the teams to move to the/an other team's table/wall-space so
that they are working with another team's describers.
• The task for each team is to re-arrange the describers in sets of
three beneath the appropriate name note, correctly allocating the
describers to the 'owners'.
• The winning team is the one which achieves the most correctly
allocated describers.
• N.B. Where more than two teams play the game, the initial review
stage (when correct answers are given) becomes complex logistically
and so teams should be instructed to show the correct answers on a
separate sheet of paper when returning to their tables/walls, rather
than disturbing the original suggested answers. This enables everyone
in the group, (if warranted - notably for groups which work together), to
review all the guesses and the correct answers - which works best using
sticky notes and wall-space.
Additional guidance notes:

• Where groups do not already know each other ask them to
make brief personal introductions to the group before the
exercise. Do not give warning of the exercise to come - but do ask for
people to introduce themselves with a little more information than
merely name and job.
• When explaining the exercise - describing words ('describers') can
be personality characteristics, such as determined, diplomatic,
reserved, confident, friendly, etc., and/or more symbolic words such as
music, football, mountain, adventure, family, etc., which represent a
very significant personal characteristic.

• Some people will relate readily to the idea of using symbolic words;
others will prefer to use only words which conventionally describe a
personality.
• Emphasise that people should try to use words which genuinely and
honestly represent themselves.
• The facilitator reserves the right to deduct points from any team
where a word is considered to be too obscure and not strongly
representative of the person, and to award bonus points where a
particularly difficult describing word is correctly allocated.
• Where several teams play the game, the initial review of
correct/incorrect answers - as teams move from one table to another -
needs to be planned and controlled appropriately. Ensure teams are
instructed not to move the describers arranged by the guessing
team, instead to show the correct answers on a separate sheet of
paper, which can be used to manage the awarding of points.
• Where it is not possible to form equal team sizes (for example with
groups of 7, 11, 13, 17, etc) the facilitator is advised to to rule
beforehand (that either): team totals will be adjusted pro-rate to take
account of the imbalance; or that since there is both advantage and
disadvantage in having a larger/smaller team, no points adjustment is
warranted. The important thing is to decide beforehand rather than be
caught out mid-exercise without a firm rule.
• It is perfectly possible to play this game using ordinary pens/pencils
and paper (rather than thicker marker pens), although visibility is
reduced and so is less effective, especially for larger groups.
Review and reference materials:

The Johari Window Model is central to mutual awareness.
Explore what alternative words people would use to describe each other?
What words surprised us and why?
What can we say about the differences between: how we see ourselves,
how others see us, and how we imagine others see us?
What obstacles tend to exist when we don't know each other? (And when
other aspects of mutual awareness are not good?)
Why is it that lack of mutual awareness tends to cause difficulties,
whereas good mutual awareness tends to produce benefits?
How does good mutual awareness in a team enable greater delegation of
responsibility, and generally better and easier performance?
Relate these issues to team development models, such as Tannenbaum
and Schmidt and Tuckman's Forming Storming model.
Consider awareness of team strengths in the context of models such as
VAK and Multiple Intelligence.
Discuss mutual awareness from a team leadership view, for example
Adair's Action-Centred Leadership model.
Many other views of personality and differences in people can be explored

via Personality Models and Theory.
N. B. Where the exercise is used as more of an ice-breaker for a group
which has only recently been introduced to each other, a separate
learning illustration is how much (or little) we seek, observe and absorb
about new people we meet, and whether we can be more attentive at
such times, since this reflects on perceived levels of empathy, and can
influence people's self-esteem and confidence, and readiness to
cooperate, etc.
quick plan exercise (new year planning,

aims, planning, change)
A quick icebreaker and kick-start activity with a helpful underlying
purpose. For groups of any size.
Introduction/scene-setting: The beginning of a new year prompts many of
us to consider new aims and plans, or to renew a commitment towards a
change or improvement of some sort. Commitments tend to succeed
where there is a plan, especially for aims which contain steps leading
towards the final result. Without a plan, little can change.
This process can help:
1. Think of a commitment or change you want to make.
2. (Write it down) - describe it as a clear, realistic and measurable
outcome.
3. Work backwards, identifying the steps necessary for achieving it, back
to the starting point: i.e., now.
4. Attach timescales and resources as necessary.
You now have a simple plan. Take it away and refine it as necessary.
Useful reference materials:
goal planner process and templates
project management/planning tools and process
multiple intelligences theory and learning/thinking styles - including free
self-assessment tests
SMART principles within task delegation - the rules apply to 'delegating' a
task to yourself just as to delegating to another person.
Agree review/feedback expectations with the group before the activity,
as appropriate for your situation. Note that review/feedback are not
always necessary, especially if the activity seeks to help people to think
about personal priorities and plans which they may prefer to keep private.
In this situation it is particularly helpful to clarify that people do not need

to reveal or discuss their aims with the group unless they want to, since
for some people this enables more relaxed and creative thinking.
party games bundle (party games for

grown-ups and kids)
Here is a selection of quick easy fun party games, including some already
on these team games webpages.
The Map Game - simple fun game for pairs or teams of threes to draw a
map of the world from memory. Very funny.
Who Am I? Game - simple and easy to make party game.
The Smartie Hunt Game - teams make animal noises to direct their leader
to collect hidden sweets.
PIT - it's easy to make your own cards for this noisy trading game.
Helium Stick Game - very strange effect game - play it in teams for
parties.
Charades - easy, amusing, popular party game.
Baking Foil Animals - quick, funny, easy - all you need is a roll of baking
foil.
You will find other ideas on these pages which can be adapted for party
games.
Other quick party game ideas (for parties, not for work situations):
The After Eight Game - (as featured on a TV advert) the winner is the
first person who can move an After Eight mint chocolate from forehead
into mouth using only head/face movements.
Key-String Game - split the group into teams of at least five people in
each and arrange boy-girl-boy-girl-etc. Issue each with a heavy key or
spanner similar cold metal tool, tied to about fifty feet of string. The
winning team is the first to thread the string through the whole team,
passing underneath each team-member's clothing from top to bottom.
Orange Game - split the team into teams of at least five people in each
and arrange boy-girl-boy-girl-etc. Issue each with an orange (or potato or
other similar sized fruit or vegetable). The winning team is the first to pass
the orange from person to person and back to the beginning by holding
the orange between chin and chest (no hands). Dropping the orange
incurs a two-person-stage penalty (move it back two people in the chain).
Egg Game - for outside (or indoors if you live in a mansion with a
banqueting hall at least fifty feet long). Play in pairs. Give each pair a raw
egg (still unbroken in its shell). Pairs face each other in two lines, five
paces apart. The egg must be thrown and caught twice between each
pair. Move the lines three paces further apart. Again, throw and catch

twice. Etc, etc. The winners are the last with their egg intact. (If you are
disturbed by the wastefulness of this game don't play it.)
Upside-down Drinking Game - not recommended after a heavy meal or
drinking session. Can be played in teams of three - one upside-down
(standing on head) being supported by a team-mate, being fed a half-pint
of a suitable drink from a suitable receptacle. Drinking straws are optional
at the discretion of the party games organiser. The winning team is the
first to consume the drink. For additional challenge make the drink a pint
and require each team member to take a turn in each of the three
positions - holding, feeding and drinking.
Be careful when planning games to ensure that they are appropriate for
your situation. I accept no liability for any untoward issues arising.
breakfast project planning exercise (project

planning, task planning, preparation,
structure and organisation, scheduling,
budgeting)
The activity is a simple introduction to project planning, and helps develop
awareness of structure, scheduling, etc., and the basic process of
organising and coordinating time, activities and resources, and optionally
finances.
For groups of any size and any age. Split the group into pairs or teams
appropriate for your situation.
The task is to produce a simple project plan for making a cooked
breakfast. Issue pens, rulers and paper, or arrange other presentation
media as you wish.
As the facilitator you may substitute or offer alternative tasks. Cooking a
breakfast is merely an example; see other examples below. Specify a
task/tasks which the group will find interesting, amusing, enjoyable, etc.
For variation you can issue each pair/team with a different task. You can
optionally allow pairs/teams to choose a different task of their own liking,
provided it is workable for the activity (i.e., it's reasonably simple,
requires a schedule, and contains various inter-dependent activities and
resources).
Using simple non-work-related tasks such as cooking a breakfast enables
good focus on the project management method, and an enjoyable quick
activity, rather than using real work issues, which can become overly
detailed, distracting and/or tedious.
Introduce the group to a project management tool(s) as appropriate, for
example a Gantt chart, critical path analysis flow chart, or a 'fishbone'
diagram. Examples are on the project management page.

To extend the activity you can add the requirement that teams must
indicate where training or preparation needs are most likely required for
any of the process elements. Similar instruction can be given to indicate
or comment on obvious needs for knowledge, experience, skills, which can
be related to VAK learning styles and/or Bloom's Taxonomy perspectives.
Additionally you can introduce a financial element, so that plans must
show a breakdown of costs, and a structure to monitor the budget for the
project by each separate item. Note that this financial aspect can be a big
extra challenge for some learners and is best excluded if the main
development need is to learn the basic structure and process of building a
project plan.
Examples of other tasks you can use for this activity:
• Cook a roast dinner.
• Change the wheel on a car.
• Host a children's birthday party.
• Teach someone to swim.
• Grow tomatoes.
• Set up a fish aquarium.
• Create a personal page on a social networking website.
You can use any task that group members basically understand and relate
to, and importantly which breaks down into a sequence of inter-dependent
activities and/or parts whose timing and coordination are necessary to
produce a successful result.
Project plans can be presented, discussed and reviewed according to your
own situation and timings.
See project management for lots of supporting materials.
Brainstorming is a useful way to begin any planning task.
Delegation is a useful reference area because in many real work-based
projects involve delegating responsibilities to others, for which clarity and
effectiveness of plans are vital.
Other potentially useful reference materials, depending on the expertise
and interests of the group are:
Business process modelling/improvement
Quality management
Six Sigma
Balanced Scorecard
sheet of paper step-through game

(icebreaker, teambuilding, problem-
solving, togetherness, kids' scissor-

skills)
A novel paper-cutting icebreaker exercise, played in pairs, or threes, or as
a group. The activity can be used as a bigger group problem-solving and
team-working task.
Equipment: Scissors and sheets of paper, A4 size or similar.
Instruction to group: You have five minutes to devise a way of cutting
the sheet of paper so that it creates a ring - without any breaks or
joins - large enough to fit over both people, and then to step through the
ring (in your pair/three/as a group).
A cutting solution and diagram are below, and also explained in smaller
scale in the business card trick.
Depending on your purposes, situation and group, you can change this
exercise in various ways, for example:
• Issue the cutting diagram to all participants. This should ensure that
the activity produces at least one successful demonstration of the task.
• Do not issue the cutting diagram, but instead demonstrate the
solution, and instruct the participants to remember it. This tests
people's concentration and retention.
• Issue the cutting diagram half-way through the exercise when (as is
likely) participants fail to discover a cutting solution - which highlights
the importance of having instructions and knowledge for challenging
tasks which might initially seem quite easy.
• Ask people to do the exercise in teams of three rather than pairs,
which increases the brain-power available, but also the potential for
confusion, and also the size of the paper ring necessary to fit over three
people rather than two.
• Issue sticky tape, allow joins to be made, and add a two-minute time
penalty for each join in the ring.
• Change the task so that the group creates a paper ring large
enough to fit over the entire group - allowing for only one sticky-
tape join per pair of delegates. This opens the possibility for many
different cutting solutions, because each pair is effectively then
required merely to convert their sheet into a long length of paper rather
than an unbroken ring.
Activity notes:
As facilitator it is recommended you practice the suggested cutting
solution so that if necessary you can demonstrate it (before or afterwards,
depending on your adaptation) to the group.
Beware of using this activity in any situation that could cause
embarrassment to overweight people or where delegates would be
uncomfortable with the inter-personal proximity required.
The qualification of putting the ring of paper over a given number of

people is that while standing (necessarily very close) together they are
able to pass the paper ring over their heads and down to the floor,
enabling them to step over and thereby through the ring without breaking
it.
Here is the cutting diagram,

assuming that the sheet of
paper is first folded. This is
one solution to the exercise.
If you know another please
send it.
Fold the sheet of paper in
half, and cut it through both
sides of the paper, as shown
in the diagram, in the
following sequence:
Cut 8-12 slits (8 are
adequate - the diagram
shows 12), from the folded
edge up to about 1-2cm of
the open edge, each slit
being about 1.5-2cm apart.
Cut a slit between each of
the above slits, from the
open edge to about 1-2cm of
the folded edge.
Cut along the folded edge,
but not the ends marked
with blue circles.
You should then be able to
open the paper into a ring
which comfortably fits over
two people.
Cutting more slits increases
the size of the ring, as would
using a larger sheet of paper.
Slit dimensions can be
increased for larger sheets.
A further adaptation of the exercise is to issue one large sheet of paper

(for example from a broadsheet newspaper) to a group of people (up to
ten or even twenty people) and task them to work out how to cut (or tear,
for added difficulty) the paper into a seamless ring which will fit over the
entire group. This creates lots of problem-solving activity in the planning
stage, and much physicality and togetherness when the ring is being
passed over the group. You can avoid inactivity for group members during

the cutting/tearing by instructing that all group members must take a turn
at cutting/tearing. Team members can also plan the step-through strategy
and other logistical aspects of the exercise.
You will be surprised how large a ring can be created. An A4 sheet easily
makes a ring circumference of 3m. A big newspaper sheet easily produces
a ring circumference of 7m.
truth and lies introductions game (ice-

breaker, johari mutual awareness,
interaction, amusement and fun)
Inspired by a sketch on Armstrong and Miller's TV comedy show in
October 2009, this is an amusing variation of the usual around-the-table
introductions at the start of courses and other gatherings.
Introduce yourself in turn by stating your name (and role if relevant) plus:
• one true statement about yourself, and
• one false statement about yourself
so as to make it difficult for the group to determine which is the true fact
and which is the lie.
You have 30 seconds to think of your statements, after which (according
to the order decided by the facilitator) each person makes their
statements, pausing after each truth and lie for the group to decide which
is which.
While producing some amusement, the exercise can reveal surprising and
impressive information about people (hidden talents and claims to fame,
etc). The activity can therefore be useful for team-building from a Johari
awareness viewpoint, and it also stimulates creative thinking and group
interaction. The exercise also requires group analysis and decision-making
in deciding which are the true statements and which are the lies.
Gardner's Multiple Intelligences model is a useful reference if using the
exercise to illustrate the nature of individual natural or hidden capabilities.
(This exercise is adapted from the Armstrong and Miller comedy sketch.
Adapt it further to suit your own purposes.)
egg balance game (concentration, positive

thinking, discovery, breaking down
barriers, wonderment and fascination)

For groups of any size. Each person must

have an egg and a table-top surface.
According to myth, due to planetary
gravitational effects or similar nonsense,
it is possible to stand an egg on its end
during the vernal (Spring) equinox, which
is on or close to 21 March, when night
and day are equal.
In fact it is possible with a little patience
and a steady hand to balance an egg on
its end on a flat level surface, any time.
The big end is much easier.
Here's one on my kitchen table. This
interesting feat of manual dexterity and
myth-busting provides the basis for an
enjoyable and fascinating group exercise.
The temptation to pun is almost
irresistible.
A raw egg is perhaps easier to balance than a hard-boiled egg because

the weight sinks to the bottom and creates a sort of 'googly-man' effect.
The science is not especially clear about this and if there are any
professors of egg balancing out there I'd welcome your input.
You can use this activity in various ways, to demonstrate or emphasise
patience, discovery, positive thinking, questioning assumptions, breaking
barriers, stress avoidance; and for team contests.
Incidentally you can tell the difference between a hard-boiled egg and a
raw egg by spinning the egg. A raw egg spins slowly and speeds up, and
continues spinning after you stop it; a hard egg spins faster and stays
stopped. These differences are due to the independent motion of the
liquid in the raw egg, whereas a hard egg behaves as a single mass.
An additional point of interest is that a few grains of salt enables a very
quick balancing 'trick', which is of course cheating.
Facilitators are recommended to practice the task before asking others to
try it. The balancing is easier on slightly textured surfaces and a lot more
difficult on very smooth surfaces. Eggs with slightly pimply shells are
much easier to balance than eggs with very smooth shells. Some eggs are
easier to balance than others so have a few spare for any that simply will
not balance.
A mop and bucket is recommended if using this exercise with children.
(Thanks to N Mehdi for the suggestion.)

fancy dress exercise (ice-breaker, self-

expression, mutual awareness)
A very quick and easy ice-breaker, requiring no equipment or preparation.
The game can be used to make introductions a little more interesting than
usual, or as a separate ice-breaker activity.
For groups of any size. Split large groups into teams small enough to
review answers among themselves.
• You are invited to a fancy dress party which requires that your
costume says something about you.
• What costume would you wear and why?
• Take two minutes to think of your answer.
Review:
Simply by asking people to explain their answers briefly to the
group/team.
The exercise can be varied and expanded for groups in which people know
each other:
• Ask people to write their answers on a slip of paper (in handwriting
that cannot easily be identified), and to fold the slips and put them in
the middle of the table.
• In turn group members must each pick a slip of paper from the pile
and read the answer aloud.
• On hearing all the answers, group members must then try to match
the answers to the people present.
drawing game (teamworking, change,

communications, creativity, ice-
breakers)
A quick flexible exercise for groups of all sizes and ages. It's based on a
simple drawing game we have all played as children.
Equipment required: Pens/pencils and paper.
Split the group into teams of three.
One person in each team starts by drawing a shape or outline.
The drawing is then passed to the next team member who must add to
the drawing.
And so on.
Time spent by each person in turn on the drawing is limited to 5 seconds.
(The facilitator can shout 'change' when appropriate.)
No discussion is permitted during the drawing, nor any agreement before
the drawing of what the team will draw.
The drawing must be completed in one minute.
Optional review (short version of exercise), for example:
• Did the team draw anything recognizable?
• How easy was the understanding between team members?
• How did team members work differently on this task?
• What was the effect of time pressure?
• Was there a natural tendency to draw supportively and
harmoniously, or were there more conflicting ideas?
Continue without the above review for a longer activity, involving scoring
and a winning team:
After one minute of drawing each team must agree privately a description
(maximum three words) of what they have drawn, and pass this to the
facilitator, to be referred to later. Teams must identify their drawing with a
team name.
The drawings are then passed around the group for each team to guess
and write on the reverse of other team's drawings what they believe the
drawing is or represents.
Teams are not permitted to look at the reverse of the drawings (at other
descriptions guessed) until they have decided on a description.
Drawings are awarded two points for each exact correct description
achieved, or a point for a partly correct description.
Teams are awarded two points for each correct description guessed, or a
point for a partly correct description guessed.
(Drawings/teams can be scored by the teams themselves, which is much
quicker than the facilitator doing the scoring.)
If you score the exercise, ensure teams are instructed to put their team
name on their drawing, and alongside their guessed descriptions on the
reverse of all other drawings.
Final review, examples:
• What factors enabled teams to produce recognizable drawings?
• What factors led to drawings being unrecognizable?
• Are 'drawing' skills especially helpful in this exercise, or are other
capabilities more significant?

• What does this exercise demonstrate about mutual understanding

and how to achieve it?
• What obstacles to understanding and teamwork does this activity
illustrate?
Variations:
Teams can be told to agree what they are to draw at the beginning of the
exercise.
Deduct ten points for teams drawing any of the following 'obvious'
subjects: cat, house, car, man, woman, spacecraft, etc.
Award bonus points for teams drawing anything highly obscure and yet
recognizable, especially if resulting from no prior discussion.
When the facilitator calls out 'team change', one person and the drawing
must move to a different team, (which can be likened to certain changes
that happen in real organizational work teams). It produces complete
chaos of course.
group connections activity (icebreaker,

mutual awareness, introductions,
networking, team-building)
Split groups into teams of between three and six people.
No equipment or preparation is required.
Instruction to group/teams:
You have five minutes to discover an interesting, surprising and separate
connection you share with each person in your team. (A different
connection with each person, not a single connection that every team
member shares.)
'Interesting and surprising' does not include working for the same
company, living in the same town or country or having the same colour
hair. Try to find a connection or something in common that surprises both
of you.
The purpose of the exercise is to ensure that each person of the team ask
some questions and gives some answers about themselves and all other
team members, and so gets to know each other better.
Discussions can be in pairs or threes. The team can decide how best to
enable each person to speak to every other team member in the time
allowed. This requires more care in larger teams.
Review:
No review is necessary if the purpose is merely to enable quick
introductions.

Group review of individual connections is unnecessary although

particularly interesting connections can be volunteered and highlighted as
examples if people are keen to do so.
More general review aspects include for example, (optional depending on
your own situation and wider aims for the group):
• What sort of questions helped discover most information?
• How does mutual awareness (knowing each other better) help team-
work, cooperation, communications, etc?
• What normally prevents people from getting to know each other
better?
You will think of many other review points depending on the situation.
Larger teams need more time to ensure everyone learns something new
and ideally establishes an interesting connection with each other team
member.
Examples of questions people can ask each other, if they need prompting:
• What is your passion in life?
• Where would you most like to visit/travel?
• What would you change if you could?
• What music/food/weather do you most enjoy?
• What do you like best: words, numbers, pictures or sounds?
• What is your most under-used strength?
Younger people might be happier with questions about less deep subjects,
which is fine. Guide the group as you consider appropriate.
Some related reference materials:
Johari Window
Multiple Intelligences
Personality types and models
paper bowls game (icebreaker, competition,

energizer, teamwork, tactics)
For groups of six to thirty people.
Play as a team game in pairs, threes, fours or fives, which keeps everyone
involved all the time, and introduces teamwork and tactics.
The game is essentially team bowls (played like beach bowls or green
bowls) using balls of newspaper.

Scoring is one point for each ball closest to the 'jack' ball. If a team gets
say three or four of its balls closer than the balls of any other team then
three or four points would be scored accordingly. The potential to score
high - notably for big groups split into big teams - means a winning team
can emerge surprisingly late, which sustains full involvement of all
players.
Equipment:
• A floor or corridor giving at least 5'x15' playing area.
• A sheet of newspaper for each player.
• A different coloured roll of electricians insulating tape for each team
(to differentiate their balls from other teams).
• Tape measure for the facilitator.
The larger the floor area then the more energetic the game will tend to
be. The game can also be played outside provided there is no strong wind.
(For a more messy game outside for kids, supply a bucket of water and
instruct that the balls should be wet..)
Instruction: The winner is the player/team who rolls or throws their ball(s)
to stop nearest the 'jack' (a smaller ball, suitably different, rolled by the
facilitator or a contestant to the far end of the playing area).
Decide order of play, which should be a player from each team in turn.
Variations/rules:
• Play a specified number of 'ends' (rounds), totalling the points to
produce the eventual overall winning team.
• Or play 'ends' until a team reaches say five points. Or more points
for a longer game. (Decide a points target mindful of total maximum
score per round per team - for example teams of five can potentially
score five points in one round.)
• A player may roll or throw his/her ball at another player's/team's ball
to dislodge it or achieve a position nearer the jack.
• You'll need a clearly understood rule in the event of the jack being
hit out of the playing area, if this can happen. (For example replace the
jack to its starting position, which should therefore be marked by the
facilitator; or mark the position at which the jack left the playing area as
the target.)
• If you are running this as a reasonably big activity, offer a trial game
first for players to practise, develop tactics, and to clarify rules.
• In any event, you can offer players the chance to practise rolling
their balls a few times before the start of the game (they'll probably do
this anyway..).
The game is very adaptable. Consider and decide your own rules and
scoring for your own situation.

If playing the game with individuals (for example in a small group of five),
allow players two balls each. This makes the game more interesting for
individuals, in which the order of throwing can be reversed for the second
ball, making it fairer for all, assuming playing only one 'end'.
Or play big 'marbles' instead - best on a square playing area - in which
players eliminate other players by rolling their ball to hit another player's
balls. Players take turns to roll their balls. The winner is the last player
remaining whose ball has not been hit by another ball. Players have to
decide how close to risk leaving their balls to other balls, so it becomes
quite a tactical exercise. Simplest rule here is to eliminate only the first
ball hit with each roll, not rebounds.
See also the bin toss game, and newspaper towers, for other newspaper
games ideas.
Review points, optional, chiefly for team play, for example:
• Would you use different tactics, knowing now how the game is
played?
• Was the teamwork good or could it have been better, if so how?
• Did the construction (of the balls) affect the quality of
play/performance?
• How competitive did the exercise feel? Why?
• What advantages arise from playing in a team?
• How would you change/develop the game to improve it?
life highlights game (ice-breaker,

introductions, life priorities, self-
awareness, johari awareness, motivation
and personality)
This is a quick adaptable exercise for small groups, or for large groups if
split into self-facilitating teams, or alternatively pairs.
It's also a longer discussion game for pubs, dinner-parties, etc., especially
in couples..
No equipment is required.
Take a minute to consider - What thirty seconds of your life would you
most want to re-live, if you only had thirty seconds left?
For the purposes of the exercise participants can choose several different
life experiences, provided the total time is no more than thirty seconds.
Review (various options depending on your situation):

• Ask people to keep their thoughts private - and then consider the
review points below.
• Or ask people to explain to the group briefly their chosen thirty
seconds and why.
• Or - if review time is limited or if it suits your purposes better - ask
people to review/discuss in pairs
• Or if working with a large group arrange the group into small self-
leading/facilitating teams.
Review points (examples):

• What do our chosen highlights tell us about the type of person we
are - what we love most in life, and what sort of things we should
pursue to be happy and fulfilled?
• How does your current life and likely outcomes compare with your
chosen past life highlights?
• Are you working towards or away from what really makes you happy
and fulfilled? If away from, how might you regain and redirect your
focus?
• Do your chosen highlights provide clues for passions and talents
which you are currently under-utilizing or neglecting?
• Did your highlights come by planning or accident?
• How significant is money in enabling life's best times?
• What do our best moments tell us about making the most of what
time we have?
Variations:
Exclude sex from highlights if there is a risk that it will unhelpfully distract,
embarrass or be too dominant.
Shorten and concentrate the exercise by reducing the highlights time
period from thirty to ten seconds, or lengthen and deepen the exercise by
increasing the time period to ten minutes or an hour.
Note: To make the exercise more dynamic and forward-looking
you can encourage people to consider especially life highlights
which can be repeated or extended in some way. (Childbirth is for
many people a highlight which is not likely to be repeatable,
although this can of course prompt thoughts and discussions
about the importance of family compared to other life issues.)
Useful reference models:
Johari Window (self/mutual awareness)
Maslow (motivation and Hierarchy of Needs)
Herzberg, Adams, and Personality Theory
Passion to Profit (career/new business start-up process/template)
This website accepts no liability for any marital or romantic strife arising if
you play this game socially in couples, especially under the influence of
drink or other inhibition-reducing substance.
(Thanks H)
coin logo ice-breaker (ice-breaker,

creativity, self-expression, johari
awareness)
Here's a really quick exercise, ideal for ice-breakers - 5-10 minutes - for
groups any age or size.
Equipment: Lots of coins, in case participants need extra. (At last a use for
all the shrapnel in your piggy bank..)
Take all the coins out of your pockets/purses and put them on the table in
front of you.
(Lend coins to participants who have none or very few.)
You have one minute to make a personal logo - representing yourself -
from the coins.
Variations:
Large groups can be spilt into teams (of 3-6 people). Combine team coins.
Produce a single team logo, themed according to the situation. Optionally
ask teams to guess the meaning of other teams logos, before the
explanations.
Allow other pocket/purse/handbag items to be included in the logos, for
example pens, phones, diaries, etc.
Ask the whole group to combine all coins and produce a logo for the
organization/group/department, etc.
Split the group into two. Half leave the room while remaining half make
their personal coin logos. Half return to room and try to match logos to
people. Repeat the process enabling the guessers to make, and the
makers to guess.
Review:
Ask participants to explain their logos to the group, or if pressed for time
and for large groups - split the group and have the logos explained among
teams of threes.
If running the exercise in teams - review the discussions and feelings
leading to the design of the logo, and the team theme if appropriate.
To enlarge the exercise and offer material about self-and mutual
awareness see the Johari Window model.
See the other coin exercises on this page, for example:

take-away game
tactical team shove-ha'penny
moneygram activity
See the money slang and history page for lots of interesting facts about
coins and money.
coded team communications game (non-

verbal communications, communications
systems, body language, team
understanding, creativity)
This game can be played by one group, or between two or more teams
competitively.
The activity is more dynamic if played in competitive teams, minimum
three players per team, ideally 5-10 per team.
This game can be played by very large groups, in teams, for example at
conferences.
The exercise involves devising and using a simple coded non-verbal
(unspoken) communications system.
The game may be played just once as a quick activity or ice-breaker, or in
several rounds, optionally enabling the group/teams to review and refine
their coding systems, at the discretion of the facilitator.
This is a very flexible game concept, and can be adapted in many ways to
suit your situation and purposes.
These instructions are for competitive teams playing the game. Adapt it
accordingly for a single group.
Equipment:
A pen/pencil and paper for each team member.
Instruction to teams:
• Devise a secret coded (non-spoken, non-written) communication
system for your team which enables a very simple piece of information -
a single digit number between 0-9 - to be passed throughout the whole
group/team - person to person ideally - so that everyone knows the
number.
• The winning team is the first to successfully convey the number to
all team members. (If playing as a single group then the task is simply
to successfully communicate the number throughout the group.)

• The number must be conveyed using non-verbal and secret signals -

it cannot be spoken, mouthed, written, signalled by holding up a
number of fingers, or 'tapped' using fingers or feet, etc.
• Facial expressions and eye contact are likely to be significant in
non-verbal code systems developed, although teams will devise other
methods, which is part of the fun.
• Whether to allow or mention touching - for example secret hand-
squeezing, which teams might think to try - is at the discretion of the
facilitator.
• The secret code aspect is important if the game is played
competitively and teams are given the same number to convey, or
awarded bonus points for identifying an opposing an team's number.
• When receiving the number each player must privately record the
number on a piece of paper, as proof of successful communication.
Alternatively to avoid risk of cheating or accidentally revealing
numbers, instruct people to write down the number after all teams have
completed the round.
• The team leader must raise his/her hand to signal to the facilitator
when group/team members have received the number correctly. This
potentially requires another team coded signal - to confirm successful
understanding - which is a matter for the teams to decide.
• No speaking is allowed while the game is in progress.
• Teams can be given between 5-10 minutes to devise and test their
codes. Large teams may require longer.
• The facilitator begins each round of the game by showing the
number (a single digit between 0-9) to the team leaders.
• The team leaders then take their seats or starting positions and
await the facilitator's signal to start the game, at which the number
must be communicated to all team members - using the non-verbal
secret code - and ideally person to person (which introduces greater
risk of errors and is a sterner test of the code system devised, and also
of teamworking).
• (At facilitator's discretion) teams may stand, sit around the same
table, or on separate tables, although separate tables makes cheating
less easy to detect.
• Standing and mingling makes the activity more dynamic and
energising, and increases the need for competing teams to devise a
clever code to avoid it being 'cracked' or interpreted by members of
competing teams.
Variations to the game:

• A way to enforce the conveying of the instruction person-to-person
is to have the teams stand in a line, so that each person sees the
conveyed signal individually, then turns about-face to convey it down
the line to the next person. Such an arrangement increases the need for
teams to consider having a signal for confirming to the leader that all
members have correctly received the number.
• (At facilitator's discretion) teams may or may not make written

notes of their coding system (so that each person has a code key). The
facilitator can decide whether using a code key, or working purely from
memory, will be most enjoyable/beneficial. Allowing written code keys
enables more complex codes to be developed, which is appropriate for
bigger exercises, whereas not allowing written code keys encourages
quicker simpler codes and is more appropriate for a quick game or ice-
breaker. Alternatively the facilitator may choose not to mention the
possibility of teams making written code keys, and leave it open for
teams to use the option or not.
• Where the game is played between competing teams, the facilitator
can choose to give a different number to each team (rather than require
teams to communicate the same number). This offers the option to
award bonus points for a team which manages to identify the number of
an opposing team.
Review points:
• Isn't it amazing how many signals can be conveyed without spoken
or written words?..
• The section on body language provides useful background theory
about non-verbal communications.
• It's one thing to devise a communications system or set of
communications rules - it's quite another challenge to ensure everyone
understands it and uses it properly.
• Vital parts of communications systems/rules work best when people
can remember them, without having to refer to complicated
instructions.
• Complex communications systems/rules are often very good in
theory, but difficult to apply in practice because they entail an
additional dimension - represented in this game by the code key -
equating to a reference or instruction manual, which in real work
situations people often fail to use, understand, keep updated, etc.
• Written instructions and reference guides are obviously important
for quality management and training, etc., and for the operation of all
complex/vital functions, but the fundamental rules of communications
(and other critical organisational activities) are best kept as simple,
intuitive and memorable as possible, so that core performance is not
hindered or made unnecessarily complicated.
• In terms of this exercise, conveying the communication is only half
the communications process - the other half is checking the
communication has been received and correctly understood.
• In terms of wider organisational communications other subsequent
steps are required, notably ensuring that the communication is agreed
and acted upon, which involves management areas such as: motivation
(within which models such as Adams' Equity Theory, and Maslow's
Hierarchy of Needs are helpful); delegation, especially follow up; and
project management, within which reporting and monitoring are vital.

tubes strings balls game (teamwork,

planning, creativity, icebreaker)
For groups of four people or more, best Solution example:

with six people or more. Teams of more This exercise is subject to a lot of
than ten become chaotic (which is okay if variation, including the solutions
that's what you are seeking to that people devise. If you are a
demonstrate). facilitator trying to imagine how it
works, this might help..
Equipment:
At least three strings need to be
• A ball of string or very thin rope. connected to the top (open end)
or near the top of the transporter
• Scissors. tube, which keeps the tube
upright and hanging from the
• Two empty cardboard tubes of connected strings being pulled
Pringles, or similar cardboard tubes tight by team members, and
(for example postal tubes for rolled enables the tube potentially to be
papers). suspended and moved anywhere
by and between the stringholders.
• Some marbles or golf-balls or other Given that people cannot move
small balls which fit into the tubes. their positions once the ball is
loaded into the transporter tube,
(The exercise works fine with one ball; the method of 'playing out' string,
more and different balls increase the as well as pulling it, is crucial.
interest.) Strings that are too short become
a problem. At least one team
The group must work together to achieve member needs a string connected
to the bottom of the tube to
the task: enable the tipping. If just one
string is connected to the bottom
• Place one tube in the centre of the of the tube then the tube can be
room or table, open-end upwards. This tipped from just one direction,
is the 'receptor' tube. which means the team needs to
have good control over the
• Optionally (facilitator decision) positioning of the tube. Having
secure the receptor tube to the table more than one string connected to
or floor using sticky putty (e.g., Blu- the bottom of the tube (from more
Tack) - don't put sticky putty on than one position) increases the
options for the direction of the
carpet..
tipping, but the downside is that
• Using the string and the other (beyond a certain point,
cardboard tube (one end open, other depending on the coordination
capability of the team) the
end closed - called the 'transporter' difficulty tends to increase with
tube), transport a specified number of more people having more strings
balls - one at a time - into the receptor connected. Any bottom-connected
tube standing at the centre of string that crosses with a top-
room/table. connected string will encounter a
problem when it comes to tipping,
• Each group member must hold at because logically the bottom-
least one length of string connected to connected string must get higher
than the top-connected strings,
the transporter tube. hence the example solution which
• No group member may handle a ball follows.
within six feet (two metres) of the At its simplest, imagine the
receptor tube. receptor tube (the target into
which the ball must be tipped)
• No group member may move from being in the centre of a clock face.
their position once a ball has been Three team members are
placed into the transporter tube and positioned at, say, 12, 4 and 8
the transporting commenced. o'clock, each of whom has a string
connected to the top of the
• (Strings need to be tied to the transporter tube, and a fourth
transporter tube not only to move the team member, say, at 6 o'clock,
has a string connected to the
tube, but also to tip it, in order to
bottom of the transporter tube to
deposit the ball into the receptor. The enable the tipping. The ball is
facilitator does not need to tell the placed in the transporter tube, say
team(s) this unless failing to realise by the team member at 12
this becomes counter-productive.) o'clock. At this time no one can
move from their position. The
people at 4 and 8 take up the
Variations and preparation ideas: slack while 12 string is kept tight
enabling the tube to be lifted.
• Large groups can be split into While 4 and 8 pull the tube
competing teams - each with their own towards the clockface centre, 12
equipment and floor-space/table. plays out, keeping a tight string.
When the tube is in the correct
• Optionally give groups position for tipping, 6 can pull,
planning/preparation time. while the other three strings stay
tight to keep the tube's position,
• Introduce penalties for dropped balls, or adjust as necessary.
dislodging/upsetting the receptor tube,
team members moving illegally, etc. As you can perhaps now imagine,
putting six people into a team,
• Introduce more awkward items for compared to four, tends to
transporting, e.g., coins, pens, increase the difficulty because of
chocolate snack bars, etc. the risks of top/bottom strings
crossing, the complexity of
• At its simplest the game is to gauging who needs to pull and
transport just one ball. Increase balls who needs to play out or slacken
off, and the general confusion
and complexity as you wish. resulting from a bigger team
making more inputs.
Given the variation and interesting
dynamics within this exercise you are You will see various creative
solutions, often by bigger teams,
especially recommended to test it involving for example:
first with a group so you can understand
how it works and the sort of controls and • the construction of a sort of
guidance or freedoms that you would like cable-car solution, in which
the tube can be pulled,
to apply for your own situation. It's a very suspended from strings
flexible concept; adapt it to suit your acting as 'cables' threaded
needs. through the top of the tube
• teams which discover that

they can pass strings/control
from one team member to
another (which you may
choose to allow or disallow -
disallowing makes the task
more difficult)
paper and straws game variation

A quicker simpler version of this game can be played using drinking
straws, a ball of rolled-up paper and a (very thin) dinner-table place mat:
• Team members sit around the table.

• Put the place-mat in the centre of the table. Alternatively stick a
suitably sized/shaped piece of paper flat to the table to act as the target
area. Alternatively mark a circular target on the table surface -
optionally with concentric scoring rings - using chalk or coloured sticky
tape (e.g., electrician's insulating tape).
• The task is for team members to use the drinking straws (one each)
to blow the ball of paper onto the place-mat, and optionally (facilitator
decision) additional paper balls afterwards (very difficult without
dislodging any balls already in place).
• Facilitator decides how many paper balls are involved in the game,
and where the balls are placed to begin (not crucial, provided some way
from target). More balls = more complexity/difficulty/time.
• No team member may be within one yard (one metre) of the paper
ball. (You might need to reduce this distance for weak blowers and big
balls..)
• Split large groups into competing teams with their own equipment
and table.
• Optionally require all team members to remain in their seated
positions once the blowing commences (this makes the task more
difficult than enabling team members to move around the table).
• A very flat target is required so that 'overblow' happens, which
tends then to involve all team members in the blowing, especially if
static around the table. (If the target mat is too thick it will stop the ball
rolling over it).
• Warning: Blowing can cause dizziness. Ensure all players are
advised not to blow to the point of hyper-ventilation and collapse; it's
just a game.
Review points (especially for string/tubes game version):

• Did we work as a team?
• Leadership - did it happen, what was the style and the reactions?
• Planning - did it happen? Was it required?
• Did the activity energise us? How and why?
• (If competing teams were involved) What were the competitive
effects?
• Lots more review points will arise, and you will think of your own
depending on your own situation and purposes.
•
the one question ice-breaker exercise

(questioning skills, empathy, self-

awareness, needs analysis, cooperation

and partnerships)
A quick simple ice-breaker or bigger exercise related to questioning, and
working together, here is the instruction, for groups of any size and any
ages:
If you could ask just one question to discover a person's/provider's
suitability for .......X....... (insert situation, see examples below), what
would your question be?
Examples of situations to use for the activity and insert in the instruction:
• supplying you a vital component/service
• baby-sitting or child-minding
• marriage to you
• running a business together
• arranging your charity bungee jump/parachute leap/sky-dive
• being your personal assistant/bodyguard
• being your boss/employer/leader
• being the leader of your country/company
You can devise your own situations besides these to suit your purposes.
There are countless other possible situations.
Issue one situation for the whole group, or allocate a different situation to
each team member or pair/team to work on. (Increasing the variety of
situations allocated will tend to increase the time of the activity and
especially its review).
Ask people to work individually or in small teams to devise their questions.
Ask people to work in pairs or threes to test and reflect and refine (and
maybe role-play) the questions.
Give a time limit for questions preparation, and a separate time limit for
testing/role-playing.
There are no absolute 'right' or best questions - there are many effective
questions, depending on the situation and people's needs, but there are
certainly questions which do not work well and which should be avoided.
Review informally via discussion:
• Are there advantages in preparing important questions, rather than
relying on instinct or invention at the time?
• What else happens while we ask questions, aside from the words
between us? (Explore body language and non-verbal communications.)
• What sort of questions are least effective and should be avoided?
(Try to identify characteristics of ineffective questions.)

• What sort of questions are most effective? (Try to identify

characteristics of effective questions.)
• How do we feel when being asked effective/ineffective questions?
• To what extent and how should questions be tailored for the
particular listener, and for the questioner's needs?
• What crucial questions do we ask (at work/in life) which we could
prepare more carefully?
Refer to relevant topics, for example:

• Body Language
• Empathy
• NLP
• Questioning - (widely relevant after initial selling emphasis)
• Listening
• Clean Language
• Buying Facilitation - (widely relevant aside from obvious selling
application)
N.B. This exercise does not suggest that we can or should use
merely one question to identify solutions for anything, especially
crucial partnerships. The purpose of the exercise is to focus
attention on quality, relevance, style and preparation of
questioning, according to the situation and people involved.
Questioning is powerful and helpful when prepared well, but wastes
everyone's time and creates problems when it is not.
The activity can of course be expanded by allowing/instructing people to
devise more than one question, or potentially to devise an entire
questioning strategy for a given situation.
Whatever you do in the review, ensure people understand the nature and
purposes of open and closed questions, which is explained in the
Questioning section of the sales training page.
classification game - (ice-breaker,

introductions, discrimination, mutual
perspectives)
This is a simple exercise requiring no equipment or materials preparation,
for groups of any size and age.
Split large groups into teams of six to ten people.

The activity is quickest when teams are smallest. Minimum team size is
four.
Instruction to group/teams:
We all tend to classify and stereotype each other - 'pigeon-holing' is a
common expression for this.
Usually this sort of classification is subjective, unhelpfully judgemental,
and sometimes of course it's unfair to the point of being illegal
discrimination.
Discuss/introduce yourselves in your team(s).
Discover a way to divide or classify yourselves evenly into two/three/four
subgroups within your team(s) by using criteria (ways of
classifiying/describing people) which contain no negative or prejudicial or
good/bad discriminatory judgements.
Optional briefing:
Examples of criteria to evenly divide/classify the team according to -
• late-night people and early-morning people, or
• what sort of weather we like, or
• what sort of food we like, or
• what we like to do for fun, or
• our fears, or
• what we would change in the world..
If as a facilitator you use these examples feel free to instruct the group to
think of their own ideas, and not merely to use one of the examples.
More complexity and/or specific focus on a subject can be suggested, for
example:
• what we know/imagine our personality profiles to be, or
• our own body language, or
• our strongest capability or learning style
The purpose of the exercise is to encourage people to get to know each

other better, to collectively consider the nature of all individuals within the
team, and to think of each other in ways that are quite different to how
people tend usually to classify others.
Review:
• Share and discuss the team'(s') decisions, making notes where
helpful on a flipchart (or equivalent hi-tech system).
• How easy was it to find out and think about each other in different
ways?

• How does this thinking differ from potentially negative or subjective

judgements?
• What sort of classifications can be negative?
• What makes a classification positive/helpful rather than
negative/prejudicial?
As a facilitator/teacher, you can approach the exercise as a quick ice-

breaker, or a more complex longer-lasting learning activity.
You can stipulate how many subgroups should be classified within the
team(s), and how many different classifications are required (one 50:50
split using a single classification is simplest and quickest), or you can offer
wider more open flexibility, and see what the teams develop for
themselves.
The Johari Window is a useful reference model, as is (up to a point)
employment background on discrimination, minorities, bullying, etc.
Approach the activity with a broader view than reminding people about
employment law and discrimination:
The way we understand and regard each other is a big subject, offering
far more helpful outcomes than merely applying a legal code.
face game (body language, non-verbal

communications, ice-breakers)
For groups of four to ten people. Split larger groups into teams with
leaders who can facilitate the exercise.
Equipment required: paper and pens/pencils.
Time: 5-20 minutes depending on group size and review discussion.
Introduction: Facial expressions are an important part of communications.
There are many different emotions and corresponding facial expressions.
Some are easier to interpret than others. This exercise helps illustrate
different expressions and how some are more obvious and easy to 'read'
than others.
Task:
Each team member must think of one emotion (or two or three emotions,
for a longer exercise), which they should then write separately on a slip of
paper. Fold the slips of paper and put it into a cup or glass in the centre of
the table, to enable 'blind' selection.
Each person must then in turn take one of the folded slips and show the
emotion on their face to the team, who must guess the emotion.
Review points, for example:
• How significant are facial expressions in conveying feelings?

• In what situations are facial expressions especially crucial to

communications and understanding?
• What emotions are easiest to 'read' and why?
• What emotions are less easy to interpret?
• What facial expressions are easiest to misread or fake?
• What effect do facial expressions have on us?
• What emotions are probably universal across all cultures?
• To what extent are we aware of our own facial expressions?
• To what extent do we 'read' facial expressions and respond to them
unconsciously?
• And importantly - how can we manage our communications
methods given the significance facial expressions in certain types of
communications?
See Body Language and Mehrabian's communications theory for

background.
picture pieces game (teamwork,

departmental/individual inputs towards a
common goal)
This exercise is a simple team-working idea, adaptable for any group size,
and any ages.
Duration is half an hour, or longer if you increase the complexity for big
groups, and/or increase the size of the work.
Choose a well known picture (or diagram or cartoon) - ideally one well-
known and full of detail.
Cut the picture (retaining a copy) into as many pieces - ideally equal
squares or oblongs - as as there are participants for the exercise.
Issue each person a piece of the picture. (The exercise is more
challenging and fascinating if the group does not see the whole original
picture until the end of the activity, although this question is entirely a
matter for local judgement.)
Instruct people to create a copy of their piece of the picture exactly (for
example) ten times bigger, according to length and width dimension. Size
increase (ten-times, five-times, twenty-times, etc) is up to you - the more
then the longer the activity takes, and the bigger the final result.
You should clarify what 'ten-times bigger, according to length and width
dimension' actually means, or different interpretations of this could spoil
the result (which is a lesson in itself about consistency of planning and
communications, etc).

(Multiplying width and length dimensions by ten produces an area which is

actually a hundred-times bigger in area. This seems a lot, but it's very
reasonable if seeking to produce a good sized result to stick onto a wall.
For example, if individual pieces are say 2 inches square, i.e., 2 x 2 = 4
square inches, the instruction of ten-times width and length would
produce individual pieces of 20 x 20 = 400 square inches, which when all
assembled can produce quite a big wall-display. Technically 'ten times
bigger' refers to area, but this isn't very easy to imagine - it's easier to
plan and explain the exercise in terms of width and length dimensions.)
Issue pencils/drawing/colouring equipment and paper (big enough sheets)
and make rulers available for measuring.
Give a time limit (5-20 minutes depending on complexity of the work and
the magnification level you specify).
When all the enlargements are completed ask people to assemble them
into a giant copy of the original picture - on the table, or onto a wall using
sticky putty, (be careful not to use a wall whose surface could be
damaged when removing the sticky putty..).
Review points:
• How would the group have responded to and met the task if the
task leader simply asked the whole group to 'Create a copy of the
picture ten-times original size'?
• If the assembled big version is not right in any area, where did the
task fail and for what reasons?
• If anyone has embellished their particular piece (which almost
certainly will happen) how does this augment or threaten the final
result, and what does this teach us about local interpretation and
freedom? Does it depend on the task and the aims (and customer
needs) as to whether the result is improved or weakened? (Probably)
• The activity demonstrates divisionalized 'departmental' working -
each person (represents a team or department) working on their own
part (representing specialisms), all of which contribute to an overall
group aim and result. What are the main factors determining success
for working like this?
• Does each individual person (which represents a team or
department) necessarily need to know what other people are doing, in
order for the overall task to be achieved? (Probably not in detail.)
• Does each individual person (which represents a team or
department) necessarily need to know what the end aim is in order to
achieve the overall task? (Not necessarily, but arguably it's helpful if
they do - it depends very much on how well the individual activities are
managed and how accurately they represent the part of the whole.) The
review of this point can reflect on whether the original whole picture
was shown at the start of the activity or not. (Often in work situations
communicating the overall aim or vision is difficult or not viable,
especially in large complex projects - so how should we approach this
challenge and what are its implications, especially if a vision or aim
changes half-way through a project?)
• What level of mutual understanding and checking (while the task is

in progress) is useful for this sort of 'departmental' or divisionalized
working? Is there a fixed rule for checking in progress, or more likely,
does it depend on the task and the performance of it?
Here are some suggestions of well-known pictures to use for this exercise:
Sunflowers (Van Gogh)
Venus and Mars (Botticelli)
The Hay Wain (Constable)
Bathers at Asnières (Seurat)
London Underground Tube Map
The Bayeux Tapestry (lots of work there..)
These are just examples - choose a picture (or diagram or map, etc) that
appeals to your group, and which when cut into pieces gives sufficient
detail to work on.
Other ideas for pictures: geographical maps and weather maps, biological
diagrams, well-known posters and cartoons.
You can adapt the exercise by altering the 'ten-times widthand length
dimensions' enlargement factor, for instance five-times would make the
task easier and quicker; twenty or a hundred-times would make it more
difficult and longer, (and also more impactful, if you have time and space,
and enough paper drawing materials...)
The task can be made more complex for large groups by:
• splitting the group into teams, so that teams work on individual
pieces (of suitably large size),
• either clearly instructing, or enabling the opportunity for, each team
to cut its piece of the picture into smaller pieces, giving one smaller
piece to each team member
The resulting assembled whole picture will indicate how well each team
communicated and managed its own divisionalization of the task.
the takeaway game (planning, analysis,

number skills, ice-breaker, energiser for
the brain)
Based on an old numbers game this activity can be adapted in many
different ways for groups and teams of all sizes.
It takes a minute to explain and set up, and as little as a minute to play.
You can easily expand the game, add complexity, and turn it into a much
longer planning and tactics exercise.
The basic game (for two teams, or people in pairs, playing each
other):
Put fifteen coins (or cards, or keys, or anything) between the contestants.
Explain the rules:
1. Toss a coin to decide who goes first.

2. Each side may remove one or two or three coins in turn.
3. The winner is the person/team removing the last coin(s).
More complex game variations:

• Start with a greater number of coins.
• Allow more than three coins to be removed.
• Allow coins to be put back (with a limit because otherwise the game
might never end).
• Play the game between three or more teams or individuals/pairs (for
example playing a number of rounds with several pairs/threes against
each other will lead to tactical collaboration between teams, so as to
prevent a strong leader emerging, which can be fascinating).
• Play the game according to coin values, stating maximum value that
can be removed/put back each turn.
• Play the game with playing cards, using the values of the cards
(pictures counting as 10, or Jack=11, Queen=12, King=13, and Ace =1),
and stating a number of points which can be removed at each turn.
Again, additional challenge can be added by allowing a limited number
of cards/points to be put back.
With increased complexity the activity becomes increasingly suitable for

teams and allowing a strategic planning stage.
Mathematically-minded people will realise soon that the simpler versions
of the takeaway game can be planned and controlled quite easily by the
team/person playing first. Complex versions of the game are far less easy
to plan and control.
Increase the fun element fun by playing the game with (readily
identifiable and returnable) items from the pockets/handbags/cases of the
players (for example keys, pens, phones, etc). Different items can be
given different values, for example, key=1, pen=2, phone=3.
The game obviously allows mathematically-minded people (who are often
quiet and understated in the background) to demonstrate their value to
the group, which can be an additional benefit of the exercise.
Points to review, for example:
• What is the method to ensure victory when playing the basic 15 coin
game? (Leave your opponent with four coins, achieved by leaving them
with eight at the previous turn, and twelve at the previous turn,
meaning that the player starting must first remove three coins.)

• What does this teach us about achieving successful results?

• What does this teach us about the importance of planning and
strategy?
• How could the method be adapted for greater numbers of coins (to
start with, and the maximum removable each time)?
• What does this teach us about being able to transfer/adapt a
winning formula from one situation to the next?
• At what point does a task become too complex to predict a
guaranteed result? (This is illustrated in the game by adding
complexities such as more participants, different item values, and
option to put back as well as removal.)
• What can we do to maximise our chances of achieving a successful
result in complex unpredictable circumstances? (In the game and in
work/business/life generally?)
the obvious team building game for snowy

weather (teambuilding, exercise, fun)
Obviously, given snowy weather, take everyone outside and build a
snowman. Or several of them. Or snowperson/snowpeople if you work in a
particularly politically correct organisation.
Have the team brainstorm the rules and aims of the exercise, mindful of
group size, teams, and proximity of the activity to the managing director's
office window. N.B. Throwing snowballs can be harmful to your team-
mates' health and to the managing director's office windows. You have
been warned.
If the MD or other senior executive sees what is happening and asks you
to explain the purpose of the activity, here are some suggested answers
(delete as appropriate):
1. Given all the training budget cut-backs it would have been daft not to
make use of so much free material.
2. It was a positive thinking exercise and motivational analogy to illustrate
how even in seemingly negative circumstances (credit crunch, recession,
snow, etc) it's perfectly possible to innovate new things and to be
constructive in some way.
3. Having fun and building things is very good for the soul, and great for
team morale. We are all now thoroughly energised and will never again
see the snow as a problem, only an opportunity to be special and different
compared to everyone else who sits on their backsides complaining.
3. Being out in the cold for so long meant that we could turn down the
heating when we all came back in to save further costs.
4. It was an experiment in stress management, and it worked for us. Go
try it yourself.
5. It was cultural conditioning exercise in preparation for a forthcoming

sales visit to Moscow.
6. When we find out who built the ten foot snow-willy the culprit will be
given a serious ticking off (that's not a sexual pun in case you are
wondering).
WARNING: SNOW IS COLD, FREEZING IN FACT, AND CAN BE WET TOO.

PARTICIPANTS ARE THEREFORE AT RISK OF BECOMING COLD AND WET.
FOR THIS REASON PARTICIPANTS SHOULD BE SENSIBLY EQUIPPED FOR
THIS ACTIVITY, FOR EXAMPLE, COATS, HATS, SCARVES, GLOVES AND
BOOTS ARE A GOOD IDEA. THE BUILDING OF SNOWMEN/OTHER SNOW
STRUCTURES IN DRIFTING SNOW OF A DEPTH EXCEEDING THE HEIGHT OF
THE SHORTEST PARTICIPANT IS NOT RECOMMENDED.
Businessballs accepts no liability for damages arising from inappropriate use of this
activity. If in doubt, make some newspaper towers instead. Indoors.
project team exercise (graduate

recruitment assessment and selection,
internal promotion assessment centres,
business development and project
teams)
This exercise can be used for any/all of the following:
• graduate recruitment assessment days
• internal promotion assessment centres
• development of business and commercial management skills
• identifying and developing new business initiatives
Activities and exercises for group selection days and assessment centres
can be designed to stretch the participants more if the task is issued
several days before the day of the assessment. This allows more
preparation and team-working among the candidates, which in turn
enables a fuller deeper test and demonstration of people's capabilities.
The exercise can be used if issued on the day of the assessment, but
obviously due allowance must be made for the resulting time pressure in
meeting such a big challenge. Accordingly the exercise is suited to
training courses lasting two days or more when delegates can work
evenings in their team on the activities.
Here broadly is the exercise, adapt it to suit your situation:
Teamwork Project

The project team must research, identify, develop and present a

proposition for a new product/service/business to fit into the employer's
organisation.
To include:
1. Research the market, brainstorm options, and decide on a new
product/service/business.
2. Conceptualise new product/service/business.
3. Design and specify key attributes of new business:
• description and executive summary
• philosophy/ethos
• specification and scale
• financials
• team/people
• marketing/positioning/branding/advertising/selling
• production/distribution
• quality/safety/legislative/environmental
• SWOT and/or PEST analysis, or similar
4. Create presentation (to sell proposition to the 'board of directors' or an

investor - a part which can be played by the recruitment team).
5. Deliver presentation (to include activities and experiences of the
project group).
6. An additional angle would be to enable/encourage teamworking on the
project between team members prior to the assessment day, via a
facebook group (or suitable VLE - virtual learning environment - or
employer intranet forum). N.B. If using the exercise for external
recruitment and teamworking among candidates prior to the assessment
day you would need to ensure data-protection/permission is satisfied
regarding the releasing of candidates' names and contact details to each
other.
stress exercise (stress demonstration, ice-

breaker, teambuilding)
This is a helpful and non-threatening way to show the effects of stress and
confusion, especially in teams, and by implication the effects of stress on
productivity, organisational performance and healthy working.
Ideally for teams of eight to ten people. Split larger groups into teams of
8-10 and establish facilitation and review as appropriate, appointing and
briefing facilitators since each team requires facilitation.

You will need for each team about five balls of various sizes, compositions,
weights, shapes, etc., depending on team size and the team's ball-
handling skills. Five balls is probably adequate for most teams of eight
people.
Using very different balls makes the exercise work better (for example a
tennis ball, a beach ball, a rugby ball, a ping-pong ball, etc - use your
imagination).
Form each team into a circle.
The aim is to throw and catch the ball (each ball represents a work
task/objective) between team members - any order or direction.
The ball must be kept moving (the facilitator can equate this to the
processing of a task within the work situation).
Allow the team to develop their own methods/pattern for throwing the ball
between members if they find this helpful.
A dropped ball equates to a failed task (which the facilitator can equate to
a specific relevant objective). A held ball equates to a delayed task.
When the team can satisfactorily manage the first ball, the facilitator
should then introduce a second ball to be thrown and caught while the
first ball remains in circulation.
Equate the second ball to an additional task, or a typical work
complication, like a holiday, or an extra customer requirement.
Continue to introduce more balls one by one - not too fast - each time
equating them to work situations and complications.
Obviously before not too long the team is unable to manage all the balls,
and chaos ensues.
Avoid creating chaos too early by introducing too many balls too soon.
Allow the sense of increasing stress and confusion to build, according to
the ball-handling capability of the team. Introducing balls too quickly will
not allow the stress to build.
Points for review:
• Relate the experiences of the game to the work situation, especially
effective team working and communications.
• What does too much pressure and failure feel like?
• Are these feelings the same for everyone?
• Do we know how others are feeling and can best deal with stress
and confusion, unless we ask?
• How can we anticipate, manage and avoid these effects at work?
(Not easy, especially if the pressure is from above, which often it will be
- nevertheless understanding the causes and effects of stressful
confusion is the first step to resolving them).

• What helps us handle these pressures and what makes things

worse?
• Relate this learning to work situations, and then to possible
improvements and changes.
Use relevant reference materials if helpful, for example:

Stress theory and stress management
Johari Window model (mutual and self-awareness)
Assertiveness (especially for junior people managing stress caused from
above)
(Thanks to Karen Wright of wrightminded.com for the contribution of this
excellent exercise.)
learning and thinking styles exercise

(learning styles, brain type preferences,
self-awareness, johari awareness)
This is a quick simple activity for groups of any size. For large groups spilt
into teams of about six people and organise the appointment of team
leaders for self-facilitation and review.
Questions form the basis of this exercise:
• If you could have only one sense (sight, touch, hearing, taste, etc),
what would you want it to be?
• If you had to lose one sense, what would it be?
• Rank your senses, in order of importance to you.
You will perhaps think of other questions on similar lines. Use one or a
number of questions to prompt discussion and thereafter a review of the
issues.
The purpose of the game is to encourage people to think about how they
use their brains and their thinking/working/learning style preferences and
strengths.
Most people (unsurprisingly) tend to favour their sense of sight. You will
find plenty of variation aside from this however, and generally the activity
and discussion provides a quick and interesting way to explore personal
strengths and preferences without the aid of a testing instrument.
The 'five senses' are typically regarded as:
• sight
• hearing
• touch
• taste
• smell
Intuition is a way of explaining the 'sixth sense'.

Touch, smell and taste are all closely connected with the 'touchy-feely'
(Kinesthetic in VAK) aspect within the VAK model, the other two aspects
being sight (Visual in VAK) and hearing (Audio in VAK).
Your group might have additional ideas about other 'senses' which you
can include in the considerations, for example speech, movement, etc. If
so then the exercise relates more strongly to Multiple Intelligences theory.
Review angles:
• What does this teach us about the different ways we prefer to
work/learn/communicate/think/solve problems/conduct
relationships/etc?
• What surprises you about other people's preferences?
• What surprises you about your own preferences?
• If you augment the exercise with the VAK test and/or MI test (see
VAK and Multiple Intelligence below) do the test results confirm or
conflict with your sense preferences?
Reference models and information:

• VAK learning styles - and VAK test
• Kolb's theory
• Multiple Intelligence theory - and various versions of MI test,
including young people's version
• Personality theory
• Benziger brain-type theory
• Johari Window model
• Wikipedia senses page
alternative christmas and new year

exercise (new year ice-breaker, creative
thinking, social values and true life
priorities)
An exercise for any group size.
Arrange appropriate timings and presentation or discussion of the ideas
arising.
Here's the question. You can adapt various exercises from it to suit your
situation and aims:

"Imagine you are leader of the western world. Everyone would prefer
Christmas and New Year celebrations to more suitably address the needs
and issues of the modern age. What changes would you make?"
You can add a context if you wish, for example, changes for business,
changes for society, changes for kids, changes for the planet, changes for
global cooperation, etc.
Email me suggestions and I'll publish the best ones on this page.
mobile phone/cellphone game (time

management, use tools rather than allow
tools to use you, manage your
environment, communications,
addictions to technology and gadgets)
This is a simple and funny activity/warm-up/icebreaker for large groups.
The exercise especially demonstrates the influencial power of mobile
phones (and by inference other communications methods such as emails)
to disrupt effective working, time management and organisational
efficiency.
Normally groups at conferences and training sessions are asked to switch
off their mobile phones/cellphones.
Try a different twist:
Ask all delegates to switch on their phones (or blackberries - or is it
blackberrys?..)
Say that this is a demonstration of the disruptive and negative effects of
technology controlling people rather than vice-versa.
You can of course introduce and position the activity to suit other
purposes which fit.
Ask delegates to select the loudest most annoying message alert tone.
Ask everyone to text a friend (or two or several friends each) whom they
know to be keen in responding to text messages.
Then continue with the training or conference session, and wait for the
chaotic interruptions to begin.
The chaos is a very audible demonstration of what typically happens in
organisations where people are not managing their incoming
communications (which according to most research is the vast majority of
folk).
When your point is made you can (you'll need to) ask everyone to switch
off their phones again.
Other points of interest:
• Compulsive checking of emails and being continuously available to

incoming text messages, etc., is considered by some experts to be
driven by the same impulses that are experienced by gamblers, i.e.,
following the principle of unpredictable occasional reward, and similar
descriptions of such behaviour.
• Surveys regularly find vast amounts of wasted time spent by
workers dealing with emails and email interruptions. A 2008 report in
the Guardian newspaper staggeringly calculated that a worker who
checks/responds to email interruptions every five minutes wastes 8.5
hours a week, given the recovery time required after each interruption.
• Inappropriate use of emails prevents people communicating and
resolving issues by phone.
• Inappropriate use of phones/texting prevents people communicating
and resolving issues face to face.
You'll think of many more points arising from this subject.

The Mehrabian research is a useful reference area.
seasonal suggestions bundle (christmas

activities and ideas for teams and office
year-end fun and learning)
Some seasonal ideas from this website:
Quizballs Big 2008 Year Quiz - 100 general knowledge quiz questions from
2008 and answers
Quizballs 48 Xmas quiz questions and answers.
Quizballs 29 Xmas quiz questions and answers.
See the 'Smile' words and Chaplin story for inspiring positive outlook and
triumph through adversity. Charlie Chaplin died on Christmas Day 1977.
Seasonal acronyms:
BLACPU - Back Later After Christmas P***-up. Seasonal acronym for when
work and customers must necessarily fit in around the festivities and
holidays.
DUTCHIE - Defer Until The Christmas Holiday Is Ended. Seasonal acronym
explaining why most business comes to a grinding stop for two whole
weeks at the end of the year.
LUCID - Leave Until Christmas Is Done. Yuletide acronym, when
procrastinators everywhere are joined by most of the western world in
deferring anything other than a life-threatening emergency until the
Christmas blow-out is properly organized and maximum enjoyment
extracted.

SHOT IT - Should Have Ordered This In Time. Customer services and

despatch expression, especially appropriate approaching department
close-down for weekends, holidays, Christmas, etc., and a personal
reminder not to leave things until the last moment.
NACTAC - Not A Chance Til After Christmas. Understandable response
from overworked despatch departments and customer services staff when
attempting to explain quite reasonably that it's not possible to process
urgent last-minute orders received at lunchtime on the day before holiday
shut-down. Variations include NACTAE (Easter), NACTAT (Thanksgiving),
etc.
Expression origin - "Boxing day" - the day after Christmas - from the
custom in seventeenth and eighteenth centuries of servants receiving
gratuities from their masters, collected in boxes in Christmas day,
sometimes in churches, and distributed the day after.
Real Family Fortunes answer: Something that Father Christmas does when
he comes to your house: "Feeds your pets.." (More funnies)
Team games ideal for year-end fun:
Spaghetti and Marshmallow Towers
Helium Stick
Baking Foil Models
Animal Perceptions Exercise
Businessballs Quickies
Many more activities on this page below can be used or adapted to give a
seasonal twist.
For pure laughs try the funny Weakest Link answers and Letters to the
Council (which serve as illustrations of communications breakdowns, if
you need a context or excuse for sharing them..)
Fantisticat is an interesting way to look at fresh starts and the New Year,
especially for young people or those facing or desiring change.
Lots of quizzes - see the Quizballs index page.
Have fun.
the CRITWATNF game (warm-ups,

icebreakers, and for demonstrating that
things are rarely as crucial as they seem)
See the acronym CRITWATNF (Currently Residing In The Where Are They
Now File).
Explain it to the group.

Ask the group to think of an example - any example, from their own
personal life (not too personal) or from work or the world of media,
politics, economy, anything.
Discuss the examples.
Discuss how and why things can seem crucial one day, yet often can soon
become completely insignificant, given a little time.
Discuss the influences of emotions, peer pressure, zietgeist, the media,
daft unquestioning management, personal mood, etc., on relationships,
strategy, decisions, work, life, etc.
Would life/work/society be better if we could all be more objective and
critical, and less led by our emotions and by others?
passion to profit exercise (life change, self-

employment, business start-up and
development, outplacement and
redundancy support, career change, self-
determination and independence)
See the Career/New Business Planner page for the full process and
detailed template.
This is a creative planning process and template for individuals and for
groups facing or desiring career change, especially a move into self-
employment or starting up their own new business.
It can be helpful for people facing decisions about new work or business
direction, especially to encourage thinking outside of habits and
conditioning, at any stage of a person's working life.
This process/template - and the exercises and discussion and thinking
enabled by them - seek to:
• Suggest a more satisfying idea of what work is and can be - for
employment, self-employment, business start-up, career change, part-
time work - any sort of work.
• Reduce or eliminate dependence upon an employer for work and
financial security.
• Offer a path - in achievable stages - away from unsatisfying
employment, especially if required due to redundancy or an
unacceptable work situation (stress, travel, life-balance, or the simple
need to be happier, etc).
• Encourage and enable self-determination, self-reliance, and
independence.
It's a simple formula. The numbers are linked to the full template sections
on the Career/New Business Planner page.
1 2 3 4 5 6
your + your + some + shape it + time to = your new

passion strength researc all into grow career or
or s and h somethin and business,
passion your g that develo your
s preferre people p independenc
d want e and
working security
style
In group situations the process and template can be used in many

different ways.
For example, subject to time available, encourage people to think through
the stages of the process:
• consider the meaning of the model for themselves
• think about their passions (1)
• consider their strengths (2)
• imagine the possibilities of combining these things into a job or
service or business
• consider how to check their thinking (3 - research)
• consider how these things could be planned into a real job or
business activity (4)
The Career/New Business Planner page contains guidance notes within a

template tool.
quick paper tower icebreaker (warm-up,

creative thinking, and/or teamwork,
skills and process analysis)
A quick table-top exercise for individuals or teams, and a quick version of
the bigger newspaper tower activity.
Issue a single sheet of paper (A4 or international equivalent) to each
group member (or one sheet per team if the exercise is to be played as a
team game).
Instruction:
Using the sheet of paper only - no other materials - construct the tallest
free-standing structure - in 5 minutes.
Points to review:
• Planning and timing - who planned and who ran out of time?

• Pressure - what were the effects on people and performance from

the pressure of time?
• Innovation - what innovative ideas were devised?
• Risk - what observations could be made about high-risk and low-risk
methods/approaches?
• Learning - would each team/individual be able to improve their
result at a second attempt? (Almost certainly.) Discuss how and why,
and the value of experience.
• Best practice - if the whole group were to be given the task to build
a single tower what ideas would be combined, and what does this tell us
about the power of collective ideas?
• Skills - what skills were found to be crucial for best performance of
the task, and could you have guessed what these vital skills would be
before the exercise, or did they only become apparent after actually
attempting the task? And what does this tell us about the identification
of skills (to be developed/taught) for a given task?
• (If played as a team game) what were the opportunities and
challenges in enabling the team to perform the task effectively?
Consider and suggest a process which would enable an effective team
approach to the task: What elements and principles from this are
transferable to normal operations and team-working?
• Process improvement - what single tool or additional material (no
larger than the width of the paper sheet) would achieve the greatest
improvement to the result?
Incidentally the best technical approach to this task almost certainly

requires the construction and use of connectable tubular rolled or
triangular telescopic sections, made from lengthways strips of the sheet.
Using this technique it is possible to make a tower at least three times
higher than the length of the sheet. If you know better and/or have
pictorial evidence of a better solution please send it to share with others
on this webpage.
The exercise can be adapted to suit your situation, for example giving
group members 15 minutes for the task and issuing an extra practice
sheet of paper will increase the depth and complexity of the task and the
review.
tree swing games (awareness and

cooperation between teams,
departments, divisions, corporations,
nations, planets, etc)
In conjunction with the new collection of Businessballs tree swing
cartoons, ask your people to draw tree swings to illustrate their own
particular departmental culture/issues/challenges/priorities/relationships.

Or focus the exercise on illustrating the culture/style of competitors,

suppliers, and any other significant internal or external group.
Focus especially on the differences in expectations between mutually
depending groups. Ask people - what does each tree swing look like?
What does their own tree swing look like, and what tree swing do they
expect of others? What sort of tree swing is expected of your
team/department? And what can you best provide?
When you understand the differences it's easier to work on bridging them,
so the differences have to be considered and shared first, or the gaps
persist indefinitely.
Drawing - especially given an unusual perspective like the tree swing - is
good for creativity and for exploring and sharing feelings and opinions -
especially about gaps and matching expectations - which otherwise might
not surface in normal discussions.
Rather like the poetry activities below, artistic tasks get people thinking in
new ways.
Split the group into relevant teams - threes usually work well, although
the exercise is adaptable for any numbers provided the team split reflects
the development aims, and the exercises are facilitated to keep everyone
involved.
Prompt ideas by showing the treeswing pictures, and then asking
questions like:
• What would your department's tree swing look like?
• What would the (xyz) department's tree swing look like?
• What do our own customers want their tree swings to look like?
• What does head office expect your tree swing to look like?
• What would your own personal tree swing look like if you could
make it any way you want (for the market, or for any other perspective
that's relevant to the group - subject to guidance from the facilitator)?
• What does the boss's/teacher's tree swing look like? And what does
your own tree swing look like?
The exercise does not aim to produce brilliant artwork - instead it aims to
produce fresh thinking and simple visual ideas about the issues which
cause outcomes to differ from expectations.
Successful work, business and organizations largely depend on matching
needs and delivery in one way or another.
The tree swing provides a simple way to consider the differences between
what's asked for, and what's provided, and then to explore which qualities
in each are actually fair and valid, with a view to bridging the
understanding and expectations gaps.
The activity is adaptable for young people in schools, as well as for grown-
ups in any sort of work situation.
For everyone of course, there is also the opportunity to work with different
media - even if it's just a few boxes of cheap coloured pencils from the
pound shop.
As with so many of these self/mutual awareness activities, Johari Window
is an excellent reference model.
poetry activities (poems exercises,

creativity, icebreakers, johari awareness,
thinking outside of the box, fresh
perspectives)
Thursday 9 October is National Poetry Day in the UK, although you can be
anywhere in the world to enjoy poetry.
Helpfully in 2008 the theme of National Poetry Day is WORK.
Poetry is great for creativity, fresh perspectives, and improving
self/mutual awareness - (refer to Johari model).
Here are some ideas for bringing poetry into your workplace or school,
whether for development activities or for the pure fun of it:
Icebreaker ideas/group discussion questions -
• Define the word 'poem'.
• Why is poetry appealing to us? It's just words, isn't it?...
• What is your favourite poem/extract/line and why? (Everybody can
think of at least a line from a song..)
• Are all song lyrics poetry? Is rapping poetry?
• Could Desiderata be adapted to be a corporate/societal values
statement? If so, how?
• Does Rudyard Kipling's poem If serve as a modern set of personal
values? If not how would you change it?
• Can you suggest how the bereavement poem Do not Stand at My
Grave and Weep has become so hugely popular around the world, and
relate this popularity to the way society behaves?
• Is Philip Larkin's poem 'This Be The Verse' a valid perspective on
society? And how do these notions relate to the responsibilities of
developing others, to parenting, teaching, especially of young people?
(Warning - the poem contains language that could offend - which gives
rise to another discussion question about how the context of words and
language determine the actual meaning and sense, far beyond the
words themselves).
Other group ideas -

• Create a short poem for the purpose of promoting a

product/service/department/initiative/educating/informing/memorising
something/your team.
• Write a limerick about yourself/the organisation (agree the
structure/rules of a limerick first).
• Write a haiku verse for a lesson/value/significant point in life or work
(agree structure/rules of a haiku verse first).
• Issue a page of a newspaper to people working in pairs - ask them
to re-structure any chosen paragraph of news into poetry, with or
without changing the words.
• Same as above - changing the words into the style of
Shakespeare/Chaucer/Byron, etc.
Individual ideas -
• Put a poem on your notice board or intranet, and see what happens.
• Send me a poem you've written about any aspect of work or
personal development, etc., and I'll publish it on this website.
• Send me a poem about charisma - and enter the charisma definition
competition.
• Next time you meet someone for the first time, ask them what they
think about poetry, and see where the discussion takes you.
You will think of many more ideas for using poetry to add fresh
perspective to work and play. Send your own ideas, and I'll add them
here.
Incidentally the word poem is derived ultimately from the Greek word
'poema' (precisely 'póēma'), meaning 'thing made or created'. The word
poet comes from Greek - poētēs - meaning 'maker'.
the 'what did you learn yesterday' exercise

(icebreaker, self-development, life
attitude, self-awareness, discussions
about what learning and development
means)
This is a powerful activity. Simple idea, and so potent.
Ask any group (to consider individually): What did you learn yesterday?
Review answers through discussion, brief statements, or presentations.
Optionally you can first establish what sort of learning qualifies to be
mentioned, or leave that aspect open because it's obviously an interesting
debate in itself which tends naturally to arise from the discussions
prompted by the question.

Review angles:
• If you can't think of anything you learned yesterday, how far back
do you need to go to find something?
• Was it learning for work, or life, or both - and what's the difference
anyway?
• How did you learn it?
• How could you measure/quantify/apply it?
• How might you transfer it/teach it to someone else?
• What will change now you've learned it?
• What further learning does it prompt or enable?
• Can you analyse the learning in terms of the Kirkpatrick model?
• Can you analyse the learning in terms of Johari Window model?
• Can you analyse the learning in terms of Multiple Intelligences
and/or VAK learning/thinking styles?
• What level of Maslow's theory does it impact?
• What aspect of Erikson's theory does it impact?
• What value would you put on it?
• What would you have paid to have learned it some while ago?
• What could you do to maximise the learning that naturally comes to
you every day, for free?
You will think of lots more angles, and plenty more suggestions will arise
in discussions.
Variations:
• What is the most useful thing you learned in the last
week/month/year/previous life?
• What did you learn at the watercooler/pub after work/party at the
weekend/on holiday?
• What did you learn on your social networking website when you
should have been 'working'?
• What's the most valuable learning you've obtained in the past
month/year and how did you get it?
• What's the most you've learned for the least cost/effort and the
least you've learned from the most cost/effort?
• List an example of your own recent learning for each of the
categories: skill, attitude, knowledge, experience. (See Bloom's
Taxonomy of Learning Domains for useful reference relating to this
aspect, and the exercise as a whole.)
Larger groups can be split into smaller work teams to explore what teams
have learned and the extent to which learning is shared and assimilated
and applied.
(This exercise was inspired by a story which featured a reasonably famous

autobiography about a father who always asked his children at the end of
each day, "What did you learn today?", and this habit was said to have
been very significant in forming the young person's positive approach to
life and lifelong learning. If you know the book - I can't remember it -
please tell me.)
tactical team shove ha'penny (icebreakers,

teamworking, tactics, strategy, problem-
solving, assessing and countering
competitor threats)
Equipment: a table (at least four feet diameter) with a smooth surface,
some coins, and (optionally) blu-tack, paper, colouring pens and scissors.
The activity also adapts as a larger-scale ball game on ground-level,
explained at the end of this item.
Split the group to make at least two teams - maximum three people per
team. Five teams of three per team is fine, so is four pairs or other similar
splits. Size of teams, number of teams, and number of coins can all be
adjusted to suit the situation. Increase the number of coins to increase the
complexity and duration of the game, and to enable more players per
team.
Issue each team at least six coins - ideally different sorts of coins, and
ensure each team has the same number of similar coins. Different size
coins create more tactical options.
Then, (optionally) instruct the team to create a team logo or emblem and
to cut out and colour the shape and fix to their coins using the blu-tack,
like a little sail. This is to make it easy to tell the difference between the
teams when the coins are in play.
Otherwise, ensure that (when the coins are placed flat on the table) each
team somehow differentiates their coins from the other teams. (For
example if two teams are playing, one team can be heads and the other
tails. Or you can issue coloured sticky spots or stars, etc.)
The object of the game is to shove the coins, one coin at a time,
from the table edge, to create the closest grouping of coins on
the table compared to the efforts of the other team(s).
Each coin should be moved once only by pushing it 'shove ha'penny'-
style, using the pad of the hand at the base of the thumb: Place the coin
(about a third of it) off the table edge, and strike it from the side against
the edge of the table, using the pad of the hand.
The facilitator must be able to demonstrate this, and allow some practice
for the teams to get used to the method and speed of the table, and for
the teams to decide who in the team will do the shoving.

Rules:
1. The winning team is the team to achieve the most (of their own)
coins grouped into a specified area, which can be designated and
measured by the facilitator before play commences by cutting or
tearing a hole in the middle of a sheet of paper, to use as a
template. The smaller the area, the more difficult the game is made.
Around 12 inches diameter is a reasonable target area. (Do not put
the paper on the table; use the paper to measure how many coins
are in the groupings at the end of the game. Groupings can be
anywhere on the table provided no coin is closer than 12 inches
from the table edge.)
2. Coin groupings must be at least 12 inches (30 cms) from the edge of
the table (i.e., any coin closer to the edge of the table than 12
inches does not count towards the grouping).
3. Each coin can be shoved once only.
4. Coins may be shoved so as to move coins of own team, or teams
may shove their coins to disrupt the groupings of other teams
(which makes the game very tactical, and is reason for each team
having similar coins since big heavy coins are generally
advantageous and easier to use than small coins).
5. Teams take turns to shove and only one team may shove a coin at a
time (although for icebreakers and big quick games a time limit can
be given instead within which teams can shove their coins freely,
which creates different tactical implications).
6. Toss a coin or draw lots to decide the order of play (which can be
offered as a tactical option in its own right).
7. State a time limit for tactical discussions between shoves.
Review points:
• Choice between disrupting competitor and building own position.
• Strategy at beginning, and how it changed during the game.
• Different approach next time in light of experience?
• Strategic advantage in order of play?
• Were the types of coins used at the best times? (Larger coins can be
more disruptive, which is useful at the end of the game, but they also
help in the early stages to crate stopping points and positions of
strength at the early parts of the game.)
• Effectiveness of team in considering strategic options and making
decisions.
• Extent to which other teams' strategy was observed or anticipated.
• Fairness of result - element of luck versus skill.
• Name the 3-5 key capabilities that a winning team would need to
perform consistently well at this game.
• Relative importance of strategy, tactical adjustment, decision-
making, and skill - any other major factors?

• If you were the national coach for this game how would you coach a
winning team?
N.B. Before the game the facilitator should consider especially the timing
of this game. It can take a long time if you have lots of teams and lots of
coins. To speed up the game and/or create a quick icebreaker exercise,
split the group into pairs, issue three coins per person, and change the
rules so that all coins must be shoved in no order (a free-for-all basically)
and the game completed within 30 seconds. This format has different
tactical implications.
Bigger groups, more teams, and more coins, all require a bigger table.
Bigger scale indoor or outdoor versions of this game are possible using
coloured tennis balls on a playground or a suitably marked floor or grass
area, in which case a hula-hoop serves as an ideal measuring template.
ageing society exercise (icebreaker,

creative analytical thinking, trends,
forecasting, ageism, demographics)
The aim of the exercise is to get people thinking creatively and
analytically.
The subject is how the increasing proportion of older people in society will
change the world, but actually the subject can be about any large-scale
trend.
The activity will prompt the use of visioning and imagination, and the
consideration of big system changes, consequences, causes and effects.
In the case of an ageing society these changes are already upon us, so it's
not a hypothetical exercise. The activity obviously also encourages people
to think about ageism and age equality issues.
Specifically ask group members to consider and decide what they believe
will be the single greatest effect in the next 1/2/3/5 years of the ageing
population on their area of activity/responsibility/market-place - or on
society generally - (years and area of impact decided by the facilitator,
depending on the interests/responsibilities of the group).
The views of the group members can be discussed or presented or
debated depending on the facilitator's aims and constraints of the session.
Review points can include:
• collective group decision as to the most perceptive suggestion
• what suggestions are the most visionary and forward-seeing
• how different suggestions might impact on each other
• the extent to which group members suggestions and views differ
according to age of the group members

• early evidence or indicators of the reliability of each/any of the

predictions
• what information is lacking for more reliable predictions
• where information might be found if required
• what differs about this type of thinking compared to day-to-day
decisions (proactive deeper thinking compared to reactive shallow)
• whether drawing diagrams and/or discussing and/or any other
methods assist this sort of thinking (for example, is this sort of deeper
complex proactive thinking easier when more senses are stimulated, or
when more people consider and share ideas?)
• does this exercise teach us anything about the power of thought as
a way to anticipate and develop solutions/responses to situations rather
than simply waiting for things to happen?
• do the collective views of the group seem to support (or not) the
notion of 'the wisdom of crowds'.
• is effective forecasting and predicting of far-reaching effects chiefly
based on creative imagination or analytical logic, or equally both?
• to what or particularly relevant or local trends could we usefully
apply the same thinking?
Exercise variables at the discretion of the facilitator:

• thinking/preparation time (icebreaker requires 2-3 mins - bigger
exercises could extent to 30 mins or more preparation time)
• group members to work individually, in pairs or threes, or as two
debating teams
• people could be asked to suggest two or three effects, not just a
single effect
• method of presenting suggestions - discussion, presentation,
debate, diagrams, role-play?... anything else? use your imagination
• the main subject can be varied to focus on any other significant
trend - for example: increasing world population, increasing power of
new economies (China, India, Brazil, etc), advancing technology (in any
market), energy costs and demand, gender or ethnic trends, etc.
political qualification game (job skills,

training, competence - and many other
issues relating to competence and
suitability)
Appreciating fundamental issues of competence and job profiling
necessary for determining suitability, training and qualifications is quite a
dry subject.

It can be brought to life by applying the thinking to a different situation -

different from normal work.
Here's the exercise (in pairs or threes, or a discussion group):
Imagine you are responsible establishing a professional qualification or
NVQ for a politician.
A parliamentary MP, or a government minister, or perhaps the prime
minister.
Agree/nominate parliamentary role(s) as appropriate for the exercise.
• What competencies would the job require?
If helpful structure your answer in terms of skills, knowledge,

attitude/behaviour/personality style, experience.
• How might these be defined, measured and tested?
• How might a professional qualification be structured and
accredited?
And a couple of bigger questions of a more philosophical nature if you

have time for them:
• Why in actual fact does the job of a politician escape all normal
requirements of professional accreditation?
• And might this explain why politicians are arguably so incompetent
compared to their counterparts in industry?
The facilitator can adapt this basic idea for group size, timings, and the
precise training aspects of job profiling and candidate selection,
development, qualification, etc., as will fit the group's needs and interests.
(Incidentally if anyone comes up with constructive and enlightened
answers to the last two questions I'd love to see them..)
positive behaviour exercise (understanding

positive behaviour/behavior concepts,
karma, law of attraction, etc)
This exercise seeks to enable clearer

understanding of positive behaviour and Concepts of positive
positive thinking, extending to the notion that behaviour are difficult to
positive behaviour produces positive effect or define and explain.
reward for the person (or group) acting
positively. Vague terminology such
as karma and religious or
Instead of trying to unravel the secrets of the spiritual associations
karmic universe or the meaning of religious create further obstacles
and spiritual life, we can perhaps understand to exploring the subject.

better the effects of our own positive Positive behaviour

behaviour (or that of a group or entire concepts are confused by
corporation) by considering how we lots of vague and emotive
personally respond to the positive behaviour terminology and theories,
of others. e.g:
Ask group members to consider how they • karma
personally feel and respond towards someone • 'what goes round
who behaves in the following ways: comes around'
1. smiles a lot and • the law of attraction
is generally happy • the law of cause
and effect
2. gives to others
and wants nothing • universal cause and
in return effect
3. thanks others • religious and

spiritual linkage
4. helps others •'do as you would be
5. listens to others done by'
without judging • cosmic ordering
6. takes the blame •commercial
or responsibility for packaging
faults • 'positician' (one
who acts positively,
7. gives others
apparently..)
credit for
successes • other mumbo-
jumbo
8. absorbs
negative behaviour This exercise offers a way
from others with to explore the essential
tolerance and meaning and benefits of
understanding positive behaviour,
without reference or need
Points to review: to buy in to any of the
above.
Extend some of the examples above to
imagine long-term relationships and issues of Intangible concepts like
trust, reputation, recommendation, positive behaviour can
willingness to do business with such a person, often be better explored
etc. from a personal
viewpoint, instead of
Extend the examples to the responses of using fixed definitions or
many thousands of customers, to many rules.
positive behaviours of a corporation, (and
then consider the opposite effects: i.e., Deep complex concepts
responses of thousands of customers, and the like positive behaviour
knock-on consequences, arising from many are a matter of personal
negative behaviours of a corporation). interpretation.

Positive behaviour of one person is N.B. In US-English the

sometimes immediately rewarded or word is 'behavior'. In UK-
acknowledged by others, but often the effects English it is 'behaviour'.
are not immediate.
Cause and effect can be separated by many
years, and can be connected by many links in
different chains of events.
However, positive behaviour in an
organisation of many employees and actions
inevitably multiplies and accelerates all these
effects. The cause and effect cycle - good or
bad - is dramatically shortened because there
are so many interactions.
Positive behaviour is sometimes described
using the analogy of ripples from a pebble
thrown into a pond - the effects radiate far
and wide, and one day reflect back helpfully
in ways that are difficult to predict
beforehand, or to measure afterwards.
Positive behaviour in an organisation could be
compared to hundreds of pebbles in a pond
every day. Consider your own organisation -
are they good ripples or bad ripples?
The term 'pseudo-scientific' rightly applies to
most concepts linked with positive behaviour,
because they cannot be measured and
substantiated in conventional scientific ways.
Yet millions of people believe strongly that
goodness and positivity are more likely to be
rewarded in life than selfishness and
negativity. And almost without exception
successful happy people seem to exhibit and
aspire to positive behaviours.
The exercise should confirm how positively
we each respond to positive behaviour (and
negatively to negative behaviour). It's far
simpler than karma.
Rather than try to find vast universal
explanations for the way positive behaviour
works, the cause/effect of positive behaviour
is perhaps more easily explained by the
general tendency for positive/giving
behaviour simply and inevitably to attract
and to generate positive responses,
somehow, somewhere, sometime.

'moneygram' activity/icebreaker
(expressing and sharing perceptions
about organizations, structures,
systems, etc - and creativity sessions
and teamworking)
This flexible activity is based on using coins to create a 'picture' or
diagram of an organizational system or structure which is relevant to the
group's work or learning.
The subject(s) chosen for the 'moneygrams' (coin pictures) are at the
facilitator's discretion, and/or can be suggested by groups, depending on
the situation.
For example, a subject could be a team, department, division, or an entire
corporation, or a market including suppliers, customers, competitors, etc.
Or a school, college, a community or an industry sector, or even a region
or country, or view of the world.
If the main aim is to express/share perceptions of a work or business
structure, then the choice of structure is obviously is significant, and the
facilitator should ensure a suitable choice. If the main aim is instead to get
people working creatively together (for instance young people in school,
or a creative workshop session) then the choice of structure is not
significant, aside from something that the group will find interesting, and
the facilitator can allow the group to choose a structure for their
'moneygram'.
The room layout must enable people to make a display on a table or floor
and for others to see the display clearly, or for the whole group to work
around on a single large display on a table.
Coins are of course various values, sizes, colours, years and designs - both
sides - and can be stacked, and some stood on their edges. As such coins
are potentially a really interesting medium for creating
pictures/patterns/diagrams which express ideas and themes of all sorts.
The exercise provides a completely different way (unlike normal words,
discussion, diagrams, etc) for people to interpret and present their own
view of a particular situation. This enables a tactile, fresh, liberating and
more objective way for people to express and share their perceptions.
The facilitator obviously needs to consider and decide the best way to
equip the group with sufficient 'materials' (coins) for the activities. For
example a mature adult group could be asked to use the coins from their
own pockets and purses. A less mature group should ideally have the
coins provided by the facilitator.
Complex themes and big require lots of coins. Happily 1p and 2p copper
coins very inexpensive materials - in fact probably cheaper than plastic
counters and play-money nowadays - and it's useful to have a plentiful
supply of coppers, or whatever is your currency equivalent. Foreign coins
add international interest and diversity if you have some. If the situation
allows, you can ask group members to bring in their piggy banks. The
creative use of banknotes, cheques and credit cards is not recommended
for obvious reasons. Messing around with loose change carries few risks;
bigger values are not appropriate for play materials.
If you have any doubts about using real money in the exercise then
playing cards can be used instead, which offers another perspective and
different interpretations.
Be mindful of the time available for the activity and limit the complexity of
the subjects accordingly. You cannot expect anyone to map out the global
commodities market or the future of the world wide web in a five minute
icebreaker with a pocketful of change.
See also the organizational modelling activity (teambuilding games page
1), and the baking foil modelling games (this page below) which take
slightly different approaches to the same idea.
The Johari Window is a useful reference model by which to explain and
review the benefits and issues surrounding mutual awareness and
perceptions.
The money slang and history page offers some entertaining facts and
trivia on the subject.
As with any exercise much of the value comes from reviewing and
discussing the issues arising from the learning experience, and where
relevant encouraging people to determine their own preferred reactions.
See the notes on experiential learning for additional guidance in this
regard. An activity of this nature will tend to highlight various
opportunities for future clarification and follow-up actions, especially for
work-team leaders.
new world exercise (ice-breaker, or bigger

exercise for leadership/team roles,
multiple intelligences, life skills, analysis
and reaction)
This is a flexible and fascinating scenario-based activity for groups up to
12 people and all ages. Split larger groups into teams and adapt
presentations and reviews accordingly. Schools could potentially develop
various extensions to this activity.
Ask the delegates to discuss in a group and answer the following question:
Scenario: Imagine the world suffered a catastrophic event like a meteor
strike, plague or nuclear war, which destroyed most human life and all of
the developments of the past century. A mixed group (age, gender,
ethnicity, religion) of a few hundred lucky people has survived (it's helpful
to agree where - anywhere - because location will influence some aspects
of the approach to the question).

Question: If this group is to thrive and develop, what initial leadership

structure would you suggest, stating 6-12 key roles? (Optionally and
ideally ask delegates to justify their suggestions.)
Agree timings and presentation/review in whatever ways are useful to the
delegates. The number of roles can be the same as the number of
delegates, especially if you choose to extend the activity.
The exercise can be extended by adding any of the following
supplementary questions, which can (optionally) be approached as if the
delegates are the survivors leadership team, allocated the key roles
identified.
Roles can be allocated via volunteering or some other group process, at
the facilitator's discretion.
Optional supplementary questions:
• What basic laws would you introduce for the group of survivors?
• As the leadership team, what would be your ten immediate main
aims?
• What 3-5 main difficulties would you expect in leading the group
and how would you try to handle these challenges?
• What lessons from the modern world would you find most valuable
in rebuilding the new world?
• What would be your five main medium-long term aims?
You - and/or the delegates - will be able to devise further questions

relevant to your own training/learning situation.
There are potentially thousands of useful reference sources which can be
incorporated within an exercise like this, really anything you are currently
seeking to bring to life and provide context for application. Here are a few
examples:
• Tuckman's team/group development model
• Multiple Intelligences theory
• Erikson's life stages model
• Fisher's change model
• Kubler-Ross's grief/bereavement model
• Delegation
• SWOT analysis
The activity is very flexible. It can be shortened to a two-minute

icebreaker, simply to agree the 6-10 roles, or expanded to incorporate all
sorts of issues and reference models and tools, depending on the
development aims and needs of the delegates.

To shorten the exercise into a quick icebreaker simply state the scenario
and ask delegates to take 1-2 minutes to think of 3-6 leadership roles.
Then quickly gather and count the suggestions on a flip chart or
wipeboard, and close with a quick review of the most popularly suggested
team roles. Relate to Multiple Intelligence theory or Belbin's team roles
theory or another suitably relevant team roles/skills reference model.
helium stick games (team building,

assumptions, organising tasks, problem-
solving)
This is a classic teambuilding game, and an amusing exercise around
which to design icebreakers.
For teams of three upwards, subject to the type and length of 'stick' used
in the activity.
This explanation includes games variations, and very easily improvised
ideas for the stick equipment - as the facilitator you do not need to buy
anything.
The basic exercise requires all team members to:
• support a long stick or tube - each person using one finger
• lower the stick to the ground
• with no fingers losing contact with the tube.
The tendency is for the stick to rise, hence the name of the exercise,
because the collective force used to keep fingers in contact with the stick
is greater than the gravitational force (weight) of the stick. For this reason
use a stick for the exercise that is light enough for this effect to occur,
given the number of people in the team. For example a broomstick is too
heavy for a team of three people, but would be fine for a team of ten. See
the suggestions for stick types per team size below.
Other rules and guidelines:
• The stick (or any alternative item being lifted) must be rigid and not
too heavy to outweigh the initial 'lift' tendency of the team size. If it's
not rigid it makes it easy for team members to maintain finger-contact.
• Start with the stick at about chest height.
• Team members can be positioned either on one or both sides of the
stick - depending on stick length and team numbers.
• The team must return the stick to the starting position if any finger
loses contact with the stick.
• The stick must rest on fingers - the stick cannot be grasped or
pinched or held in any way.

• Typically teams are instructed to rest the stick on the outside (nail-
side or 'backs') of fingers, however specifying a side of the finger is not
critical to the activity.
• Optionally you can instruct that a finger from each hand is used,
which increases the lifting effect and the difficulty of the task. The
length of the stick and the number of team members are also factors in
this, i.e., two fingers per person requires a longer stick.
• Clarify the point at which the stick is considered 'lowered to the
ground' - underside of fingers or hands touching the ground is easier to
monitor than actually depositing the stick onto the ground, which
depending on the ground surface can be very tricky.
• There are many ways of improvising sticks. Some people use inter-
connecting tent-poles, but these are too heavy for very small teams
(the gravitational force is greater than the collective lift, which makes
the task too easy). Use your imagination - any rigid lightweight stick or
tube will do, and if you can't improvise a stick then other materials and
shapes can be used instead, as described below.
• Team size of just three people is not ideal - the activity works best
with six to a dozen per team, or even more subject to having a stick
long enough. Teams of three would be used mainly for splitting a group
of six or nine when a competitive element is required.
• The bigger the team, the longer the activity will take to complete
successfully. This is an important point - for example given a limited
time you'd be better splitting a group of twenty into two or three teams
rather than run the risk of failing to complete the task, which is not
great for teambuilding or for creating a successful mood.
• Two fingers per person (one finger each hand) creates more lifting
effect and challenge but requires a longer stick than one finger per
team member.
• Positioning team members on both sides of the stick enables bigger
teams, but can make it more difficult for the facilitator to monitor
finger-contact.
Games variations:
• Split large groups into teams, each team with their own stick, and
have a race between the teams for the first to lower the stick to the
ground. Watch for cheating. If appropriate appoint and rotate observers
for say three rounds or a knockout contest.
• Use a suitably sized square or other shape of cardboard instead of a
stick. This achieves a closer team grouping for large teams and adds a
different element to the activity if team members already know the
stick activity. Cut a big hole in the shape ideally so you can monitor
finger-contact.
• Use a hoopla hoop instead of a stick - a hoop also offers better
visibility than a sheet of cardboard.

• Start with the stick (or whatever else is used) at ground height, raise
it to shoulder height and lower it back to the ground. The challenge is
stopping it rising beyond shoulder height when it gets there.
• Issue two sticks per team - one finger for each stick - very
challenging.
• Mix up the teams for different rounds to explore the dynamics of
working in a new team even after all members understand the
challenge and the solution.
• Just before starting the exercise ask team members to press down
hard with their outstretched fingers onto the edge of a table for 30 or
60 seconds. This confuses the brain still further and increases the
tendency for the stick to rise.
Ideas for sticks and team sizes (rough guides):

• joined-together drinking straws (3-6 people)
• houseplant sticks (3-6)
• kite struts (3-6)
• rolled sheet(s) of newspaper (3-10)
• straightened-out wire coat-hangers (6-10)
• wooden dowel rods (6-12 - cheap from most hardware stores)
• bamboo poles (5-20 people)
• telescopic or interconnecting fishing rods (6-20 people or more)
• inter-connecting tent poles or gazebo poles (6-20 people or more)
• drain clearer/chimney-sweeping rods (10-30 people)
Review points examples:

• Why did the stick rise when we wanted it to go down?
• Did we anticipate the problem?
• How did we fix the problem?
• Having achieved the task with this team was it/would it be easier/as
difficult with a different team?
• How did we feel when fingers lost contact?
• What are the effects of time pressures and competition?
• How might we coach or prepare others to do this task?
• And countless other possibilities, many of which you'll see while
running the exercises.
As a facilitator use your imagination. The 'helium stick' exercise is

amusing and effective its basic format, and can be adapted in many ways
to support many different themes related to team-working and problem-
solving.

david davis resignation speech

The remarkable 12 June 2008 David Davis resignation speech provides a
wonderful unfolding case study for all sorts of teaching and training areas.
See the discussion examples, tips and clip on the training clips page.
secrets of success exercises (ice-breakers,

demonstration and discussion of what
enables business success)
This activity takes about three minutes in its basic form and requires just
a flip chart or equivalent.
Ask the group to take a few seconds to think (silently and individually) of
someone they know who is successful in business. Tell the group that they
do not need to name the person they are thinking of.
Then ask the group to think (again silently and individually) :
"What is it about that person that enables them to be successful?"
After ten or twenty seconds, ask the group to call out the words they are
thinking of.
Write the words on the flip chart.
When you have about eight or more words on the flip chart, ask the group
for their comments and observations about the words.
Specifically:
"What type of characteristics are (most of) these words?"
The answer every time is that the words will mostly or entirely describe
attitudinal characteristics. Not skills, not knowledge, and not experience.
The words will always largely represent attitudinal factors.
Develop the discussion in whatever way suits your purposes and session.
With positive attitude we can do anything. Attitude also governs how we
develop skills, knowledge and experience. Attitude - in whatever way
works best for each of us, because we are all different - is the singlemost
important factor for success in anything.
The exercise most obviously relates to demonstrating the enabling factors
for business success, but the factors and exercise can be applied to any
other success in life too.
This basic activity is a simple quick controlled exercise led by a facilitator
using a flip chart, but the idea can be developed in many ways to add
extra interest, group interaction, and depth, for example:
• For large groups split into teams of three. Ask each person to
identify three success factors. Ask each team of three to produce a list
of the top three factors identified within their team. Display and
compare the top three results across all teams.
• Ask half of the group to think of a successful man, and the other half
to think of a successful woman. Compare the identified characteristics
for men and women. Link the findings to style and personal strengths
and effectiveness, and potentially to discussion about gender and
equality.
• Take similar approach to illustrate and compare characteristics of
successful people in different age brackets. This can be linked to
discussions and issues concerning ageism and age discrimination.
• Take a similar approach for illustrating characteristics of successful
people according to any other relevant way of categorising people (to
your situation or session aims).
• Apply the exercise to identify success characteristics of teams or
companies.
Useful reference models and materials are Blooms Taxonomy (to

appreciate the difference between different types of personal
development), Erikson's Life Stages Theory and Personality Models (to
help understand what influences our attitudes). Also NLP and
Transactional Analysis are useful models to help understand how it is
possible to change our attitudes.
change exercises (illustrating and

experiencing dealing with change)
Here are some simple quick ideas to help demonstrate the brain's reaction
to change. They are based on having to accomplish a simple everyday
task in a different way:
• do left-handed a simple task normally done right-handed (or vice-
versa)
• blindfolded or with eyes shut (be mindful of safety issues)
• outside (instead of indoors - maybe even in the rain/wind - which
tends to create radically different circumstances)
• in pairs (when normally the task is one person's - like using a pair of
scissors - which highlights pressures resulting from team changes)
• by someone other than oneself, to oneself (which highlights fears
around personal control and trust)
• upside-down against a wall being supported by a colleague (task
and trust pressures)
• turn the task upside-down (for example a keyboard - strangeness,
unfamiliarity and re-learning pressures)
Examples of simple tasks to which the above alternative methods might

be applied (where safety and practicability allows):
• cutting paper shapes with scissors

• tossing a ball of paper into a bin
• typing on a keyboard
• cracking an egg into a bowl
• making a cup of tea or coffee or a sandwich
• writing or drawing
• using mobile phone
• putting a wristwatch onto the opposite arm
• applying make-up or tying a neck-tie
• tasks involving counting, sorting or building things (playing cards
are ideal for all of these)
Not all tasks can be matched with all methods, for example making a cup
of tea blindfolded is not very safe. Using a keyboard outside in the rain is
neither safe nor practicable. Use your imagination and common sense to
devise interesting and memorable combinations.
Different methods (types of change) create different pressures - on
different parts of the brain - and these effects vary according to the
individual.
It does not matter that the methods are mostly ridiculous - the point is to
demonstrate and experience the different pressures of different types of
change.
Observe and review how different people react in different ways to
different methods. We do not react to change in the same ways. Empathy
for other people's feelings is therefore crucial in managing change
affecting other people. Motivational and attitudinal models such as those
developed by Maslow and Erikson help explain why people react
differently to change. One person might feel terribly threatened by a
certain change which another person can take in their stride. Personality
has a big affect too, for example, steady dependable people can find
change more challenging than spontaneous intuitive people.
Change of any sort is difficult ultimately when:
• change requires the brain to overcome fear (of failure and self-
doubt, etc) and uncertainty of the change itself (which can be extreme
for certain people/personalities), and
• change requires the brain (and often the body too) to learn
something new, or to re-learn or accept something in a different way.
Change can be especially frustrating if it involves re-learning something

which under a previous method or system was achievable competently
(see conscious competence model) - because the brain can imagine and
remember being competent, which can cause a sense of loss or failure
relative to past experience.

The tasks and different methods above a just a few examples. You will
think of many others more suitable to your own situation.
There are many more activities on this website which address change
from more of a mental perspective instead of the physical examples
above. Johari Window activities address a particularly useful aspect of
change, i.e., self-awareness and exposure to other people's impressions of
self.
charades icebreaker (session warm-ups,

icebreakers, creativity, alternative
sources of ideas and inspiration)
This icebreaker or exercise combines the traditional charades party game
with thinking about work/management (or any other) principles, the
central themes and meanings within them, and the value of using non-
verbal themes ('vehicles') in conveying an idea, concept, etc.
The activity is relevant for any group with roles or interests in training,
teaching, team-leading, coaching, presenting, advertising, marketing,
design, and communications generally.
Basically the exercise is for group members individually to think of and
then silently 'act out' a song, a film, a book or a play, etc., which
illustrates a particular aspect of work, business or management, or any
other key message relevant to the group.
The exercise teaches and practises the method of using a vehicle (in this
case a book/play/song/film - or other categories if you wish) to convey
(and illustrate and emphasize) a message (or a concept or any other
important communication).
It's for young people as well as grown-ups, and encompasses many of the
'multiple intelligences' - potentially connecting bodily/artistic/musical with
logical/language/interpersonal capabilities.
The task concentrates people's minds on the central message and
meaning within their chosen principle, and also prompts thought and
discussion about using themes and different media and senses to
reinforce or deliver an important message, as distinct from using words
alone, which are often not the most powerful or memorable way to convey
an important point.
The sequence of the activity is:
1. Think of a simple message or rule or principle of

management/business/or other relevant function.
2. Now think of a book or a play or a film or a song which represents
this principle - the 'vehicle' which carries the message.
3. Next think how you can act this book/play/song/film silently to the
group, using only gestures (as in the party game charades).

4. Finally each member is given a minute to perform their charade to

the group in turn, while the group has to guess the
book/play/song/film, and (not so easy) the principle that the 'vehicle'
represents.
The task also demonstrates the value of using simple clear themes and
communications - especially non-verbal signals - that an audience (staff,
customers, or any other target audience) can readily relate to and
recognize, without the need for lots of explanation and description.
If necessary brainstorm and agree the rules for charades, or prepare a
rules sheet and issue it, so that everyone has an equal chance for the
charades stage of the activity. Here is wikipedia's charades rules. You can
use a much shorter set of rules to speed up the exercise, since the point
of the activity is to think about themes and messages rather than become
experts at charades.
You can also award points to group members and to performers for
correct guesses of book/play/song/film, and for close and correct guesses
of the principles represented.
The activity can be run as a much quicker icebreaker by removing the
charades element, and simply asking group members for their suggested
themes and vehicles rather than acting them out.
seasonal icebreaker (session warm-up,

icebreaker, discussion-starter for
virtually any work-related subject)
For groups of between four and twenty people - minimum eight ideally.
Duration of activity is between five and fifteen minutes, although the
exercise can be extended if further discussion is warranted, for example if
exploring implications of issues arising.
Split the group into four teams.
Draw lots to allocate a season to each team: Spring, Summer, Autumn
(Fall), Winter.
The task for each team to identify as many seasonal factors related to and
influential upon work/business/sales/customer-
service/HR/recruitment/training (or any other function relevant to the
group, at the discretion of the facilitator) for their allocated season.
Give a time limit for the task - anything between a minute and five
minutes will be okay. Of course you can give longer if you want to make
the exercise more challenging and strategic, rather than seeking quick
headline points as would apply for a speedy icebreaker.
Organise/facilitate presentations and discussion accordingly.

This extremely flexible exercise encourages and enables thinking and

subsequent discussion about how situations, demands, needs, priorities,
etc., change according to circumstances (predictable events, trends, etc).
Discussion can be extended to the implications of the identified effects
and how to deal with them.
The principle - using seasonal perspectives - obviously focuses on
seasonal factors, but can be used to emphasise the need for awareness
and adaptability in management, planning, self-motivation and
awareness, etc., in relation to all types of changes in causal and influential
factors.
The more we think about what is likely to happen, then the easier we can
plan, and the fewer surprises we have.
dice exercise (sales planning, marketing,

sales strategy, selling effectiveness,
time management, maximising your
productivity)
This is a quick simple activity for a meeting or training session. The
activity illustrates some important lessons.
Approach a salesperson (or person with similar responsibilities) with a
handful of dice. Hold out the dice, handing just one to the person. Avoid
encouraging them to take the other dice.
Then ask them to throw six 'sixes' in thirty seconds to achieve success or
win a small prize, while you (as the facilitator) continue holding the
remaining dice in your open hand.
Expect the thrower to build up to frenzied activity as you count down the
seconds aloud.
Some succeed, some don't. The lessons of the exercise are in the review.
The learning points are:
• The chances of hitting sixes increase with the number of throws - a
big part of selling is a numbers game, in which percentages and ratios
are significant. So why not throw quickly from the start to increase your
chances? Why wait for the deadline to increase energy levels?
• The thrower could have asked for more dice. (As the facilitator
explain in the review that you would have given them more if asked.)
Obviously the more dice being thrown, the more sixes are likely to
appear. We can expand our range or opportunities by simply thinking
how to maximise our effectiveness at the outset of a task. We can ask
ourselves (and others) when we approach a new project - What other
ways and potential exist? For example, working together in a business
to look for cross sales for other departments. And looking for additional

distribution methods and market sectors, which can also dramatically

increase potential.
• Also, (prior to the exercise) the facilitator can doctor some of the
dice to have an extra six. The facilitator keeps the doctored dice among
those retained in the hand. Use correction fluid to make extra dots -
fours and twos easily convert to sixes. These doctored dice represent
the availability and neglect of methods which offer better returns than
the initial assumption, or 'received wisdom'. This demonstrates the
value of research, and perhaps testing, of methods and targets which
produce a better rate of success.
You will uncover more examples related to your own situation which will
arise from this powerful yet simple little exercise.
Chiefly the exercise is for sales people, but can be used for anyone with
responsibility to plan how to use their time, and especially how best to
direct their efforts in order to maximise results and rewards.
Anyone with average skills can easily out-perform the most skilful
operator if they target their effort more strongly and effectively.
Success does not only depend on what you do. Success depends mostly
on where and how determinedly you do it.
Note: Technically 'die' is the singular for dice, and dice is the plural, as in
the famous expression 'The die is cast', which is an interesting item of
trivia, not least because it is also connected to the expression 'crossing
the Rubicon', if people are likely to be interested.
Thanks to R Chapman (no relation), for the contribution of this excellent
exercise. Incidentally die is singular for dice not plural, as I ridiculously
stated when I first posted this item, (thanks M Burgess).
shoe-wear and foot wear (icebreaker

exercise, discussion about self-
awareness, different people-types,
johari-type development)
Mind and body are connected.
Here are some simple quick questions to prompt thought and discussion
about that notion. The activity is useful as an icebreaker especially
because it is active and usually humorous.
Look at the backs of the heels of your shoes. Do you wear your heels
down on the inside or the outside, or in the middle? Is the wear the same
for each foot?
To what extent is there a relationship between our personality and the
way we walk? And additionally (or alternatively), how does our footwear
reflect us as individuals?

Discuss with other people your and their reactions to these questions.
The facilitator can organize the groups, feedback, discussion, etc., to suit
the situation. The Johari Window model is helpful in explaining the value of
self- and mutual-awareness.
Discussion can be developed in various ways. 'Nature versus Nurture'
(genes v upbringing) is often an interesting perspective when considering
what makes us the way that we are. Also, the subject of our feet has
several strong emotional and cultural connections, which can raise
interesting questions about human behaviour and feelings from various
angles.
Other ways to develop ideas about mind-body connections, for self-
awareness and awareness of other people; types, personalities, styles,
attitudes, needs, etc:
• graphology (handwriting analysis) - including self-assessment
instrument
• multiple intelligence theory and learning styles - also including self-
assessment instruments
• personality theories - within which the four temperaments is a great
introduction which everyone can relate to
• self-hypnosis/visualisation exercise - adapt the format to suit your
purposes
• stress management - many mind-body aspects
• and for young people especially - fantasticat
N.B. Given the nature of this subject, the facilitator should consider any
potential discrimination implications.
how many 'f's?... (icebreakers,

assumptions, checking details, the mind
plays tricks, seeing is not always a basis
for believing)
A quick puzzle with various uses.
See "How Many Fs?" on the puzzles page.
'a senseable friend' cards activities

(icebreakers, problem-solving, creative
thinking, hidden issues, johari, etc)
I rarely pick out a product on these pages but

this one warrants inclusion because it's so
different and appealing.

Developed by Peter Middleton, 'A SenseAble
Friend' is a pack of 81 triangular cards, each Why 81 cards?...
carrying words or phrases designed to provoke
The design evolved from
and enable reactions, thoughts or discussion.
study of scientific,
The cards can be used alone, or by a facilitator psychological,
with a group, and as with other activities teams theosophical and
of three work well. spiritual teachings.
The cards can be used in a quick free-flowing In our lives, contrast, or

and spontaneous way for activities such as: 'natural paradox' is
always present. The
• icebreakers opposites in us exist
• problem-solving comfortably at the same
time. They do not need
• brainstorming 'fixing'; they exist to
• uncovering hidden issues provide clarity. Some
relate this to 'duality'.
• johari window-type development, e.g.,
Jung's theory, for
developing mutual awareness among
example, offers some
teams
explanation, among
• exploring needs and priorities not other ideas like yin and
revealed in normal discussion yang.
• a basis for observation of people - for To give meaning to
facilitator, team-leader, or among team- these opposites and
members decide who we, we need
• exploring and developing relationships a third element:
consciousness.
• personal reflection, thinking outside of
the box, breaking free, etc. Aside from this three
sided model, our lives
The approach, explained via simple and flexible can also be represented
instructions, is highly intuitive, and yet is in terms of four
effective with process-oriented folk as well as perspectives: physical,
with intuitive types. From personal experience I psychological, spiritual
can vouch for the strange power of the cards, and divine.
which definitely seem to tap into the
unconscious in ways that conventional The 81 cards evolved to
development systems and methods do not. reflect this structure of
three to the power of
The product would be an excellent addition to a four (3 x 3 x 3 x 3 = 81).
facilitator's toolkit, or simply keep a set on your
desk. Trust your unconscious - ideas will echo There is more to the
and return in ways you might not expect. design, but this
essentially explains why
See Peter Middleton's A SenseAble Friend. there are 81 cards.
(My thanks to Soleira Green for drawing my
attention to Peter and his concept.)

'sell a region' diversity game (diversity

awareness, teambuilding, presentations,
research, understanding other cultures)
For group sizes of nine and upwards ideally. A group of eight split into four
pairs is probably the minimum. Whatever, split the group into the teams
you'd like to work together. Team sizes can be between two and five
people. Teams of three generally work well. For larger events bigger
teams will work well, subject to finding roles for everyone. Consider the
total presentation time available and the total group size to arrive at
optimum size of teams.
For example - three teams of three would be fine for a small group event,
or ten groups of five would be okay for a conference. For groups of more
than 50 you can devise supporting roles (coordinator, props, equipment,
MC, scheduler, creative, etc) within teams to enable bigger team sizes.
This activity requires that people are given time before the event to
research and prepare. It is possible to run the exercise in a 'lite' version by
offering research facilities at the event, but the benefits of the activity are
much increased if people and teams have the opportunity to discover
information.
The exercise can also be adapted for individuals to work alone, and could
potentially be used in a group selection recruitment event, in which case
group members people should be given time for research and preparation
before the presentation day. A smaller group size, say four or five people,
is viable for the exercise if based on individual presentations.
Having determined the teams, allocate a part of the world to each team
(logically relating to the regions/countries that chiefly feature in your
diversity issues) - or invite the the teams to choose their own
countries/regions, subject to your guidelines and situation.
Each team's task is to prepare and then deliver a team presentation
'selling' their region to the group or conference, imagining the audience to
be seeking a holiday home or the holiday of a lifetime.
Team members are responsible for researching and preparing the
following aspects for their presentation. The number of aspects is variable
and at the facilitator's discretion, and should ensure there is sufficient for
each team member to be involved:
• leisure and sport
• entertainment
• history and culture
• food and drink
• places to visit
• language and custom
• industry and commerce

• transport and travel

• people and places
• connections with other parts of the world
• amazing facts you never knew about (the region/country)
During the presentations, for which you should issue appropriate

timescales, the members of the conference or group vote on the best
presentations according to pre-announced criteria (examples below), and
as an additional incentive you can ask each team to buy a prize
(representing their region up to a stipulated value, depending on your
budget.
The winners of each category can choose their prize from the pool.
Awards categories examples:
• overall Wow! factor
• presentation style and quality
• star presenter
• specialist categories according to above presentation criteria, e.g.,
best historical item, best entertainment item, best amazing fact, etc.
The activity offers lots of flexibility for adaptation to suit your particular
circumstances and development aims. It challenges people to discover
new positive things about other parts of the world, to work in teams, and
then to share their discoveries with the group.
A neat addition to the exercise, if the situation allows, is to appoint some
team members as roving 'cultural advisors' to other teams if among the
group you have people with background or knowledge in the allocated
regions, and if you are very clever you could actually select and allocate
the regions with this in mind. To achieve a competitive balance each team
should be able both to offer an adviser and to benefit from the help of an
advisor from another team.
This exercise can also be adapted to provide a more modern and
meaningful interpretation of the desert island or plane crash stranded
survival exercise, which essentially encourages group members to identify
resources and to formulate a plan of action.
To do this, adapt the presentation instructions thus:
Purpose of the presentation: to identify a plan for surviving and thriving
on a personal or business level (in your allocated region/country).
This obviously does not carry the aspect of desperation present in the
traditional 'stranded' exercise - instead it gets people focusing on real
issues of diversity and personal challenge in a more useful sense.

animal perceptions exercise (self-

awareness, team discussions and mutual
awareness, johari-type development)
This is a simple, enjoyable and thought-provoking activity for workshops
and team-building. This exercise should be positioned as mostly fun and
to prompt reflection, discussion, etc. It is not to be presented or used as a
scientific assessment of personality or attitude, and certainly not as an
assessment of good or poor skills or temperament.
I am grateful for its contribution by Shwetha Singh, a post-graduate in
psychology, Punjab University, India.
Ideally start the activity with some discussion about how other people
affect one's own self-perceptions - for example:
"How do significant people in our lives affect the way we perceive
ourselves?"
This discussion should prompt people to think about their own self-
perceptions.
Next, ask group members individually to rank the animals below in order
of their personal preference.
Rank these animals 1, 2, 3, 4 in order of your

preference or liking for them.
Lion Dog Parrot
Write down the order.
Elephant
You can keep your list private if you wish to.
There are no right or wrong answers.
Group members do not need to reveal their chosen order, but may do so if
happy to in the subsequent discussion.
When group members have decided and written their list of the four
animals in order of preference, you can then reveal the key for
interpreting the results.
You must emphasise that this is mostly for fun and to stimulate reflection
and discussion. People may keep their preferences and interpretations
private if they wish.
Key to Order and

Dog Lion Elephant Parrot
Animals
1 How you want others friendly, dominant, tolerant, lively, fun,

(significant people in faithful, fearsome, passive, free-
your life) to perceive loyal, independe cooperativ spirited,
you today. supportive nt, e, sociable,
, decisive, respected, amenable,
2 How you believe you protective, proactive, big, popular,
are actually dependabl isolated, strong, attractive,
perceived today by
others. e, reliable, aloof, controlled, cheerful,

trustful, leading, calm, passionate,
3 How you'd like to be trusting, critical, indomitabl spontaneou
perceived by others solid, objective, e, revered, s
in the future. keen, detached, wise
hard- focused,
4 How you actually
working, fearless
truly want to be -
loving
without influence of
what other
significant people in
your life feel and
think about you.
Some discussion points:

• To what extent do we shape our self-image and aims according to
the influence and opinions of other people?
• To what extent do we understand how we are actually regarded by
others?
• To what extent does what other people think of us matter?
• Should the influence of other people today affect what we seek to
be in the future?
• If you could list different animals - or substitute people/role-models
instead - what would the list be and what might it tell you about
yourself?
• Whether the exercise produces accurate results is not the point -
the point is to encourage thinking about who we are and who we want
to be, in more depth than we normally consider these things.
• The Johari Window model is a useful reference for this exercise and
surrounding discussions.
Underpinning theory and further reading if desired: Carl Rogers' ideas

about Ideal Self and Real Self, and Sigmund Freud's theories, notably
relating to animal personalization and influences of significant others
(people in our lives).
I am grateful to Shwetha Singh for the contribution of this exercise and
assistance with its adaptation. This exercise is not presented as a
validated or scientific instrument. Please use it carefully.
christmas quizzes
Free Christmas quizzes - Quizballs 48 (30 questions and answers) - and
last year's Quizballs 29 (20 questions and answers)

listening games (listening, interpretation,

understanding, speaking, creativity)
Exercise 1. First here is a quick self-contained ready-made listening
exercise (ack Claire Leach) which focuses on listening only.
Exercise 2. The activity which follows is different to the ready-made
game above - it enables a group to devise their own exercises and
therefore includes aspects of creativity and team working in addition to
listening.
This second exercise is an activity idea chiefly for demonstrating and
developing listening, understanding and interpretation abilities, but also
for general communications and creative and competitive team working.
Split the group into two or more teams of up to five people per team. Split
larger groups into more teams and adapt the exercise accordingly - it's
very flexible.
Each team member (or a given number of people per team) must read out
a passage from a newspaper or other suitably detailed text to the
opposing team or teams.
Rotate the reading around the teams in turn rather than have each team
perform all its readings one after the other.
Teams must listen to the readings so as to answer questions later, posed
by the team asking the questions. Taking written notes while listening is
optional at the discretion of the facilitator. If useful and relevant to the
skills required then include this aspect.
When all the passages have been read, each team must then devise and
ask the other team 5/10/20 questions in turn about the passages they've
read.
Optionally the questions can be devised before the readings, which makes
the listening challenge easier since there is no interruption or distraction
between the readings and the questions.
The winning team is the one to answer most answers correctly. The
facilitator can award bonus points for answers which demonstrate
particularly good interpretation of the subject matter included in the
readings.
Adjust the many variables of this activity to suit your situation, notably:
structure teams number and size, number of readers, length of passages,
number of questions, etc., according to time and group size, and level of
difficulty required.
Here's an example:
• group of 10
• two teams of 5 people
• 3 readers per team (self-appointed by teams)

• passages to be max 100 words or 30 seconds

• 5 mins allowed for teams to decide passages (newspapers contain
ideal content)
• 3 mins total time for reading the six passages
• 5 mins for teams to construct 5 questions based on their passages
• 5 mins to ask and answer 10 questions, 5 questions each team,
asked/answered alternately one from each team
• winning team is team with most correct answers/points including
bonuses
• total time including set up, excluding review and discussion, about
30 mins
The activity format can be varied too, for example breaking the
questioning and answering into two different sections, so that teams have
a chance to work on their answers, which adds the extra difficulty of
noting or remembering the questions properly too.
Introduce more fun or additional technical aspects by issuing amusing or
obscure or very specific reading material.
money exercise (ice-breaker, talking point,

focus on observation, taking things for
granted, noticing things right in front of
us)
This is a quick and very easy ice-breaker or scene-setter.
Everyone uses money - notes and coins - most days of their lives. Coins
and banknotes are a part of our lives, and yet like other vital and ever-
present aspects of our lives, their familiarity and constant presence cause
us to ignore their details.
The same can be said of our friends, our families, colleagues, our own
bodies, the world around us. We go through life taking it all for granted,
and only miss something when it is gone.
To illustrate the point ask people (individually to write down) how many
designs they are aware of on a pound coin. In countries other than the UK
choose a suitable equivalent coin or banknote which has many variations.
Then ask people to look in their pockets and purses (manbags?... the
world is changing, another story..), and show and tell as a group how
many actual different pound coin designs exist. You will be surprised.

Arguably no harm
comes from failing to
appreciate the detail,
variety and subtlety
and purpose of all the
designs of our coins or
banknotes, but could
we pay (pun intended)
more attention to the
detail, variety and
subtlety that exists in
other aspects of our
world - people
especially?
The world opens to us
when we become
more open ourselves
to what and who are in
it - then we see more
clearly the
opportunities and
bigger priorities we
might have been
ignoring.
Ask the person next to
you: "Tell me
something important
about you that I don't
know." Again you will
be surprised.
With a little effort we
can see and enable
more to happen, or we
merely continue (quite
understandably) to
focus on our own very
narrow priorities and
view of the world,
which when we take a
wider view often don't
seem to be so
important after all.
The picture shows nine
of the pound coin
designs. How many
others can you find?
What do they denote?
There are fourteen in
circulation (as at
2007). See the Royal

Mint pound coin page
for full details.
For more supporting
trivia and information
about (mainly British)
money see the money
history and slang
page.
conkers and acorns activities (various

themes for discussions and exploration)
A seasonal activity if ever there was one. These ideas are more for young
people than for grown-up work environments, although for some there will
be connections with work issues. Usefulness and effectiveness will partly
depend on openness to intuitive learning and exploration. Various
exercises and opportunities arise from these fascinating fruits, for
example:
• Take the group outside to the local park and have them collect
conkers and/or acorns. Fresh air and a nostalgic revisiting of simple
childhood fun is good for the soul. Be careful if the (big) boys want to
throw big sticks up into the trees.
• Trees are very spiritual and symbolic of many modern issues and
challenges, and can be used to prompt all sorts of discussions and
ideas. Time, maturity, age, seasons, growth and rest, converting energy
and fuel (sun, rain, soil minerals) into life and beauty, design, balance,
quality, etc.
• Ask people to close their eyes, think and then explain their
associations and feelings triggered by (physically holding, handling)
conkers or acorns. The real thing is far more sensory and emotive than
a picture. This illustrates the power of the subconcious and unconcious
mind, which is very relevant to our behaviour, as featured in
personality, NLP, and Transactional Analysis, for example. For many
grown-ups it demonstrates the deep-rooted feelings anchored in our
childhood.
• A good old-fashioned conkers competition. You need a drill and
string. Goggles and health & safety disclaimer as appropriate. Have the
group design the structure of the competition so that all stay involved
from start to end.
• Explore/develop the selection and preparation of the most
competitive conkers. Old conkers are the best. Drilling produces a
stronger hole than forcing through a nail or an awl, which creates
weaknesses liable to split. Does vinegar really work? Apparently
softening with moisturiser works better..

• Write the rules of playing conkers so that an eight-year-old would

understand them.
• The pros and cons of regulations in proper competitions which forbid
the use of personal conkers. How do rules affect the nature of the
competition and the appeal to potential contestants and audiences, in
turn affecting the 'market' development?
• Cultural/diversity discussion - Conkers and acorns have strong
British associations. What are the equivalents in other regions/cultures?
• Acorns symbolise growth and potential: "Parvis e glandibus quercus"
- Tall oaks from little acorns grow, is the old anonymous Latin saying.
What other imagery and analogies are associated with trees?
• What are the origins of the words? - chestnut (from Greek 'kastanon'
- not the modern English words chest or nut), conker (probably from
conch, meaning shell, because apparently early versions of the game
were played using snail shells, and/or associated with the word
conquer) and acorn (Old English different spelling 'aecern' evolving into
modern form by combination of 'ac' meaning oak and 'corn' meaning
kernel as in nut - sources Chambers and Cassells).
• The design of the conker and its prickly casing are a marvel of
evolution. Why is it like it is? Why is the acorn like it is? How did that
funny little cup arrangement evolve? When we think about the function
of fruits we can imagine how they evolved their amazing designs. What
can we learn from nature's evolution and design that might be
transferable to organizations and society? To what extent should we
encourage and enable design and evolution of organizations and
policies and systems via external influences (customers especially)
rather than internal arrogance and guesswork?
• Conkers (horse chestnuts) are not to be eaten by people, yet they
are safe for certain animals, including horses. The North American
Indians used a lot of acorns in their diet, yet acorns are poisonous to
horses. How did that happen?
• Extend the exploration to sweet chestnuts, which of course are very
tasty roasted or toasted under a grill and rather easier to prepare than
acorns.
• Or find the best propellors from the sycamore/maple trees. You'll
discover a lot more in the park. Maybe combine with a visit to the
swings. (See the quickies below). Or just go feed the ducks and the
squirrels. Beats spending your lunch-break at your desk any day.
world conker championships

wikipedia conkers
North American Indian acorn recipes
how to whistle an acorn

competitor-partner exercise (competitor

intelligence, competitor research,
different perspectives, seeking and
finding positives and opportunities
instead of difficulties and threats -
choice over instinct - collaboration
rather than conflict)
The assumption is normally that a 'competing' organization or person can
only ever be a competitor and a threat, to be attacked, defended,
undercut, or beaten or fended off in some way.
Such tendencies commonly stem from instincts which give rise to basic
human survival behaviours like: tit-for-tat, retaliate before being attacked,
to see threats rather than opportunities, and to defend rather than expose
our own vulnerabilities, etc.
There are good reasons however for taking a more modern rounded
collaborative view of people and organizations that operate in our
personal or business space or field or market.
The first law of cybernetics explains a crucial benefit resulting from
considering and choosing our responses rather than defaulting to instinct
(or worse still defaulting to the assumed or inherited instinct of others, or
convention, tradition, status quo, expectation, etc).
Much energy is wasted developing and implementing competitive
strategies, which often can either be avoided altogether (because the
threat is vastly lower than believed) and/or which can better be
channelled into collaborative partnership strategies (which can produce
far better outcomes for all concerned).
This exercise (which can be simplified or extended) encourages a more
sophisticated approach when responding to organizations in markets (or
people within work teams) normally viewed as competitors or threats.
Split the group into teams or pairs or individuals as appropriate for your
situation.
Allocate or ask the participants to identify an organization (or group, but
can be a trend or a development) that they consider to be a competitor or
threat. In certain situations choices can be kept private, for example
where the exercise deals with people and relationships.
Validate the selections (in light of the remainder of this exercise, so that
the subjects are relevant and helpful). Obviously this is more appropriate
for commercial competitor situations. Where the exercise is used for
private personal relationships just ask people to double-check themselves
that they have chosen a suitable subject.
Ask people to think carefully about their chosen person/organization,
according to the factors in the appropriate grid below (the grids are
different for organizations and people), and particularly to cast aside all
assumptions and historical beliefs and practices.
The factors can be adapted according to the circumstances, and for more
complex situations (notably commercial competitor and market analysis)
can entail quite detailed research (separate from the session, or part of
the session, depending on the time available and local situation).
Essentially the exercise weighs the pros and cons of each factor from the
perspective of competitor and partner.
Emphasise to participants when making the assessment to look
continually for a fit between the other organization and their own situation
and capabilities and needs.
You will often be surprised that there are far more reasons to collaborate
than to persist with habitual aggressive or defensive competition
strategies and responses.
This is the age of collaboration. We can all benefit by checking old
assumptions.
market competitor/partner grid

as competitor? as partner?
factor pros cons pros cons
offering
(products,
services, added
values, people,
strategic,
philosophy,
ethics, culture,
range, USP's,
price, quality,
approvals,
licences,
reputation,
gaps and
needs,
innovation,
brands -
others..)
territory
(markets,
countries,
cultures,
demographics,
penetration,
share,

coverage,
franchise,
geography,
area,
dominance,
trends -
others..)
connections
(distribution,
routes to
market,
communication
s, comms
technology, ITC,
inbound and
outbound,
advertising and
promotions, PR,
lobbying, export
import,
partners,
suppliers,
regulatory,
international,
scale and size

(resources,
expanding,
declining, size
strengths and
weaknesses,
growth
aims, ownership
and funding,
debts and
gearing, cash
and liquidity,
acquisitive,
divesting,
adaptability,
speed - others..)
totals/summar
y or overview
- various ways
to
score/summaris
e - for example
a point for each
significant issue
noted, or simply
assess the
weight and
amount of
comments in
each column
Tips:
1. Using colour can make the exercise more intuitive and the results
easier to see, for example use green for pros and red for cons.
2. If developing strategy in relation to a single major 'competitor' you
can have the whole group work on one big grid, using post-it notes
or similarly ingenious display method - in which case allocate parts
of the grid to teams or pairs to work on. Or have two teams - one
work on the pros and the other the cons; or four teams or pairs,
each working on one of the four factors.
people and team relationships grid

The competitor-partner grid can also be adapted to help people or a group
explore team and group relationships and ways to work together rather
than to compete and conflict.
Again the emphasis should be on finding a fit between oneself and the
other person - in terms of strengths and weaknesses, personality and
styles, mutually supporting aims, experience and aspiration, etc.
If running an open shared exercise ensure anyone subject to the analysis
is present and agreeable, and ideally participating constructing their own
grid featuring another member of the team.
The tool can of course also be used as a private personal reflective
instrument, in which case the findings are to be kept private and
personal. It is not appropriate for a group to discuss and analyse a
person who is not present and agreeable to the exercise.
you me
factor pros cons pros cons
style
skills
knowledge
experience
philosophy
territory

connections
other
totals/summar
y
Add other lines as appropriate. Allow and encourage people to adapt and
develop the format to suit their situations. The aim is to find points of
mutual support and compensation. Everyone is good at some things and
not so good at other things. We do best in life when we help people where
they are not strong, and this enables them where possible to help us
where we are not strong.
Other relevant concepts:

prisoner's dilemma (related to collaboration v aggression, game theory
and win-win strategies)
cybernetics
personality perceptions relationships matrix (based on the Four
Temperaments/DISC model)
personality types
multiple intelligences and learning styles
© competitor-partner grid concept alan chapman 2007
questioning games (to demonstrate, teach

and practise the difference between
open and closed questions)
Many people habitually ask closed questions when they want to gather
information and encourage the other person to talk, instead of using open
questions.
Here are some scenarios to use with groups in demonstrating the
effectiveness of open questions, and the ineffectiveness of closed
questions, for gathering information efficiently. Use your own alternative
scenarios if more appropriate to your situation.
In each case state the scenario to the group, and then role-play or ask for
closed questions by which the group must gather all the facts or solve
the puzzle. This is neither easy nor efficient of course. Then ask for
suggestions of open questions which will reveal the information or
answer most efficiently.
Scenarios (numbers 2 and 3 are lateral thinking puzzles suitable for
questioning exercises):

1. You are seeking to rent a holiday cottage in a particular area (say

Cornwall, or whatever). The newspaper has one advert in the Cornwall
section, stating merely: 'Holiday Cottage For Rent' and a phone number.
Role-play your phone call to discover if the cottage is what you want,
using closed questions only. (If helpful, brainstorm a long list of typical
requirements beforehand.) Similar exercises are possible using other
sale/hire/services scenarios, e.g., cars, houses, party/wedding venues,
coaching, clubs, etc.
2. A class of twenty-five children is invited by their teacher to share a bag
of exactly twenty-five sweets. After the share-out all the children have a
sweet but one sweet remains in the bag. How is this? Instruct the group to
ask closed questions to solve the puzzle. (The answer is that last sweet
was taken away in the bag.)
3. Two electric trains were mistakenly routed onto the same track in
opposite directions into a tunnel. One travelling at 200 mph, the other at
220 mph. Each train passed successfully through the tunnel and was able
to continue its journey without stopping or colliding. How so? Instruct the
group to ask closed questions to solve the puzzle. (The answer is that the
second train entered the tunnel several minutes after the first one had left
it.)
Use or adapt your own puzzles and scenarios as appropriate for the
audience.
You can also vary the way that the group asks questions - in turn, one-to-
one with observers, in pairs, etc.
Here is some explanation of the use of questioning in a sales training
context, as typically found in a traditional selling process. Questioning of
course features importantly within coaching, counselling, interviewing,
investigating, and many other disciplines, so adapt the explanation to suit
your needs.
Use the poster of Rudyard Kipling's 'six serving men' verse to help explain
and reinforce the best way to ask open questions.
You can also extend this activity to develop the way that questions are
structured and asked (style, emotion, tone, body language, use of words,
etc), in which the Mehrabian theory is a helpful reference.
For help with enabling powerful facilitative questioning see Sharon Drew
Morgen's Facilitative Methodology.
(My thanks to Sarah Phillips for this activity idea.)
diversity quiz game (for diverse groups,

mutual understanding, empathy,
diversity training)
Here is an easy exercise which makes use of the quiz format to teach and
improve people's response to diversity issues.
The activity is for diverse groups (mixed age, race, gender, religion,
and/or other types of people), but the exercise will be useful for groups of
apparently less diverse nature too. Diversity is not just about race and
religion - diversity entails all aspects of what makes people different,
which can be found in any group of people, even if initially the group
seems not very diverse at all.
The exercise is basically for the group members to create a diversity quiz
by contributing questions individually (or working in pairs or threes
depending on overall group size), and then for the group as a whole to
take the quiz (or in the same teams).
This process enables discovery of real practical local diversity issues,
instead of assuming and announcing what they might be.
If appropriate first brainstorm and/or discuss and agree/explain what
diversity means.
Here is a suggested description. Adapt it or use your own explanation to
suit the situation.
"In a social or work context diversity means difference and variation
among people. This difference and variation can be characterised by
race, gender, age, religion, physical shape and ability, social class and
background, personality and ability: any, some, or all of these.
Organizations which make the most of the natural diversity in their staff,
customers, suppliers and other partners, have a huge advantage over
organizations which fail to do so. Making the most of diversity in staff and
other people - often called inclusiveness - increases the depth and range
of behaviours and capabilities (also skills, knowledge and styles) that the
organization can call upon in meeting the needs of the increasingly
diverse market place. Recognising diversity in the market place effectively
increases the size of the market. Failing to acknowledge diversity within
and outside the organization reduces capabilities, causing the
organization to be less appealing, and to fewer people, and in some cases
creates organizational liabilities for litigation under discrimination laws.
Failure to recognise and respond to diversity often equates to
discrimination and is regarded by fair-minded people as unethical."
Here is the instruction to group members to create the quiz:
1. You have five (or 10 or 15) minutes to formulate one (or two or three)
quiz question(s) and answer(s) for a diversity quiz. You must do this
individually/in pairs/in threes.
N.B. Timings, numbers of questions and team size depends on the size of
the group, for example: work as individuals for group sizes up to 9 people;
in pairs for groups of 8-24 people; or in threes for groups of 15 and above.
Very large groups should be spilt into sub-groups with appointed
facilitators. Consider time available and number of questions needed
when deciding your parameters for the activity.
2. Tell the group: when formulating your questions and answers think
about subjects that are significant in reflecting or influencing how you,
and people like you act, think, behave, decide, etc. Questions can be
about anything - history, lifestyle, culture, media, travel, geography,

finance, food and drink, language, politics, leisure and entertainment.
3. For the effective running of the quiz, questions must be clear and easy
to understand, and have clear short answers - facts, figures, etc., not
subjective personal opinions that might be subject to wide interpretation.
4. One of the ironies of diversity is that we all tend to assume that people
who are different to us understand how and why we think and behave the
way we do. We take for granted the way we are, and expect others to
sympathise with us, and to see things from our viewpoint. This starts with
the simplest aspects of our lives. Therefore in formulating helpful diversity
quiz questions and answers, do not strive for complex concepts. Keep it
simple, and you will be surprised how revealing and helpful this can be.
5. Hand the formulated questions and answers to the facilitator, who can
then run the quiz for the whole group using all questions. The quiz can be
run for people competing as individuals or in the same pairs or threes
which formulated the questions.
A useful reference model for this activity is the Johari Window. The
diversity quiz exercise seeks to enable people to increase what others
know about each other, which is at the root of inclusiveness and making
the most of diversity.
The Multiple Intelligence model is also a useful reference model for
considering people's different strengths (to avoid assuming that there is
only one type of intellectual capability), and the Erikson life stages model
is also helpful in considering age and upbringing issues.
questions examples, and adapting exercise

into survey
The questions and answers should be simple - everyday things that we all
take for granted, except when it comes to other people, which is the
point. Most obvious examples relate to geographical/cultural facts
relevant to people's own native/place of birth/parents' country.
For example:
• national holidays
• money/currency
• capital city
• language(s)
• airport(s)/airlines/roads/transport/ports
• ruling party/government/leaders/opposition parties
• religion(s)
• national sports/hobbies/pastimes/music/dance
• newspapers/TV/media
• beautiful regions/scenery weather/seasons/climate
• tourism
• monuments/buildings/bridges/rivers/lakes
• wild animals/birds/trees/plants
• national flag design/national anthem/national history/independence.
Other diversity issues questions/areas to explore:

• disabilities and personal physical/mental differences
• age/generational factors and lifestyle/behaviours/preferences
• gender/sexuality differences
• multiple intelligence issues (see Gardner model and test for useful
context) - respecting each other's strengths and weaknesses,
preferences and aversions, fears, etc
• home life attitudes and received/conditioned/inherited
views/attitudes - exploring cultural aspects of parental influences.
Developing quiz questions need not be the most important aspect - it's
the discussion and exploration on the way that also holds great potential
for mutual understanding, especially in a diverse group.
The outcome or ostensible 'aim' of the activity can therefore be altered
accordingly - maybe not a quiz - maybe 'ten amazing things I never knew
about my group', or 'ten amazing things my team partner(s) and I never
knew about each other'..
The concept can also be adapted into/started with a survey - when the
group goes out into a busy public area to ask people: "Could you tell me a
simple fact about your culture/country that could make a good question
and answer for a diversity quiz? (Explain if required: Diversity is
understanding and appreciating the differences between people)..."
If you run the exercise and produce some questions do let me have them
to share on the website.
Please send me quizzes created using the above exercise to share with
others, or post them onto the Businessballs free publishing Space.
causes and solutions exercises (discussion

or illustration of problem-solving,
dispute resolution, crisis management
and avoidance, solutions-focused
thinking)
Quick and easy to set up, and very adaptable for all sorts of training and
development purposes, this exercise is based on the following simple
principle:
Ask individuals or pairs or threes (or a larger team with guidance as to

team for leadership) to identify an example in a newspaper of some sort
of dispute or conflict, and then to analyse the causes and solutions.
Ask people to adopt the view of a mediator. Suggest or brainstorm some
pointers to help people approach the task, for example:
• What helpful facilitative questions could be asked of the parties
involved to work towards a solution?
• What might be changed in the methods or attitudes or structures of
the situations in order to prevent a recurrence of the problems?
• How does each side feel and what are their main complaints,
feelings, needs and motivators?
• To what extent could the problem have been averted or predicted,
and if so how?
• How can others learn from the situation?
Discussion and presentation format and timings are flexible and at the
discretion of the facilitator.
Save time if needs be by highlighting suggested articles in the
newspapers.
Refer delegates to relevant management or behavioural theories and
models, and/or ask that delegates do this when they present/discuss their
views/analysis.
quiz public survey game (research,

communications skills, appreciating the
knowledge other people possess, human
engagement, fun)
This is a simple twist to bring any quiz or question to life, and add a
wonderful dimension for developing and demonstrating the power of
successfully communicating and engaging with other people.
Split the group to suit you (teams, pairs, or threes probably best). Decide
rules, timing, presentation, discussion, review, etc., to fit your situation.
All this is flexible.
Take any quiz or series of questions, or one big difficult question. Issue it
to the teams (or pairs, or individuals, etc).
The task is to go out and engage with the general public to find the
answers.
Introduce variations to suit your situation.
For example if working with competing teams you can arrange that each
team has a 'shadow' or observer from another team to ensure no
cheating, and also to give observer feedback in any reviews that happen
afterwards. (If appropriate brainstorm the review points prior to the

exercise with the group - it's easier and better than you doing this by
yourself.)
You can also define certain areas or places for the teams to go (shopping
centre, pubs, library, old folks home for example), although take care to
ensure no nuisance is caused.
State clear rules for the use of phones. Purists might argue that they are
not allowed at all, which is fine, but there is no problem allowing an
element of phone research if it fits the group roles/preferences and
development situation.
There are lots of quizzes in the quizballs section, including many with
interesting varied content that would suit this exercise.
Or make up your own questions or subjects for the teams to research
among the general public, for example:
• List the last 20 prime ministers/presidents in correct order.
• List all the county towns/state capitals.
• Name all the Big Brother winners in order.
• What's the history of the local town?
• Who are the most famous people born locally?
• What are the five most liked corporations, and what are the five
least liked corporations?
• Who would win an election if one were called now?
You'll think of lots more ideas.
bin toss game (warm-up, tea-break activity,

competitive exercise, exploring
competitiveness and motivation)
Adapt this simple idea any way you want. There are lots of potential
variations. A horse-shoe table layout (U-shape) or a ring of tables or a
square with a gap in the centre are well-suited to this idea. 'Cabaret'-style
layout will also work provided the position of the waste bin target(s) is
arranged fairly.
You can probably guess already...
Position a waste bin or basket on the floor or on a table centrally between
the delegates.
The winner or winning team is the one to throw the most balls of paper (or
any other suitable objects that the facilitator decides) into the bin.
Obviously specify a method of identifying who threw what.
Variations on the theme are for example:
• Design a personalised or team brand or logo for each sheet rolled

and tossed.
• Different coloured paper.
• Paper rockets.
• Only one sheet allowed - how many tiny balls can you get in the bin.
• Time limits. Limits on amount of projectile materials.
• All throw at once, or take it in turns.
• Business cards - float or spin.
• Coins, coloured rubber bands.
• Pairs, threes, teams.
• More than one bin with different point values.
• Ice buckets and dustbins.
• One bin per team with point deductions for opposing team missiles
successfully deposited.
• Write a letter on each sheet before tossing - words must be spelled
from bin contents.
• Pairs, or threes or teams to devise a party game based around the
bin toss idea - then demonstrate and sell it to the group.
You'll think of lots more..

When you have why not publish them on the new Businessballs Space?...
bricks in the wall exercise (aims, goals,

objectives, steps - for new years, new
beginnings, changes and planning,
making dreams into reality)
This is a simple exercise for goal-setting and making changes. The ideas
are relevant for calendar new years, new trading years, new roles, teams
and projects, and for personal development.
The activity is based on the simple concept that even small aims actually
comprise a series of elements which need to be identified, planned, and
implemented in correct order.
Achieving aims, goals and changes is like building houses - they need to
be understood and assembled bit by bit - like bricks in a wall.
You might start with a vision or dream or objective, but this cannot be
achieved in one single move.
A house is not built from the top down or all at once. It starts with a plan -
or maybe a vision if the type of house has never been built before - and is

then constructed from the foundations upwards, section by section, brick

by brick.
Like building a house, any aim or change or objective must be analysed
and planned, and then built in a sensible order:
• what will it look like? - describe the vision or end-aim so we will
recognise it and be sure it has been achieved correctly
• what are the components? - the causal factors and circumstances? -
what needs to be put in place? - physical resources and materials,
maybe people too, and intangibles like agreements, permissions,
understanding, etc.
• and what is the process for assembling it all? - the steps, sequence,
timings, etc.
Using this concept, ask the group, split into whatever teams or individuals
that makes sense for your situation, to visualise and then map out - in
very simple terms - one of their own main aims for the coming
year/period, quarter/lifetime, whatever.
Keep it simple. Resist getting into a lot of detail. Merely seek to
explain/reinforce the need for basic structure and sequence and the
relationship between cause and effect. This is the extent of the exercise.
The framework is:
1. Describe the end-aim - what does the completed

change/objective/aim/dream look like? What will it/you be like, feel
like, behave like, and what difference will the change make? Is the
end aim worth the investment? Is the end aim actually a good and
right one? How will you know when it's been achieved, and
everyone else too?
2. What are the components of this change? The physical things you
can see and touch and put a cost to, and the other factors that are
less easy to see and to measure? What are the cause-and-effect
relationships - start at the end and work backwards - what needs to
happen before this, and this, and this, etc.
3. What is the sequence and timings of assembling the components,
and for more complex changes, what is the inter-relatedness (and
inter-dependence) of the components? Certain elements are part of
sub-sets or sub-structures that need to be built at the same time
alongside eachother, converging at a suitable point. Understanding
these connections is very important where a project comprises a
number of separate inter-dependent structures. (Imagine how long
it would take to build a house if only one trade or activity could be
on site at any one time, and imagine how chaotic things would be if
these different activities were not planned and joined together at
the right time.)
4. Finally, having identified the above - in outline terms only - ask
people to bring them together as a rough plan for their own
particular aim/objective/change, in whatever format people find
easiest. (Some people prefer to map out a flow diagram, others

prefer a pictorial representation like a house; other people prefer a

list; any format is fine as long as it's clear and structured.)
The purpose of this exercise is not to produce a heavily detailed project

management plan - that can happen afterwards if required (see the notes
on project management for examples of traditional planning formats) - the
aim of this activity is to explain the importance of cause and effect, and
compenents and process, in achieving aims.
the ampersand game (ice-breakers, warm-

ups, demonstrations of learning,
thinking, and brain-types, knowledge
versus skill)
This simple exercise is a quick icebreaker, or can be extended into
something more meaningful. Fundamentally the activity demonstrates
that knowing something is very different to doing something. Knowledge
is different to skill. The exercise also illustrates certain learning and brain
processes, notably relating to retention, practise and repetition, as steps
to perfection. Useful reference models would include Bloom's Taxonomy
and the Conscious Competence model.
The basic activity idea is very simple: It's basically to draw the ampersand
symbol (the 'and sign'). The exercise however can be adapted and
developed significantly.
Everyone has seen the ampersand symbol. Most people call it the 'and
sign'. It looks like this, in two common fonts, (Tahoma and Times New
Roman):
& &
In fact the ampersand appears in a wide variety of wonderful designs; it
has provided designers through the centuries with more scope for artistic
interpretation than any other character.
The activity is simply to ask people to draw the ampersand symbol - serif
or sans serif - or a more stylised version - at the discretion of the
facilitator. (Interesting background about sans serif and serif fonts is on
the presentations page.)
It's actually not at all easy to draw a good-looking ampersand, especially if
team members are not able to see the symbol to copy it.
Knowing and recognising the ampersand equates to 'knowledge'. Being
able to draw it - to reliably produce one - equates to 'skill'. Different
things. Knowledge we can learn by observation and other sensory input.
Skill is generally only acquired from experience, practice, trial and error.
This is the heart of the activity.

Where people should draw and present their artwork attempts - and how
large and how long is permitted for the effort - is all flexible and at the
discretion of the facilitator. People can use a blank sheet of paper where
they sit, or alternatively can practise (or not), and then take turns to draw
the symbol on a flip chart. Or ask people to work in pairs or threes or even
teams, to design their definitive ampersand. Or encourage branding and
styling of people's artwork according to a particular theme, which extends
the activity beyond the basic purpose described here.
At its simplest the exercise is a two-minute icebreaker. With a bit of
imagination it can be adapted into a much bigger activity, if the idea
appeals and fits the situation.
The exercise emphasises that we can know something very simply
intimately but be incapable of reproducing it properly and expertly -
whether a printed symbol, or something more significant. The principle
extends to behaviour, style, techniques, etc.
The activity also demonstrates the significance of practice in becoming
good at something. The brain must learn how to do it, which is very
different from the brain simply recognising and being able to describe it.
Incidentally while the symbol is about 2,000 years old, the word
ampersand first appeared in the English language in around 1835. It is a
corrupted (confused) derivation of the term 'And per se', which was the
original formal name of the & symbol in glossaries and official reference
works. More about the origins of the ampersand. Explaining the history
can help position the exercise - it took 2,000 years to arrive at today's
ampersand designs - hence why it takes a bit of practice to reproduce a
good one by hand.
seasonal team games (exercises and

activities linked to christmas and other
celebrations)
These activities ideas are not only for Christmas. They'll adapt for other
seasons and celebrations. Use these activities sensitively. If there's a risk
of causing offence then adapt them or avoid them. The ideas are meant to
be fun, underpinned by some useful questions and learning. Split the
group however suits you (teams, pairs, or threes probably best). Arrange
presentation, discussion, review, etc., to fit your situation. The
Roman/Greek god theme below has absolutely nothing to do with the
activities, but if it helps add an additional creative perspective by all
means go with it.
1. Christmas Community Party - You are a think-tank appointed by
Bacchus, god of wine, merriment and debauchery. Bacchus has tasked
you to devise a plan for staging a free local community Christmas party or
event, to include ideas for the type of event, target audience and guests,
funding, staffing, venue, marketing, publicity and ideally on-going benefit
for the community, and reasons for the funders and event managers to

stay involved and supportive. (Specify a community as appropriate, or

leave the teams to decide this themselves.)
2. Brussel Sprout Relaunch - You are marketing advisor to Saturn, not
only Roman god of the sky, but also with a secondary portfolio
responsibility for agriculture (never knew that did you..) Anyway Saturn is
very concerned that one of the greatest vegetables ever - the brussel
sprout - has struggled to achieve the popularity it deserves, especially
among children, most of whom would apparently prefer to eat a bogie or a
big mac instead of a good helping of brussels. Your task, should you
decide to accept it, is to devise a product relaunch plan for the brussel
sprout, including whatever you think would elevate the vegetable to its
rightful place as king/queen of all vegetables. Consider the marketing
staples: Product, Price, Promotion, Place, and anything else you can bring
into play, e.g., endorsement by Ramsos and Olivos, the two-headed god of
culinary evangualisation. The world is no longer your oyster, it's your
sprout. (Incidentally sprouts smell bad when they are cooked for too long,
so education is worth including in your ideas.)
3. 2020 Retail Visioning - You sit on the advisory panel in the service of
Argos, Asdos, Morros, Sainsbos, Tescos, and Waitros, the six musketeer
gods of retailing, who have been assembled by Zeus and tasked to
redefine the developed world's retail distribution model for the year 2020.
Consider how, where, what, when and why consumers will be buying, and
from whom. Your 2020 vision for retailing does not necessarily have to
include the six musketeers, and in some ways it might be more fun if it
does not. For instance, Co-opos, god of mutuality has some interesting
ideas, as do Amazos, Ebos and Googlos, the gods of change and basically
ripping up the rule book.
4. Seasonal Rebrands - You are marketing assistant to Richus Bransos,
the emperor of branding, and he's hungry for a sleeping giant of a product
to rebrand and relaunch. Your task is to identify a product or service or a
proposition of some sort - anything from a chocolate bar to a whole
country - which can be rebranded and relaunched for the Christmas
season (or any other season as appropriate) to generate bucketloads of
wonga for the Bransos Empire and its shareholders. Consider
product/service, price, promotion, place, uniqueness and differentiation,
distribution, plenty of photo-opportunities for Richus Bransos to dress up
as a banana or a silly girl. (Forget brussel sprouts because Saturn is
already working on it, and forget ITV because that other lesser god of the
sky Rupertos Murderos has already bollocksed that one up right good and
proper).
5. Christmas Diversity Project - You are doing a spot of work-
experience for Gallupos, god of questioning. Zeus has raised the matter of
the Christmas tree in the foyer and the 'Secret Santa' planned for next
Friday lunchtime. Gallupos wants you to go forth into the local high street
and canvass the populace (or look on the internet) to discover all the
different ways that people celebrate Christmas around the world, and for
those who don't celebrate Christmas find out what they do instead and
when and how and why. Then (optionally) if you've time, try to roll them
all together to conceptualise some sort of celebratory extravaganza for all

of humanity that will please everyone, and that we might be able to fit
into the foyer.
6. Monetary Exchange project - You are special advisor to Soros, god
of money, who has been tasked to devise an improved design of coinage
and banknotes, which better reflects people's preferences and practical
needs. Your responsibility is to suggest design, size, shape, material,
monetary values, and any other innovative ideas for a new system of
coins and banknotes.
christmas quiz
See Quizballs 29 - twenty questions and answers for parties and team
games.
cartoon and celebrity role-plays (case-

studies, character profiles and scenarios
for role-playing appraisals, interviews,
counselling, disciplinary meetings, and
coaching reviews, etc)
Creating or compiling case-studies, character profiles, and scenarios for
role-play training exercises can be time-consuming and difficult for
trainers.
This is especially applicable when planning role-plays in training for
appraisals, job interviewing, counselling, disciplinary meetings, coaching,
etc., when it's important to get people practising and observing
techniques and learned skills.
Role-plays produce significant benefits for the participants and observers -
and provide evidence of learning retention and comprehension - but
giving people suitably interesting parts to play usually requires a lot of
preparation. Even given good preparation, case-studies which are too
mundane or too close to real work situations can hinder enjoyment and
the necessary detachment and focus on techniques.
Here's a way to generate easily and quickly lots of interesting case-study
character profiles and scenarios for role-play exercises, which will also be
great fun and very enjoyable to use.
Instead of spending ages searching for and developing work-based case-
studies, consider using well known characters and situations from the
world of news, entertainment and celebrity.
You can also get the group involved in thinking of suitable characters or
situations they'd like to incorporate into their role-plays, for whatever
work skills you are teaching or seeking to demonstrate.

Certain characters are useful for different sorts of skills development role-
plays. Where helpful or necessary also stipulate a situation that relates to
the character. Situations related to characters are especially useful in
roles-plays for disciplinary or counselling meetings, and for performance
reviews, etc. Here are some character examples. You'll be able to think of
many more:
• Superman, Lex Luthor, Batman, Catwoman, other comic book
heroes and anti-heroes (for mediation roles-plays too..)
• George Bush, Tony Blair, Nelson Mandela, Hillary and Bill Clinton,
other politicians
• Characters from Thunderbirds, Wacky Races, X-Men, Star Trek, etc
• Characters from TV Soaps; Eastenders, Coronation Street, Friends,
Sex in the City, etc
• Characters from Sci-Fi and fantasy adventure: Dr Who, James Bond,
Harry Potter, Bilbo Baggins, etc
• Rupert Murdoch, Clive Thompson, Richard Branson, and other
notable corporate leaders in the news
• Cruella Deville, Snow White, Homer Simpson, other cartoon
characters
• Tom and Jerry, Roadrunner and Wile E Coyote, (for arbitration role-
plays..)
• Madonna, Naomi Campbell, Paul Gascoigne, OJ Simpson, and other
controversial celebrity figures
The world of news and entertainment is full of well-known characters and

interesting situations that provide unlimited fascinating raw material for
role-plays.
Using iconic and famous characters enables participants to relate quickly
to the personalities and broad issues. Characters and situations are
instantly recognisable and instantly available for all sorts of role-play
situations.
Importantly, not having extensive case-study details encourages people to
focus on helpful facilitative questioning and listening, and on clear
expression and presentation, all of which is central to successful one-to-
one communications. Using very broad and powerful characters and
situations enables a strong focus on the development of communications
style and techniques for both/all participants, rather than getting bogged
down in technical work-based content. (If you want to work with bit more
detail you can always use biographies or obituaries of famous people,
which are readily available on the web.)
It's also a lot more fun role-playing larger-than-life iconic characters than
using detailed (and for many, boring) management case-studies.
Fully detailed work-based role-plays of course have a place in the learning
and development spectrum, but there are times when something quicker
and more stimulating will work better. Not forgetting also the benefit for
the facilitator, for whom these ideas enable role-playing activities to be

organised without having to spend ages compiling and writing case-study
profiles.
obituaries (personal goals, visualising

personal aims and potential, identifying
personal potential, life values, purpose
and meaning)
A simple exercise to lift people out of habitual thought patterns, and to
encourage deep evaluation of personal aims, values, purpose and
meaning.
For groups of any size. Encourage post-activity feedback, review, sharing
and discussion (or not), as appropriate, depending group/teams size,
facilitators and time available. Encourage and enable follow-up actions as
appropriate, dependent also on the situation and people's needs.
The activity is based simply on posing the question(s) to team members:
"Imagine you are dead - you've lived a long and happy life - what
would your obituary say?"
Alternatively/additionally ask the question:
"How will you want people - your family and other good folk
particularly - to remember you when you've gone?"
Modern day-to-day life and work for many people becomes a chaotic fog,
in which personal destiny is commonly left in the hands of employers and
other external factors.
It is all too easy to forget that we are only on this earth once. We do not
have our time again.
So it is worth thinking about making the most of ourselves and what we
can do, while we have the chance.
Focusing on how we would want to be remembered (who and what we
want to be, and what difference we have made) helps develop a
fundamental aim or idea from which people can then 'work back' and
begin to think about how they will get there and what needs to change in
order for them to do so.
Follow-up exercises can therefore focus on 'in-filling' the changes and
decisions steps necessary to achieve one's ultimate personal aims.
Most things are possible if we know where we want to be and then plan
and do the things necessary to get there.
See the various quotes posters related to life purpose and values, which
can be used in support of this activity, for example:
"He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless dead" (Anon), and
"The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it."
(William James, 1842-1910, US psychologist and philosopher)
telephone chatting activities (team-building

for home-based staff, telephone skills
exercises, remote teams relationships)
Home-based staff and remote teams miss out on the valuable social
contact normally available to office-based teams.
Personal interaction between staff (typically chatting and engaging in the
canteen, elevator, lounge areas, etc) is crucial for developing relationships
and mutual awareness among teams, so if teams do not meet frequently
then the leader must devise ways to enable this personal interaction to
happen.
Traditional autocratic management discourages chatting between workers
because it considers chatting to be a waste of time, but this misses the
point.
"You are paid to work not to chat or socialise in the corridor - get back to
work.." is actually a very unhelpful management tactic.
The truth is the better team members know each other the better the
team performs.
See the Johari Window model - it is a powerful explanation of the value of
increasing mutual awareness, and why mutual awareness is central to
effective teams and team building.
Within reason, people need to be given every opportunity to get to know
each other, and chatting achieves this very well. Chatting develops
mutual awareness, and it also helps people feel included and valued.
Conversely, if you deny people the chance to engage personally with their
colleagues you starve them of interaction that is essential for well-being
and life balance.
The internet increasingly enables people to connect through 'groups' and
'social networking' websites, but for many remote or home-based work
teams a simple telephone-based alternative can provide an easier more
natural process, moreover using the telephone - even for chatting - helps
improve telephone skills, especially listening.
A simple way to achieve this double benefit of team development and
skills improvement among remote teams is to encourage telephone
chatting (within reason of course) between team members.
Here are some ideas for doing this:
• Introduce a compulsory 15 minutes telephone chat-time which each
team member must have with every other team member every week.
Give no subject or aim other than having a good chat and getting to
know the other person.
• Introduce a rota or matrix for inter-team chat telephone

appointments - timings to suit workloads - again with no aims other
than to have a chat and learn something about each other.
• Introduce a virtual team tea-break or virtual visit to the pub -
everyone is in fact by their phone in their own homes or offices (with a
cup of tea or a tumbler of what does you good) connected a suitable via
telephone conference call - and the tone and spirit of the discussion
must be as if the team were gathered around a table in the canteen or
at the local pub. There are no aims or intended outcomes aside from
having a good chat and getting to know each other better.
• When people are connecting more regularly and the telephone
chats are up and running, maybe try introducing a few discussion
subjects - not necessarily about work - anything to get people talking
and understanding each other better. Maybe ask the team to suggest
topics too, and then see where the team wants to take things.
Encouraging and enabling chatting between team members improves

telephone communications skills since it involves using the telephone to
develop understanding, mutual awareness, empathy and relationships
between people. Skills development becomes sharper still if activities are
adapted for 'conference' calls connecting several people. Communications
skills are placed under greater pressure when the voice is the only
medium, which obviously tends to develop people's listening abilities.
businessballs quickies (ice-breakers,

thought-provokers, ideas you can
develop into all sorts of activities)
These are quickies in the sense that they are quick for me to explain and
for you to understand the basic ideas. What you do with them is up to
you. Of course the development of these ideas could also be team
exercises in their own right. Have fun.
quickie 1 - marbles
Take a few bags of marbles into the session. They are inexpensive,
extremely evocative and nostalgic, beautiful and can be used for all sorts
of exercises, aside from simply organising a quick knock-out competition
(in which case be sure to brainstorm and agree the rules first with
everyone..)
quickie 2 - ultimate sandwiches
Provide various loaves of bread, butter, margarine, and various
(adventurous) fillings, plus bread-knives and wipes. Competition to make
the ultimate sandwich. Variations extend to sending delegates out at
lunchtime to buy their own ingredients for the ultimate sandwich
challenge. Group tasting and voting as appropriate. Be adventurous with
fillings and if appropriate enforce penalties and forfeits for anything you
could buy in a sandwich bar. Bonus points for anything including
anchovies, capers, etc. Could you patent a sandwich? What sandwich

would be most or least profitable? Consider production, packaging and
distribution too. Correlations between sandwiches and types of people
(makers and eaters)? Brand your ultimate sandwich. How would you
market and promote your sandwich? How would you extend your
successful sandwich business?.. Fancy rolls/cobs/batches/baps? (any other
names incidentally for a bread roll?), pot noodles? restaurants, delivery?
Market sectors? Range diversification? Pies, pasties, soup in the basket?..
quickie 3 - papier mache
Papier mache, for those who never paid attention at infant school, is
newspaper strips and flour paste glue, which is a wonderful modelling
material, for small and large constructions, especially with a few tubs of
Vaseline (petroleum jelly) as a release agent (if using moulds) and maybe
some chicken wire from the local DIY store for making base structures.
Painting is optional if you have time for constructions to dry and work on
another day. For ideas see papiermache.co.uk. Revisit all the construction
exercises you know and consider how they might work with papier mache.
Aprons are advisable.
quickie 4 - conkers
Beyond September/October you might have some left over in drawers that
the kids aren't interested in any more. A knock-out championship is the
obvious activity, but like marbles they are beautiful and will prompt lots of
thoughts, memories, feelings etc., which can be used to address all sorts
of issues - environment, cultural diversity, technique, quality, ageism, etc.
(Conkers of course get better with age, not vinegar, which just makes
them smelly and soggy..)
quickie 5 - sweeties
Buy a few chocolate bars and tubes of sweets - one or two of the main
varieties - and see how the groups responds to them. Why do we each
have our favourites? What correlation is there between favourite
chocolate bar and personality? Is there a class thing going on? Is there a
gender thing? Cultural diversity and team correlations or analogies? What
are the brilliant marketing and packaging successes and abject failures?
Does anyone in the world like the new Smarties packaging? Bring back the
tube I say. The possibilities are endless.
quickie 6 - breakfast cereals
Another visit to the supermarket, or task the delegates to go shopping at
lunch-time for the cereals (according to whatever rules you state) and
report back on their service and marketing experiences and observations.
Same sort of activities and discussions as above basically. Milk, sugar,
spoons and bowls are optional. Who prefers it straight out of the box dry?
Anyone prefer water on their cornflakes? Salt and sugar debate, linked to
marketing and social responsibility issues? How old is Tony the Tiger?
What's the best thing you ever had free from a cereal box? What's the
greatest example of added value? Which actually tastes the best and can
we predict what your team members will like and dislike? Are the adverts
grreeeeaaat or are they a load of rubbish? Can we see similarities in the
style and feel of products from the same organisation? Which brands are
more likely to succeed globally and which will need re-branding?
quickie 7 - groups
Essentially this is an activity for the group to organise itself into sub-
groups according to the categories you state. People should have space to
move around, and materials to create simple signs (for sub-group names).
It's up to the group to establish the sub-group sections, which many
people will find very challenging - they have to create the structure from
nothing and then fit themselves into it. The facilitator can stipulate
minimum and maximum sub-group sizes, which obviously increases or
reduces challenge of deciding the sub-group structures. Here are some
examples of subject categories. These are daft, but daft is thought-
provoking, fun, and a great leveller, which makes the topics helpful for
relating to each other in ways that are completely removed from usual
work or social groupings:
• preferred washing-up or vacuuming or decorating or gardening
methods
• favourite type of TV or show or entertainment
• leader role model
• random words, eg., 'pets/money/sport/wow', or 'table/tree/nut/leave'
(obviously the random words are effectively the sub-group structure)
• holiday destinations
• favourite music
• dream car
• preferred retirement age
Points to review after several group organisation phases would be for

example: what did you think when you saw different people in different
sub-groups? Who surprised you in their choices? Who was predictable and
unpredictable? How did people's behaviour change in according to the
different group categories? Who has knowledge or expertise or passion
about something that we didn't realise before?
quickie 8 - playground visit
Take people to a local kids playground and mess around on the swings
and roundabouts, etc. Try not to get into trouble with the local authority.
Find a location without an upper age limit ideally. Preferable go when the
kids are at school. Playgrounds help people get in touch with feelings and
imagination that gets buried and hidden at work. And it's fun.
visualisation exercises (identifying unique

personal potential, careers and
direction, lifting limits)

A simple exercise with deep meaning, for any group size subject to
appointing discussion leaders if appropriate. Review is optional. Thoughts
can be shared and discussed or kept private; the type of review and
follow-up depends on the situation.
The purpose of the exercise is to encourage and enable people to think
creatively and imaginatively about their direction and potential. As such it
is particularly appropriate for people who are in a routine that is not of
their choosing, or who lack confidence, or who need help visualising who
they can be and what they can do.
Ask people to imagine they are 18 years old and have just received a
great set of exam results that gives them a free choice to study for a
degree or qualification at any university or college, anywhere in the world.
They also have a grant which will pay for all their fees. No loans, no debts,
no pre-conditions.
So the question is, given such a free choice, what would you study?
Put another way, what would you love to spend a year or two or
three years becoming brilliant at?
For older people emphasise that they can keep all the benefit of all their
accumulated knowledge and experience.
They can even create their own degree course to fit exactly what they
want to do.
The important thing is for people to visualise and consider what they
would do if they have a free choice.
And then either during the review discussion and sharing of ideas, or in
closing the exercise, make the following point:
You have just visualised something that is hugely important to you.
You are (depending on your religious standpoint) only here on this earth
once. You will not come back again and have another go.
So what's actually stopping you from pursuing your dreams?
In almost all cases the obstacles will be self-imposed.
Of course it's not always easy to do the things we want to do. But most
things are possible - and you don't need to go to university for three years
to start to become who you want to be and to follow a new direction. It
starts with a realisation that our future is in our own hands.
We ourselves - not anyone or anything else - determine whether we follow
and achieve our passions and potential, or instead regret never trying.
(Additional stimulus and ideas can be provided for the group in the form
of university and college course listings or examples, although people
should be encouraged to imagine their own subjects. Anything is possible.
See also the Fantasticat concept.)

team skipping (teamwork, team-building,

warm-ups, outdoor activities)
These team skipping activities are for groups of ten people or more,
ideally twenty or larger, up to very large groups of a hundred or two
hundred people.
Split the group into teams of five to ten team members - 8-10 is ideal - or
bigger teams if you fancy being more adventurous.
Issue each team with a length of rope six metres long, or longer if you
want to work with larger teams. The rope should be suitable for skipping,
about 1cm wide, typically available from DIY and hardware stores. As ever
practise and test any untried elements before selecting activities and
materials for the actual event or session.
The task for the teams is to perform a routine or series of skipping
exercises in teams (like children's playground games, with two team
members holding the rope, one at each end obviously).
Instruct and demonstrate the rope twirling correctly, so that the skipping
rope just touches the floor on each downward part of the twirl. Twirling
too fast or too high can be dangerous and is punishable by detention or a
visit to the head-teacher's office..
The rope holders will create a safer wider higher area of clearance for
their team's jumpers by using their arms, not just wrists, to create big
circles when twirling the rope.
Ensure everyone in the teams has a chance to practise the rope twirling if
the intention is to rotate this responsibility during the routines, which will
add useful variety and change.
Teams can perform simultaneously or one after the other depending on
the situation, as planned by the session facilitator, although activities like
this are far more dynamic and exciting if everyone is involved at the same
time. If you wish you can arrange individual team displays or 'jump-offs' at
the end of the activity, which will enable voting and judging by all
participants.
As implied, voting or judging the best teams and team members can be
included in the activity depending on the situation. You can create
different prize categories to ensure there are a number of different
opportunities for teams and participants to excel in their own way (style,
technique, duration, most spectacular rope tangle, most awkward
director, overall best skipper, most reliable steady twirlers, best team
rhythm, etc, etc.)
Music can also be used to add to the atmosphere, in which case be aware
of the effect of the music beat on the skipping speed.
Encourage team members when not skipping themselves to coach and
support those skipping at the time.

It is the responsibility of the facilitator(s) to oversee the skipping speeds

to ensure teams keep to sensible and safe rhythms.
Be mindful of age and health issues, and structure the activities
accordingly, for example allowing those who prefer not to skip to be
twirlers or coaches or judges.
Be mindful also of general health and safety and insurance issues, and
where appropriate (especially if you are external provider) ask
participants to sign a disclaimer. If using the activities indoors ensure the
floor is carpeted or that sponge gym mats are used to cover the skipping
areas. If using the exercise outside use a grassed area rather than a car-
park.
Under no circumstances force anyone to take part. This sort of physical
activity must always be voluntary, and also must be appropriate for the
group.
Warn participants not to jump in high heels (not just the men, the ladies
too..)
If you really want to use this exercise but are unable or unwilling
to risk the rope then consider running the exercise without the
rope. Instruct the teams to use an imaginary rope. It might sound
a daft idea, but it will get people thinking, moving and jumping
about, and working in teams. And it's completely safe.
Here are some examples of skipping instructions, which can be issued in
advance, or called out during the activity by the facilitator. Plan
instructions that are appropriate for the type of group. Variation to
instructions can be increased by asking the teams to give a number to
each team member. You should clarify the instruction terminology before
the exercise begins.
Terminology suggestions (adapt according to preferences):
• skipping zone = the floor area above which the rope is twirling,
between the two rope holders
• step in = enter the skipping zone and start jumping, preferably over
the rope at each revolution
• step out = exit the skipping zone, preferably without getting caught
by the rope
• twirler = a rope-holding team member responsible for twirling the
skipping rope
These skipping instructions examples are based on a team size of 8-10

people but in principle they'll work with larger or smaller teams. Be
creative and imaginative. There are no bounds to the silliness, subject to
safety and the group's sense of humour and fun:
• step in/out boys/girls/all/bosses/directors/team-
member1/2/3/whatever
• change one/both twirlers (while skipping continues)

• clap/chant/count/sing along to the music/whatever in time with

skipping rhythm
• boys remove ties while skipping
• girls put make-up on the boys while all skipping
• make a mobile phone call to a loved one/colleague while skipping
• you get the idea..
More chaotically challenging variation and team inter-action can be

introduced by instructing team members to join or swap team members
with other teams. This obviously changes the competitive team dynamic
into one of whole group interaction and cooperation. To do this you will
need to clearly identify each team. Again, using humour and imagination
makes more fun.
Examples of a 'whole group' instructions:
• All teams to synchronise their skipping rhythm so the whole group is
skipping 'as one'.
• All teams maintain at least one/two/three jumpers, while the whole
group re-organises into (balanced) teams according to categories
specified by the facilitator, for example: boys/girls; job type; length of
service; personality type; favourite food; etc, etc. (The facilitator must
prepare and list the categories within these broad category headings,
for example personality type could offer the categories of reliable-
dependable, intuitive-creative, critical-thinking, warm-friendly.)
• Each team develop into their own actual or virtual team by
swapping team members with other teams and then develop their own
distinct skipping pattern/sequence/style/performance which reflects
their actual or virtual team role in the whole group/organisation (which
can be performed and judged at the end of the activity).
isolation and intuition team exercises

(relationships, bullying and harassment,
diversity, intuitive demonstrations)
Here are two simple ideas for groups which can each be developed and
adapted to suit local situations.
Split very large groups into teams of ten to twenty people.
exercise 1 - isolation
The task demonstrates the feelings that a person experiences when
isolated or subject to victimisation, group rejection, etc. As such it
supports the teaching of positive human interaction principles, and laws
relating to equality, diversity and harassment.
Ask the team(s) to nominate a person among each team to be the 'victim',
who must then stand away from the rest of the team, while the team
members stare and sneer at the unfortunate isolated 'victim'. For very
grown-up people you can allow mild criticism directed at the 'victim'
(nothing too upsetting or personal please). In any event be careful, and do
you best to ensure that the first 'victim' is not the most vulnerable
member of the team. Preferably it should be the most confident or senior
member, and better still the team's boss. Ensure every team member that
wishes to is able to experience being the victim. The review should focus
on how 'victims' felt while isolated and being subjected to the staring or
worse by the rest of the team. The exercise demonstrates the power of
group animosity towards isolated individuals. If appropriate and helpful
you can of course end the activity with a big group hug to show that
everyone is actually still friends. (Hugging incidentally demonstrates well
the power of relationships at the positive end of the scale of human
interaction and behaviour. See the Love and Spirituality at Work section
for more supporting background to this subject.)
exercise 2 - intuition
Aside from the lessons from exercise 1 relating to victimisation, the above
activity also highlights the significance of intuitive feelings, which
although difficult to measure and articulate, are extremely significant in
relationships, teams and organisations. This next exercise augments the
first one to further illustrate the power of intuition and feelings that
resides in each of us.
Using the same or similar team(s) in terms of size, then split the team(s)
into two halves. One half of the team (called 'the watched') should stand
facing a wall unable to see the other half of the team (called 'the
watchers') which should stand together, several or many yards away from
'the watched'.
The watchers then decide among themselves which person to stare at in
'the watched' half of the team (for say 30 seconds per 'target' person).
The watchers can change whom they stare at and if so should make rough
notes about timings for the review. After an initial review you can change
the sides to ensure everyone experiences watching and being watched.
Of course 'the watched' half of the team won't know which one is being
stared at... or will they?
In the reviews you will find out if any of 'the watched' people were able to
tell intuitively who was being stared at, even though 'the watchers' were
out of sight. Also discuss generally how 'the watched' and 'the watchers'
felt, such as sensations of discomfort or disadvantage among 'the
watched', and perhaps opposite feelings among the watchers, all of which
can support learning about relationships and human interaction. For
review also is the possibility that some people in the teams are more
receptive and interested in the activity than others, which invites debate
about whether some people are more naturally intuitive than others,
which is generally believed to be so, and the implications of preferences
either way.
Experiments (and many people's own experience) indicate that many
people have an instinctive or intuitive sense of being watched, and

although there is no guarantee that your own activities will produce clear
and remarkable scientific results, the exercise will prompt interesting
feelings, discussion and an unusual diversion into the subject of intuitive
powers.
age diversity exercises for teams (age

discrimination training, ageism
awareness, diversity development)
With the introduction of Age Discrimination legislation (UK October 2006,
and consistent with European law), there is an increased need to raise
awareness and to train people about ageism and age discrimination. Here
are some ideas for activities and exercises which will highlight the issues.
See the related notes about Age Discrimination and Diversity, including
the 'objective justification' rules explaining certain allowable age
discrimination subject to robust evidence that it is proportionate and
legitimate.
Organise teams and discussions according to your situation. Here are four
separate ideas which can be used for exercises and team games.
1. Under age discrimination legislation many customary expressions in
written and spoken communications are potentially unlawful if they
refer to a person's age (any age - not only older people) in a negative
way, and/or which could cause a person to feel they are being harassed or
discriminated against. Under the law, individuals are liable (for
harassment claims) as well as employers' wider responsibilities regarding
discrimination, harassment and retirement. Some very common
expressions are potentially discriminatory or harassing if directed at
someone at work. Ask people to think of examples - there are lots of
them, such as:
• Teach an old dog new tricks
• An old head on young shoulders
• Mature beyond his/her years
• Respect your elders
• It's a young man's game
• Too old
• Past it
• Over the hill
• Put out to grass or pasture
• Dead man's shoes
• Too young/Not old enough/Not mature enough
2. Direct age discrimination means treating a person at work less

favourably because of their age. Indirect discrimination is more difficult
to identify and guard against than direct discrimination, and it is equally
unlawful. Indirect discrimination is where policies, criteria, processes,

activities, practices, rules or systems create a disadvantage for someone
because of their age. These pitfalls can be less easy to identify and
eliminate than directly discriminatory behaviour.
Ask delegates to think of examples of potential indirect discrimination
with your own organisation or within other (real or hypothetical)
organisations, and/or based on past experience. Here are some examples
- there are lots more:
• job or person profiles or adverts (and advertising media) which
stipulate or imply an age requirement
• application or assessment documentation which includes reference
to age or date of birth
• training or job selection criteria, attitudes, expectations which
differentiate according to age
• job promotion decisions and attitudes
• pay and grades and benefits policies
• holiday entitlement and freedoms
• social activities and clubs which have or imply age restrictions
• office and work-place traditions of who should do the tea-making,
errands and menial tasks
• organisational and departmental culture, extending to jokes and
banter
3. Age diversity (as other sorts of diversity) offers advantages and

benefits to all organisations and employers, especially where a diverse
range of people-related capabilities is a clear organisational and/or
competitive strength. This is particularly so in all service businesses. In all
organisations, age diversity (as other sorts of diversity) is very helpful for
management teams, which benefit from having a range and depth of
skills, and a broad mix of experience, maturity, and different perspectives,
from youngest to oldest. Diversity in organisations relates strongly to the
immensely powerful 1st Law of Cybernetics.
Ask people to suggest specific benefits which age (or any other) diversity
brings to organisations. This helps focus on the advantages of
encouraging diversity, aside from simply complying with the legislation.
Here are some examples - there are lots more:
• Diverse organisations can engage well with diverse customer
groups, markets, suppliers, etc
• Diversity in management teams can more easily engage with a
diverse workforce
• A diverse workforce has a fuller appreciation of market needs and
trends
• Diverse organisations have more answers to more questions than
those which lack diversity

• Diversity enables flexibility and adaptability - diversity has more

responses available to it than narrowly defined systems (Cybernetics
again..)
• Age Diversity in an organisation collectively understands the past,
the present and the future
• Age diversity naturally enables succession and mentoring
• Age diversity in management helps executives stay in touch with
the whole organisation; helps keep feet on the ground (as opposed to
heads in the clouds or up somewhere unmentionable)
• Full diversity in an organisation collectively understands the world,
whereas a non-diverse system by its own nature only has a limited
view.
N.B. Beware of promoting age diversity by suggesting particular

correlations between age and capability, which can in itself be
discriminatory. For example it is not right to say that only older people
have maturity and wisdom, nor that only younger people have energy and
vitality. Instead make the point that by having a mixture of people and
ages, an organisation is far more likely to be able to meet the diverse
demands of managing itself, and engaging successfully with the outside
world, compared to an organisation which lacks diversity.
4. If you do not already have an equality policy (stating the
organisation's position relating to all aspects of equality and
discrimination) why not start the creative process with a brainstorm
session about what it should contain. Incidentally the term 'brainstorming'
is not normally considered to be a discriminatory or disrespectful term,
just in case anyone asks...
Ask the team(s) or group to list your own or other typical major
organisational processes (inwardly and outwardly directed, for instance
recruitment, training and development, customer and supplier
relationships, etc) and how each might be described so as to ensure
equality and to avoid wrongful discrimination.
Alternatively ask people individually or the team(s) to prepare or research
(in advance of the session, or during it if you have sufficient internet
connections) examples of other organisations' equality policies, with a
view then to suggesting and discussing as a group all of the relevant
aspects which could for used for your own situation.
We all, irrespective of age, race, religion, gender, disability, etc., have our
own special capabilities and strengths, and it is these capabilities and
strengths that good organisations must seek to identify, assess,
encourage and utilise, regardless of age or other potentially
discriminatory factors.

shot at dawn discussion (organisational

morality, leadership styles and integrity,
decision-making, humanity versus
efficiency)
This is a big emotional subject which enables a variety of discussions
about morality, ethics, integrity, leadership styles, policies and decision-
making in institutions and organisations, and the wider world. It also
provides a stimulating basis for exploring ethics versus autocracy, and for
examining the balance in organisations and cultures between humanity
and efficiency.
Organise the team(s) and debating activities to suit the audience and
context. This can include debating, presenting, role-playing,
brainstorming, listing and mapping key factors - anything that fits your
aims and will be of interest and value to people. The subject also provides
a thought-provoking warm-up discussion for any session dealing with
ethics, morality, compassion, leadership, decision-making, and
organisational culture, etc.
Read and/or issue the notes about the Shot At Dawn pardons, which were
announced by the British government on 16 August 2006, relating to
British soldiers shot by firing squad for 'cowardice' and 'desertion' in the
1st World War.
The 'Shot At Dawn' story represents a 90 year campaign to secure
posthumous pardons for over 300 soldiers shot by firing squad in 1914-18
when it was known then, and certainly in recent decades, that most of
these men were suffering from shell-shock and mental illness. The human
perspective is obviously considerable, including the institutional position
up to the August 2006 announcement.
The story of the Shot At Dawn campaign and its historical background
prompts discussion about some fundamental modern issues relating to
organisational management, ethical leadership, and wider issues of
cultural behaviour, for example (see the organisational perspectives
below too):
• leadership styles - morality-centred versus results-centred (and any
other leadership styles models people care to explore)
• leadership integrity and ethics
• policy-making methods, purposes and reviews
• decision-making influences and reference points
• decision-making pressures which cloud judgement
• morality and compassion in institutions and organisations - versus
the need to maintain controls and systems
• the growing responsibility and opportunity for ordinary people to
hold leaders to account for humanitarian and ethical conduct

• why did it take successive UK governments much longer than any

other nation to begin to reconcile this issue?
• why is this issue being resolved now and not twenty or fifty years
ago?
The different organisational perspectives together provide a stimulating

way to look at organisational dynamics, systems, and relationships, etc:
• the army and leaders of the time who saw the need to implement
the policy to execute soldiers
• the politicians and institutional system which until recently refused
to acknowledge the injustice of the executions and the avoidance of the
truth
• the campaign dimensions, and how the modern world enables
increasing transparency of ethical issues
When looking at the issues people will also see meanings and relevance in
their own terms, and as such discussion can help personal and mutual
discovery and awareness. There are also many parallels with modern
issues of organisational ethics and social responsibility, because at the
heart of the issue lie the forces of humanity and efficiency, which to a
lesser or greater extent we all constantly strive to reconcile.
N.B. People will not necessarily all agree a similar interpretation
of the First World War pardons. This makes it a particularly
interesting subject for debate, especially in transferring the
issues and principles and lessons to modern challenges in
organisations, and the world beyond.
corporate globalization debate exercise

ideas (exploring: corporate globalization
issues, corporate response to the
debate, and the internet as a powerful
force for awareness, challenge and
change)
Whether you agree with the sentiments or not, this performance by Lizzie
West is an immensely powerful comment about corporate globalisation.
The nature of its availability and potential 'reach' (an advertising
expression for exposure) also illustrates the awesome potency of the
internet. Maybe start your next meeting or training session with this and
discuss or arrange an organised debate about the issues involved,
whatever your perspective.
Free live music download: - Lizzie West performing 'Little Boxes' at The
Cutting Room in NYC 27 July 2006

Please ensure that when you use this you credit Lizzie West and mention
her website as the source: www.lizziewestlife.com.
Here are some ideas for exercises to use with this for developing good
awareness and outcomes related to globalisation, and particularly
corporate globlisation issues:
• Define 'globalisation' (or 'globalization' - either is correct) - there is
no single answer, eg: www.globalisationguide.org
• What is corporate globalisation? Is it a feature of globalisation or a
driver of it?
• What are the other drivers of globalisation and/or corporate
globalisation?
• Is globalisation and/or corporate globalisation a good thing or a bad
thing? Give examples of each.
• Is our company or organisation an example of good globalisation or
not so good globalisation?
• Name some examples of good organisations on the context of
globalisation, and some not so good ones, and say why.
• What can individual employees and teams do to ensure that the
organisation is regarded as a positive effect on globalisation and not a
negative one?
• How does globalisation relate to ethical business, the 'Triple Bottom
Line', Fairtrade, etc?
• How do customers perceive globalisation - what's good about it and
what's not good about it?
• How does globalisation relate to customer service and retention?
• What are the environmental impacts and potential advantages in
globalisation?
• Which are the subjective (matter of opinion) aspects of
globalisation, and which are the clear indisputable good and bad points?
• What would be a good three or five-point plan for an organisation to
use globalisation for good, rather than risk damage and harm?
inspirational speech exercises (public

speaking, presentation skills,
motivation, inspirational leadership)
This is a simple idea for a group of between five and around a dozen
delegates. Split larger groups into teams and appoint team-leaders.
Ask people to select in advance a great speech, verse, piece of poetry,
news report, etc., to deliver to the team or group. The chosen piece can
be anything that each delegate finds inspiring and powerful, for example
Nelson Mandela's inauguration speech, Martin Luther King's speeches
about civil rights, The St Crispin's speech from Shakespeare's Henry V, or

maybe lyrics from a pop song - really anything that the delegates find
personally exciting and interesting.
Ask the team members to give their speeches in turn to the group,
injecting as much personal style and passion as they can.
Then review with the team the notable aspects of each performance, the
effect on the speaker, the audience, etc.
Preparation in advance by the delegates is optional and in some situations
recommended for presentation skills and public speaking courses.
Facilitate accordingly. Obviously where delegates are not able to prepare
then the facilitator instead needs to prepare several suitable pieces for
team members to choose from or select at random. Or to keep matters
very simple the facilitator can select just one speech or other literary work
for all of the delegates to deliver, in which case encourage and review the
different interpretations.
A different twist to the exercise is to select a piece or pieces that would
not normally be delivered passionately to an audience, such as the
instructions from the packaging of a household cleaner or a boil-in-the-
bag meal.
Encourage people to team members to stretch and project themselves
through their performances.
If helpful, brainstorm with the group before hand the various elements of
an effective speech.
If appropriate and helpful organise lectern or suitable stand for the
speaker to place their notes on while speaking.
Interestingly this exercise works well with several speeches being given to
their respective teams in the same room at the same time, which actually
adds to general atmosphere and the need for speakers to concentrate and
take command of their performance and their own audience.
This is a flexible activity - adapt it to suit your situation.
For young people particularly give a lot of freedom as to their chosen
pieces - the point of the exercise is the speaking and the passion; the
actual content in most cases is a secondary issue.
See also the presentations page, and bear in mind that many people will
find this activity quite challenging. A way to introduce a nervous group to
the activity is to have them practise their speeches in pairs (all at the
same time - it aids concentration and focus and relieves the pressure)
before exposing delegates to the challenge of speaking to the whole team
or group.
corporation life-cycle exercise

(understanding organisational dynamics,
corporate maturity and development;
market development, organisational

systems)
This is a simple and flexible activity for groups and teams of any size. Split
the group into working teams or pairs and decide the presentation or
discussion format, which can be anything to suit your situation.
Alternatively run the exercise as one big brainstorming session.
First introduce to the delegates the Adizes Corporate Life Cycle model.
Then ask the delegates or teams for real company examples of each
stage, from team members' own experiences, or their knowledge of their
market place, or the general economic landscape, or from a few business
pages of newspapers or trade journals (which you can provide as
reference materials for the activity).
This exercise prompts a lot of thinking and useful debate about the
differing 'organisational maturity' found across different types of
organisations. This is helpful for understanding how to deal with
corporations from a selling viewpoint, and is also useful in providing a
perspective of organisational culture for management and supervisory
training.
The exercise can be extended into (for example):
• exploring different selling strategies required for different life-cycle
stage corporate prospects, or
• examining different management styles and behavioural issues and
challenges within corporations of different life-cycle stage
• interpreting the delegates' own organisation and divisions in terms
of the life-cycle stages, and discussing the implications for working
styles, attitudes, need for change, etc.
The theme overlaps with the Tuckman model of team and group
development, which is a further useful reference point, especially for
management development and training, and particularly if extending the
discussion to the maturity of departments and teams.
world cup/major event 'learning parallels'

exercises (strategy skills and
understanding global marketing,
debating, presentation, and for ice-
breakers and warm-up sessions)
This sort of activity is handy following any major popular event, such as a
sport tournament of entertainment. When people are preoccupied and
discussing a popular news story of the moment, harness the interest for
development ideas. 'Learning parallels' exist everywhere - use them for
explaining and developing understanding about work and organisations.
For example, many people will probably be fed up with the World Cup by
now, but for delegates at meetings and training sessions who still want to
pick over the bones of what happened in Germany, and/or the wider
effects of football on life in general, here are some suggested activities
which might reap a few positive learning outcomes. There are many
parallels between football and business, management, strategy, life, etc.,
after all football is arguably more of a business than a sport (which might
be the subject of a team debate, aside from these other ideas):
Activity 1 - Split the group into pairs and give each pair five minutes to
prepare a list of five strategic changes for the improvement of football as
a sport and business, as if it were a product development or business
development project. For example how about changing the rules, because
they've essentially not been altered since the game was invented. What
about increasing the size of the goal, or reducing the number of players
on the pitch? You'll get no agreement of course, but it will get people
talking.
Activity 2 - Split the group into teams of three and ask each team to
prepare and present a critique of the management style and methods of
the FA and head coach (Sven) in the last four years, with suggestions as
to how things might have been done differently and better by the FA and
the head coach. What lessons of management and strategy might we
draw from this?
Activity 3 - For an open debate or as a team presentation exercise, ask
the question: What cultural/social/economic factors influence the success
of a nation's football team, and what do these things tell us about
fundamental trends of national economic and business performance on a
global level?
Activity 4 - Split the group into two teams. One side must prepare and
argue the motion for and the other the motion against. The facilitator
must chair proceedings or appoint a responsible person. Each side has
five minutes to prepare, and five minutes to present its case. Then allow
five minutes for debate, and then have a vote. The motion is: "Football
would be a better game and globally would be more sustainable and
appealing if FIFA were run by women rather than men." (Alternative
motion: "England would have done better at the World Cup if the FA was
run by women rather than men.")
See also the football quiz questions and answers.
The concepts above are not restricted to football - they are transferable to
any popular events that enthuse and interest people - it just takes a little
imagination to translate the themes and names for the event concerned
and relate them to 'learning parallels' found in work and organisations.
newsdesk broadcast exercise (team

building, global team building, inter-
departmental development, cultural
diversity and understanding, video

conferencing)
This is a simple activity for developing global teams. The activity requires
video conferencing facilities. For groups of any size, and any number of
teams, although the more teams, the less time should be allowed for
broadcasts, so as to avoid people having to sit watching for long periods.
The exercise simply requires the teams to use the video conferencing
equipment to create and 'broadcast' their own 'newsdesk report/magazine
TV program, to be 'broadcast' to the other office(s). The teams' newsdesk
broadcasts can be given to each other in rotation during the same
session, or at different times, depending on staff availability and logistics
issues.
Broadcasts can include guest interviews, update reports, personalities and
highlights, plans and forecasts, profiles, etc, even adverts and sponsor
slots - anything that might be included in a newsletter/company
magazine.
Teams need to be given suitable time for planning and preparation and
rehearsal. The teams' aims are to impress the other viewing departments
or locations with the quality, content, professionalism and entertainment
contained in the newsdesk broadcast. The them can be decided by the
teams or facilitator(s) as appropriate. Timings for preparation and delivery
are also flexible.
Each team can appoint presenters, producer, directors, make-up staff,
technical staff (camera, props, etc), researchers, special correspondents,
advertisers and sponsors, etc.
Broadcasts can also be recorded for other staff to enjoy at later times.
Consideration can also be given to broadcasting to other staff via personal
computers using more advanced communications technology if available.
In some respects this concept extends the traditional ideas of team-
briefing, and can easily be tailored to incorporate team-briefing principles.
The 'Newsdesk Exercise' also adapts easily for conferences, particularly
for international and global teams who seek to develop mutual
understanding and awareness of each others issues, aims, personalities,
etc.
baking foil modelling games (team-building,

warm-ups, mutual understanding,
expression of ideas, johari window
development, and fun for kids activities)

This is not so much a game but a

concept that can be used and
adapted for all sorts of activities
and exercises, ice-breakers,
warm-ups. the ideas are also
great for young people and school
children.
Aluminium baking foil is a
wonderful material for model-
making. A horse is quite easy.
Here's one we made earlier...
Baking foil is clean, looks great See how to make a baking foil horse.
when put on display, and is very
easy to clear up.
Most people will never have tried
using it before, so it's very new
and interesting and stimulating.
Aside from the ideas below, you
can use baking foil for any
exercise that you might use
newspapers for, especially
construction exercise like towers
and bridges, etc. Baking foil is
also very inexpensive and easy to
prepare in advance and to issue
to teams and groups.
A 10-metre roll of the stuff only costs less than 50p (say 30 cents), a lot
less than a big newspaper, and it provides a lot of material for table-top
modelling and construction exercises.
People of all ages have fantastic fun making models - it's a chance for
people to discover talents they never knew they had, and for lots of
laughter from one's own efforts and seeing other people's efforts too.
Today people in organisations need to be more aware and expressive
about concepts that are intangible and not easy to write down or talk
about. Culture, diversity, attitude, belief, integrity, relationships, etc -
these are all quite tricky things to articulate and discuss using
conventional media and communications tools. Making models helps the
process of expression and realisation, because these less tangible
concepts are more related to 'feel' and 'intuition' than logic and typical
left-side-brain business and organisational processes.
Here are some simple ideas for baking foil exercises. Structure the group
to suit the situation and the timings and the outcomes you'd like to
prompt and discuss. Obviously not all individuals or teams need to be
given the same task. You can determine who does what by any method
that suits your aims and the preferences of the group. Some of these

ideas are mainly for fun; others are more potent in terms of addressing
and visualising people's own selves, and organisational challenges and
solutions:
• make a baking foil horse (you can use the same method for making
any four-legged animal)
• make an animal that represents yourself
• make a tree
• make a tree with fruit and things hanging from the branches that
represent you as a person
• make a garden with plants and tools that represent your family or
work-group
• build a set of farmyard animals
• build a farmyard
• build a farmyard that represents your family or your work-group, or
the department or the organisation
• create a set of African safari animals
• build a famous bridge or building
• build a village
• build a village that represents the organisation, in whatever way the
organisation is defined
• build models of vehicles, tools, company products, new product
ideas
• build anything that represents you
• build the highest tower or strongest bridge (see the various
newspaper construction exercises and tips on the other teambuilding
page for more ideas)
• make a baking foil plane - one that flies for a few feet when you
launch it from standing on a chair
• design a range of cars that represent the company car policy as it is
and as it should be
• create a model to represent the organisation's communications
system - how it is and how it should be
• design a new workplace layout model
• design a new reception area model
• design a new production layout
• create a model to represent the organisation - whatever parts of it
that are relevant to the session
• a model to represent the CRM process
• a representation of a particular management concept, eg.,
Tuckman, Maslow, 'conscious-competence', etc
• an inter-departmental communications model
• a (or your organisation's) management hierarchy model - how it is

and/or what it could be
• a global teams model
• a virtual teams model
• a cultural diversity model
• a symbolic model representing the organisation and its values and
aims - how it is and/or how it could or should be
• a symbolic interpretation of a SWOT analysis or PEST analysis
Using a clean flexible new material like baking foil to express ideas is
extremely liberating in today's world when people are so restricted and
confined by PC's and computer screens. God help us all when flip-charts
disappear, or when we have to work on tiny little hand-held devices to
create and express new ideas and solutions.
The world is becoming more complex and more challenging. The concepts
that people need to grasp and address are multi-faceted and multi-
dimensional. It helps therefore to work sometimes with an exciting
medium, daft as it sounds, like baking foil, to free-up people's thinking
and imagination.
See also the organisational modelling exercise on the other team-building
page for more ideas about using models to express ideas about
organisational shape and structure and culture, etc.
triple bottom line game (understanding TBL

- profit people planet - implications,
developing ethical teams and
organisations)
With the obvious rising interest in and awareness of modern 'ethical'
organisations issues (at last), it's helpful for all organisations to bring TBL-
type thinking to life in team activities. Here's a simple exercise to do it:
The activity (which can also be used for more structured workshops) is for
groups of any size although large groups of more than twenty people will
need splitting into several teams with facilitators/spokes-
people/presenters appointed, and extra thought needs to be given to the
review/presentation stage to review and collect all the ideas and agree
follow-up actions.
Split the group into debating teams of 3-7 people. (The larger the whole
group, the larger the debating teams should be.) Each team's task is to
identify three great new team or department initiatives - one for
each of the Triple Bottom Line areas, namely, Profit, People,
Planet. Give some thought to team mix - if helpful refer to the Belbin
model or Gardner's Multiple Intelligences inventory - it's useful for all
teams to have a balance of people who collectively can reconcile ideals
with practicalities.
If necessary set the scene with a brainstorm or group discussion about

what ethics and the Triple Bottom Line (profit people planet) actually
means to people, staff, customers, and its significance for the
organisation/industry sector concerned.
Initiatives must be SMART (in this case SMART stands for Specific,
Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound). Each of the
initiatives must focus on one of the Triple Bottom Line areas
(profit, people, planet), and at the same time must support the
other two TBL areas.
For example, a profit initiative must not undermine people or planet. A
planet initiative must not undermine profit or people. And most certainly a
profit initiative must not undermine people or planet.
When we say 'not undermine profit', let's be clear that many ethical
intitiatves can reduce profit, especially if the profit was being achieved by
doing harm or damage somewhere, and the initiative seeks to correct this.
The extent to which profit is affected by ethical initiatives is a matter for
discussion and consideration of the wider and long-term view. Within this
view are the wider benefits achieved by improving the ethical behaviour
of the organisation, which ultimately will improve profits far more than
ignoring ethical issues.
Instead of looking at loss of profit, think about the risks associated with
ignoring the ethical issues, which generally dwarf short-term costs of
ethical initiatives. For example, what's the point in sticking with
exploitative third-world manufacturing if the consequence of doing so
means in the future there'll be no customers prepared to buy the
manufactured product?
Teams have between 20 and 40 minutes (facilitator decides beforehand)
to develop their ideas, and presentations, depending on time available.
Presentations can be in any format to suit the timescales, numbers of
teams and delegates, and the emphasis given to the TBL theme. Allocate
time for presentations to suit the situation, numbers and timescales.
David Cameron is entirely correct (and very clever) in identifying that the
'zeitgeist' (feeling of the times) is for more meaning, humanity and
corporate responsibility in work and organisations; the question is how to
make it happen. This exercise begins to address the practicalities.
Otherwise it's all talk.
As with any ideas session or activities always ensure that there is
follow-up, and seek agreement for this with the relevant powers before
raising hopes and seeking input of people and teams. Follow-up can be for
a limited number of initiatives that all delegates vote on at the end of the
presentations, or you can agree follow-up actions on a team-by-team
basis, depending on levels of enthusiasm, quality of ideas, workload, and
perceived organisational benefit.
This activity links with the spirit of the development forum gameshow
activity, which particularly addresses the people and well-being aspect of
the triple bottom line philosophy.

jigsaw puzzle game/team puzzle race

exercises (team-building, illustrating
teamwork, team problem-solving, lateral
thinking, etc)
For groups of 8-100 people, even more with suitable adaptation - this is a
very adaptable game.
Divide the group into a number of teams. Give each team some pieces of
a jigsaw puzzle and instruct them to assemble the puzzle as quickly as
possible. Ensure each team's pieces appear initially as though they could
be an entire puzzle in their own right.
Say, "The task of each team is to assemble the puzzle as quickly as
possible. Each team has the same puzzle. No further instructions will be
given," (other than options explained below; the point is for teams to
resolve the exercise for themselves working together in teams, not by
asking the facilitator).
The teams will assume they are competing against each other, but in fact
there is only one jigsaw puzzle, and the pieces are shared out among the
teams. If the teams are in the same room they soon find out, and begin to
cooperate. If they are in different rooms the realisation takes a little
longer, but eventually the teams understand that the pieces are held by
all the teams and the only way to do the puzzle is to work together.
The facilitator's preparation for this exercise is there therefore to obtain or
create a jigsaw puzzle whose complexity and number of pieces are
appropriate for the group numbers and time available for the activity.
Ensure there are sufficient pieces to occupy the total number of team
members, and obviously each team needs a suitably sizes table or
floorspace to work on, so that all team members can be involved. Larger
teams (upwards of five people) will be additionally challenged in areas of
team organisation and 'work allocation' to ensure everyone is involved.
The exercise can be made easier and quicker for the teams by describing
or giving clues as to the shape or image on the puzzle, for example, (if
using the template below) "It's a square," or "It's a geometric shape," etc.,
as appropriate.
Offering a prize in the event that the puzzle is completed within a
timescale of say 10 minutes (or during the session, day, whatever,
depending on the situation), adds extra interest. The prize is obviously
given to the whole group, so be mindful of the budget... Use these words
or similar: "In the event that the puzzle is completed (within...) a prize will
be awarded," rather than referring to 'the winning team," which is not
technically correct, because the activity is one of cooperation not
competition.
Exercises based on this theme demonstrate that all the people and all the
teams make up the whole, and no team or individual can do it alone.

Ideally you need to have a space somewhere that the puzzle can be kept
and worked on during tea-breaks, should the activity over-run the initial
time-slot. This is not a problem - people will continue to work on it during
the day/session, and the ongoing activity and assembled puzzle serve as a
constant reminder to team members of the theme of cooperation and
teamwork, so don't worry (and explain this to the group once they've
started cooperating) if the puzzle is not completed in the time initially
allotted.
Here is a jigsaw puzzle pattern (in MSWord) and separately as a pdf. This
puzzle is for groups of, for example, twenty people split into five teams of
four. The puzzle needs to be significantly enlarged - at least five
to ten times bigger - for best effect, so that it's visible and usable for
lots of people, and makes a big impact. The more teams and players, the
bigger the enlargement is required (and the more pieces - achieved by
drawing and cutting more lines). The jigsaw pattern artwork needs to be
taken to a decent print/copy bureau, enlarged, printed, laminated onto
card or foam and cut by hand. If you possess basic craft skills and the
necessary equipment you can do it yourself - it's quite straightforward
really. The dashed lines are thick so as to be cut through the centre (along
the lines), which helps the puzzle assembly. You can adapt the puzzle for
more players by drawing more drawing more lines to increase the number
of pieces. The design of the puzzle is currently the businessballs logo
although you can substitute it with your own (if using the MSWord version,
via box 'fill' pattern). Someone who knows MSWord well will know how to
adapt/develop it. Use and adapt the puzzle artwork, or source your own
jigsaw puzzle, to suit your own situation.
values-led team-driven change activities

(team-building, goal-setting, values,
philosophy, planning and change
management)
This is a simple themed activity which can be adapted to suit your
situation.
It concerns fundamental aims and values - making work more real and
meaningful.
For groups any size although groups of more than ten or so will need to be
sub-divided and facilitators/leaders appointed, and then a forum arranged
to share and review ideas and actions afterwards.
The activity focuses on reconciling personal
dreams/values/philosophies/passions with the organisational aims
and methods.
Ask: What can we all do to change and improve how our organisation
acts?
Pick the easy gains. Leave the tough ones for later/ever.

Refer people to the Serenity Prayer.

Refer (especially if the teams have idealistic compassionate
roles/tendencies) to the 'zeitgeist' of our times: organisational ethics,
'Fairtrade', sustainability, corporate integrity, 'Triple Bottom Line' ('Profit
People Planet'), etc., and have people visualise what successful
organisations will be like in the future, given increasing awareness and
expectations of employees, customers and general public opinion in
relation to humanistic values.
How can the individuals and the team help to develop/influence/behave
within the organisation so as to make it (the organisation) fit our personal
perspectives and these modern values?
You'll need to provide strong support and follow-up afterwards, and ideally
get some buy-in from the top. This is a brave initiative, although most
organisations are now beginning to understand that the concepts are real
and will eventually be irresistible.
fantasticat
See the Fantasticat page - ideas for motivating, teaching and developing
young people - grown-ups too..
transactional analysis activities ideas

(understanding transactional analysis,
undersanding self, improving tolerance
and communications, diffusing conflict)
There are many exercises and activities that can be used to illustrate and
develop understanding of Transactional Analysis.
Many of the exercises in the team-building activities pages on this site will
adapt for a TA perspective, especially the activities which relate to the
Johari Window theory.
When selecting activities and ideas to use, much depends how
knowledgeable your audience is. If teams know the basics of TA then a lot
of fun and learning can be had from acting out scenarios, reviewing and
discussing emotional communications and behaviours (for example in
newspapers), and watching films - and particularly TV soaps and sitcoms -
with the purpose of looking for different types of transactions between the
characters. This invites also the opportunity to critique certain on-screen
transactions which are poorly scripted and acted, where behaviours can
be seen to be unnatural, and reasons explained and discussed from a TA
perspective.
At a more fundamental level, people can work in pairs to identify their
own personal triggers for parent and child responses:

Behaviours which can be traced back to a root cause or emotional trigger

are typically for example: losing one's temper, especially with children
and subordinates; feeling stressed and upset; exhibiting 'sour grapes'
attitudes; messing around; being judgmental or critical; blaming things
and people; being too compliant and submissive, etc.
Analysis and discussion benefits from using the 'Parent, Adult, Child'
model, and also by referring to the 'I'm OK, You're OK' (OK Corral) model.
See the modern Transactional Analysis theory pages for more TA guidance
and materials.
Identifying behaviours and their causes are important steps towards
addressing the causes of emotional responses, and changing the
behaviours resulting.
Transactional Analysis is an excellent model for teaching and developing
these concepts.
obstacles exercise (team-building,

communications, giving or writing clear
instructions, teamworking strategies)
A team activity for groups of four to twenty people to promote team-
building, communications and understanding about clarity of instructions.
Much larger groups can be accommodated with suitable space, adaptation
and planning. For indoors or outdoors. The exercise can be organised for a
single team although normally it will be more effective and enjoyable for a
number of teams competing against each other.
The activity is simple. Nominated members of teams must guide their
blind-folded fellow team-members, using spoken instructions, through an
obstacle course made with chairs or other items.
In preparing for this activity remember to source sufficient blindfolds for
team members.
Alternatively instructions can be written, in which case team members
(not blind-folded) must negotiate the obstacle course walking backwards
(obviously so as not to see the obstacles but to be able to read hand-held
instructions).
Where two or more teams compete against each other a nominated
observer from each team acts as adjudicator, to count the number of
times that the walkers make contact with obstacles, resulting in penalty
points. Clear adjudication rules must be stipulated so that the integrity of
the scoring is protected, for example, after completing the course each
walker signs their name against the written score marked by the
adjudicator. An example score sheet is shown at the end of this item.
The winning team is the one to complete the course as quickly as
possible, after deduction of penalty points, for example ten seconds per
obstacle contacted.

Given a group of just four or six people it is generally better to split this
into two competing teams rather than run the exercise as a single group
activity, unless you have a particular reason for running a single group
exercise.
Room set-up is quickest achieved by simply asking the delegates to place
their chairs somewhere in the 'playing area', which immediately creates
the obstacle course. The facilitator can make any necessary adjustments
in case any straight-line routes exist.
Teams then have five to ten minutes (at the facilitator's discretion,
depending on time available, team size and complexity of the obstacle
course) to plan and agree a start point and a finish point through the
obstacles - in any direction - and to plan a strategy for guiding blind-
folded members through the route planned, (or for the backwards-walking
version of the exercise, to write instructions sheets for walkers to use).
So that everyone experiences being a guide and a walker you can
stipulate that every team member must negotiate the course, which
means that team members must swap roles (the guided become the
guides having completed the course). This would also require adjudicators
to swap roles with guides or walkers of their own teams.
This is a flexible exercise that allows the facilitator to decide how difficult
to make the obstacle course, how specific to be regarding start and finish
points (all teams starting at one side of the room, or leave it up to the
teams to plan their routes in any direction from one side to the other), and
the strategic complexity of the challenge (determined by team size and
number of obstacles - large teams of more than four or five people will
also require a strategy for who performs what role and when roles are
exchanged).
Additionally the facilitator can decide to stipulate whether all instructions
are spoken, (blind-folds), written (walking backwards), or a mixture of the
two methods (for example stipulate how many team members must use
either method).
Review points afterwards:
• Why did the winning team win?
• What were good strategies?
• What were good instructions and what were unhelpful ones?
• What were the unforeseen problems? (One unforeseen problem,
especially where competing teams are permitted to decide their own
start and finish points and therefore are likely to cross the routes of
other teams, is the fact that walkers of other teams will become
obstacles during the exercise)
• What adjustments to strategies and instructions were made along
the way?
• Discuss the merits of practical trials before having to decide
strategies and instructions.
• And lots more points arising from the activities.
Here's a simple example of the adjudicator's score sheet:
obstacles signed
walker's
contacte (by
name
d walker)
portmanteau words games (creativity,

ideas and concepts, a vehicle for
developing and highlighting issues and
initiatives)
For groups of any size. This is a basis for various activities. Adapt and use
it to suit your purposes and situation. If you need help deciding on format,
teams sizes, timings etc., refer to the tips on working with teams and
groups and exercises.
First see the explanation about portmanteau words - aside from anything
else it's very interesting as a perspective on the development of language
and communications.
Portmanteau words are new words that are made from the combination of
(typically) two other words. Common examples are 'Pictionary' (the board
game), the Chunnel (the channel tunnel), 'infomercial' (information and
commercial advertising); avionics (aviation and electronics), and 'webinar'
(web and seminar) The grammatical effect enables the quick and
stimulating creation of new ideas and themes, for any purpose.
First explain to people about portmanteau words. Then, depending on
your theme or purpose for the meeting or session, ask people (can be
individually or in teams - pairs or threes ideally unless you ask for lots of
work and ideas), to devise their own portmanteau word or words for a
particular purpose. Here are some examples of purposes:
• a new brand name for a product or service (for the people's
organisation or any another organisation, depending on the situation
and participants)
• a name for a new company/organisation initiative (perhaps
addressing customer service, quality, communications, inter-
departmental relationships, training and development - anything that is
a challenge or opportunity that would benefit from a fresh and inventive
perspective)

• a new name for the company or organisation to replace the existing

one, that will effectively communicate purpose and values, etc.
• a name to describe a particular problem or challenge within the
organisation (agree or state specifics or a range as appropriate), and
then a name or names for remedial action(s)
• a name (or names) to describe the most important skill(s) or
attribute(s) for given roles within the organisation (this is a useful way
to look at job skills, which are commonly not described or stated very
well, and which of course are under pressure to change and develop all
the time)
• a name to describe a particularly challenging customer behaviour,
and then name(s) to describe appropriate responsive behaviour from
staff
• a special combination of abilities I'd love to develop for myself
• a special combination of abilities I'd be really good at coaching and
developing in others
• the name of a conference to improve/develop/raise profile of...
(whatever - sport in schools; diversity tolerance; media responsibility;
ethics in business; etc)
Exercises in creating portmanteau words involve a lot of thinking about

meanings, interpretations, communications, and the efficient, effective,
creative use of language and ideas.
As such this is a potent and flexible activity, for all ages, roles and levels.
kitchen top drawer game (introductions and

ice-breakers, and for children's activities
too)
This exercise is a very simple quick activity for ice-breakers and
introductions, and for expressing and revealing feelings of personality.
Also for exploring team roles. For groups of any size although is best to
split large groups into teams of a dozen or less, with appointed team-
leaders to facilitate.
The task is simply for each team member to liken themselves to a utensil
or piece of cutlery commonly found in a kitchen top drawer, and say why
they think they are like the chosen item, ideally focusing on strengths and
styles. Give delegates thirty seconds to think and decide before asking
people to reveal their choices and reasoning in turn.
If it helps (especially for young people), start the exercise with a quick
brainstorm session with a flipchart or wipeboard of all the sorts of items
that people have in their kitchen top drawers at home, which should
produce a long list of ideas.
For very large groups you can vary the exercise by asking people to think
and decide and then circulate around the room finding other people who
have chosen the same utensil to represent themselves, and to form into
sub-groupings of the same types. Fun and noise can be injected -
especially for young people or lively conferences - by asking people to
identify themselves by shouting the name of their utensil, and/or by trying
physically to look or act like the utensil.
Be prepared and on the look-out to instruct potentially large sub-groups of
'knives' into different types of knives, so that no category sub-grouping
amounts to more than 20% of the whole group.
Extend the activity by asking each group to develop a proposition as to
why their particular utensil is the best in the drawer - or 'top drawer' -
which they can present in turn to the whole group.
Further extend the activity by asking teams or players to vote (secret
ballot on slips of paper given to the facilitator) as to the utensil with most
and least value to the kitchen, thereby being able to decide the 'winners',
should the activity warrant it.
Alternatively, so as to emphasise the value of all team members and
roles, ask each team to identify a particular typical 'project' (Sunday Roast
dinner for instance) for the kitchen which demands the involvement (and
in what way) of all of the selected utensils.
Add greater depth and interest to the activities by referring to the Johari
Window and discussing mutual and self-awareness issues resulting; also
refer to personality types and styles to discuss and explore comparisons
between 'utensils' and people associating with them, and various
personality types from whatever personality models are of interest and
relevance to the group. For example, are knives most like Jung's and
Myers Briggs 'thinking' types and why? Does the meat-thermometer or the
egg-timer most equate to Belbin's 'monitor-evaluator'? What personality
types might be represented by the whisk and why? Is it possible to
identify a Belbin role with every utensil, and on what basis? Whish are the
extravert utensils and which are the introvert ones and why, and what are
their relative strengths? Etc, etc.
The exercises can of course be adapted for other types of tools instead of
those found in the top drawer of the kitchen, for example the garden
shed, or the tools associated with a particular industry, perhaps the
industry in which the delegates operate. If you stay with the kitchen
drawer theme it's probably best to avoid any reference to the 'sharpest
knife in the drawer' expression so as not to sway attitudes in this direction
- rest assured you will see plenty of people aspiring to be 'knives' as it is
without encouraging any more..
employee relations and communications

exercise (team briefing role-plays,
speaking to groups, handling difficult
communications and questions, written
communications)
This is a simple quick role-play or written communications exercise. For

groups of up to a dozen. Split larger groups into smaller teams and
appoint team leaders to chair and facilitate.
Ask the participants to draft (and then deliver as if in a meeting) a 2
minute employee 'team brief' item or a verbal instruction (or for
participants who are not comfortable standing up and speaking to the
group a written employee notice or email) relating to a contentious
subject. There are some examples below, but you can define different
scenarios depending on your situation and the needs of the delegates.
• Car-park spaces in the front of the reception are now reserved for
directors only.
• Canteen is being closed in order to make room for more office
space.
• Access to site is restricted to employees only - no family or friends
permitted unless on company business in which case formal pass and
security procedures to be followed.
• The site is now a non-smoking area everywhere.
• (Add your own scenarios as appropriate.)
You can run the exercise for individuals or in pairs. If in pairs encourage
both people to have a go at speaking. More variety is created if you offer
different scenarios - for instance by having people pick blind which one
they must handle. Alternatively for complex scenarios you might prefer to
see how people take different approaches to the same situation.
You can additionally/alternatively ask delegates to describe their own
particular scenarios for use in the role-playing activities.
You can extend and increase the challenge within the activities by asking
the team to role-play some 'questions from the audience' at the end of
each spoken exercise, which the speaker(s) must then handle
appropriately.
Review use of language, tone, clarity, effective transfer of key points and
reasons, technical and legal correctness, and the actual reaction of other
participants to the verbal delivery/written notice.
people picture interpretations

(relationships, communications,
attitudes, body language)
The activity is a simple discussion of the group's interpretations of
different pictures (photographs of people) - anything between one and six
different pictures, depending on how long you'd like the activity to last -
each picture/photo featuring people engaged in some sort of activity or
interaction.

Show a picture to the group and ask them to consider and comment on
how they interpret what's happening in the picture - what's being said,
how people feel, what the moods are, what the personalities and
motivations are, what might have caused the situation and what the
outcomes might be - as much as people can read into and interpret from
each photograph. Additionally ask the group or teams what questions they
would want to ask anyone in the picture to understand and interpret the
situation.
You can organise the group's response to each picture in different ways -
in open discussion, or split the group into pairs or threes and give them a
couple of minutes to prepare their interpretation for presentation and
discussion in turn, or split the group into two teams and see which team
can develop the best interpretation, and optionally, questions.
It's helpful, but not essential, for you to know the true situation and
outcomes in each picture (perhaps you've read the news story or the
photo is from your own collection), which will enable you to give the
actual interpretation after each picture is discussed. However one of the
main points of these exercises is appreciating the variety of
interpretations that can be derived from observing people's behaviour,
facial expressions and body language, which means that many situations
can quite reasonably be interpreted in several different ways. So knowing
and being able to give a definitive 'correct answer' is not crucial - the
main purpose of the activities is the quality of the ideas and discussion.
To prepare for the exercise, find and enlarge, or create slides of several
pictures of people in various situations. These photographs and pictures
are everywhere - on the internet, newspapers and magazines, in your own
snapshot collections and photo albums. Select photographs of people
showing facial expressions, body language, especially interacting with
other people. In addition to communications, motivation, relationships,
etc., you can link the exercise to Johari Window (the exercise will develop
people's awareness about themselves and each other from listening to the
different interpretations of the pictures) and personality (different
personalities see the same things in different ways).
'christmas is/holidays are brilliant' vs

'christmas is/holidays are a pain in the
arse' exercise (team debate activity,
warm-up, ice-breaker, group
presentations preparation and delivery)
A simple warm up after the festive season or the holidays (whenever), for
grown-ups or young people, for two teams, (or at a stretch three teams).
One team must prepare and present the motion: "Christmas is Brilliant"
(or "Holidays are Brilliant" - whatever is appropriate).

The opposing team prepares and presents the case against the motion,
which is logically: "Christmas is a Pain in the Arse" (or Holidays are a Pain
in the Arse").
Begin the exercise by asking the group to organise itself into two separate
teams according to their individual views: ie., "Christmas is Brilliant" or
"Christmas is a Pain in the Arse" (or "Holidays") . Alternatively split the
group into two teams and allot the motions by flipping a coin or similar
random method.
Teams of five or six are fine provided full participation is stipulated. Teams
of more than six will be fine provided team leaders are appointed and
instructed to organise their teams into smaller work-groups to focus on
different aspects of the presentation, which can be brought together at
the end of the preparation time. For groups of more than about twenty
you can introduce a third motion, "Christmas is both Brilliant and a Pain in
the Arse, depending on your standpoint", and structure the activity for
three teams.
Timings are flexible to suit the situation, as are use of materials,
presentation devices, and number of speakers required from each team,
etc.
For preparation, as a guide, allow 5 minutes minimum, or up to 15
minutes maximum if more sophisticated presentations are appropriate.
Allow 5 minutes minimum for each presentation although you can extend
this if warranted and worthwhile.
Optionally you can allow each team to ask a stipulated number of
questions of the other team(s) at the end of the presentations.
The winning team can be decided at the end by a secret ballot, which will
tend to produce a more satisfying conclusion (even if there's no outright
winner) than a decision by the facilitator, who can vote or not, or have
casting vote in the event of a tie - it's up to you.
The facilitator should advise the teams before commencing their
preparation that the winning team will most likely be the one which
prepares and presents the clearest and fullest and most appealing case,
and if applicable asks the best questions and gives the best answers.
Obviously deciding the winner will not be a perfect science and if using
the exercise as a development activity it's important to review structure,
logical presentation, and other relevant aspects of learning as might be
appropriate. In reviewing the presentations the facilitator can award a
point for each logically presented item within the presentation, with a
bonus point for any item that is supported by credible evidence or facts or
statistics. Award bonus points for good questions and answers if
applicable, and award bonus points for particularly innovative and striking
aspects or ideas within the presentation. If using the activity as a learning
and development exercise it's helpful to explain the review criteria to the
teams at the start.
Encourage participants, particularly young people in large teams, to use
their imagination to create interesting and memorable methods of making
their points, for example play-acting scenarios, and injecting movement

and lots of activity within their presentations.
For more sensitive groups or situations you can of course substitute the
word 'nuisance' for 'pain in the arse'.
Obviously the activity can be used for any debate exercise - work-related
or otherwise - and serves to get people working and cooperating in teams,
developing skills in preparing and presenting arguments and propositions,
and can also provide much revealing and helpful mutual awareness
among team members, and useful insights for the facilitator/group
manager.
Examples of other motions, which for group selection recruitment
exercises can be extended far beyond normal work issues, examples of
which appear later in the list below:
• "The Smoking Policy is..."
• Team Briefing is..."
• "The Car-Parking Policy is..."
• "The (XYZ) Initiative is..."
• "The Monthly Meeting is..."
• "The CEO is..."
• "The Weather in our Country is..."
• "The Sport of Football (Soccer) as a sustainable business model is..."
• "Reality TV is..."
• "The Monarchy is..."
• "Supermarket Domination of the Retail Industry is..."
• "Mobile Phones are..."
• "The Internet is..."
• "This Recruitment Process is.."
• Etc
The exercise can also be used or adapted for a group selection

recruitment activity, to provide useful indications of candidates' skills and
capabilities in a variety of areas.
rotating line introductions icebreaker

(warm-ups, icebreakers,
communications, communicating styles)
This icebreaker or communications activity is for groups of six people or
more. Ideal team size is ten or twelve. Larger groups can be split into
teams of ten or a dozen people. For large groups where time is limited you
can split the group into teams of less than ten, which obviously makes the
exercise quicker. Split the (or each) team into two standing lines of people
facing each other, two or three feet apart. For example:
1 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5
6 6
Ask the team to introduce themselves to the person facing them,

optionally (up to you) by asking and answering questions, such as:
• Who are you and what do you do?
• Tell me what interests you and why.
• What special thing do you want to achieve (at the event, or in life
generally - depending on the situation and group)
You can design other questions to suit the theme or purpose of the event.
You can provide strict instructions relating to questions and answers or
(for a simple icebreaker) just ask the people to engage in general
introductory conversation as they see fit.
You can stipulate that the facing pairs each have a turn at questioning
and answering, or that one is the questioner and the other the answerer.
Whatever, ensure that everyone has a chance to ask questions and to
give answers. If appropriate nominate one line as the questioners and the
other line as the answerers.
After a minute ask the lines to rotate as follows (one person from each
line joins the other line and both lines shuffle to face the next person:
2 1
3 1
4 2
5 3
6 4
6 5
If using the exercise as a simple icebreaker continue the process using the
same questions or general introductions. If you are using the activity
develop communication skills you can increase the sophistication of the
exercise by introducing new questions after the initial introductions, for
example:
• What worked well in the last conversation?

• What could have been improved in the last conversation?
• What type of questioning and listening works best in this exercise?
Continue rotating the line every minute until everyone has conversed
(questioning or answering) with every other person. Logically this takes as
many minutes as there are people in the team. Twelve people will take
twelve minutes to complete the exercise.
If using the exercise to develop or demonstrate communications skills it's
worth thinking more carefully before the exercise and explaining more
about the questions and points to review. For example, points to review
can include:
• Aside from the words spoken what else was significant in these
communications?
• What aspects were most memorable and why?
• What aspects or information were most impressive and why?
• What happens to communications when time is limited?
Obviously where team members already know each other there is no need
to needlessly go through name and position introductions, although check
beforehand as to how well people know each other rather than make
assumptions.
Where a team has an odd number of members, then you (the facilitator)
can become one of the team members in the line.
Where the purpose includes developing mutual awareness it can be useful
to refer to the Johari Window model.
(Ack C Mack)
'straw poll' exercises (identifying and

getting buy-in for individual and group
learning and training)
These team development activities quickly identify team and individual
learning needs and wishes, and importantly helps builds 'buy-in' and
commitment among the team members to pursue the identified learning
or training.
The activity can also be extended to explore, encourage and enable more
innovative approaches to personal development, and particularly to
pursuing 'life-learning' or 'unique personal potential' if such a concept fits
with the organisational philosophy. If so, the organisation (or department
or at a team level) must first decide how and to what extent it can support
people's 'non-work' and 'life learning' aspirations. There are very many
ways to do this. Progressive modern organisations have been doing this
for several years. Use your imagination. You will find that as far as the
people are concerned, you'll be pushing on an open door. The provision of

'non-work' personal development must be defined within a formal
organisational process and framework, by which identified individual 'life-
learning' ideas can be acted upon. Such process and framework are
obviously vital to discussing people's personal needs and wishes in these
non-work areas.
The exercise is for groups of any size, although large groups should be
sub-divided into teams of between five and ten people representing single
functions. The bigger the teams the more requirement there will be for
good facilitation by a team leader within each team.
The level of guarantee for ideas to be acted upon is a matter for the
facilitator and the organisation. Promise only what you can deliver to
people. Embark on these activities only if you can reliably implement the
outcomes, to whatever extent that you promise to the team members.
The facilitator should ideally run the session with a flip-chart or wipe-
board because the sharing of ideas and discussion is a valuable part of
these exercises. Refer to the guidelines for running brainstorm sessions,
since the activity uses a team brainstorming process.
The aim of the exercise is to gather, list and prioritise collective and
individual training and learning needs and wishes for work and non-work
learning and development. Involving the team in doing this in an
'immediate' and 'free' informal situation generally exposes many more
ideas and opportunities than normally arise from formal appraisal, surveys
and training needs audits, or personal development review discussions.
Sharing ideas and personal views also helps build teams and mutual
awareness (see Johari Window theory). The exercises enable the team
leader or facilitator to work with the people to arrive at ideas for learning
and development, which can then - according to organisational processes
and framework - be fed or built into proposals or plans for
implementation.
The process of hearing and sharing other people's ideas also greatly
assists people in imagining what might be helpful and relevant to their
own situations - far better than thinking in isolation.
First ask team members individually (allow five minutes) to make one or
two short lists:
1. Three things they'd like to be able to do better for their jobs, (and if
the organisation supports and enables 'non-work' and 'life learning'):
2. Three things they'd love to learn or do better for their life in general
- anything goes.
Then ask the team members to call out in turn their top-listed work or job
learning personal development item. Write these on the flip-chart.
This immediately identifies collective training priorities. Ask for reaction
and comment.
Then ask for people to call out in turn their second-listed work/job learning
item and write the answers on the flip-chart.
Then gather the third-listed job/work learning items.

Use different coloured marker pens so as to be able to group common
elements and to identify patterns and consensus priorities.
Ask the group to comment on what they consider to be the 'high-yield'
items - ie., the development items that will make the biggest difference to
productivity, enjoyment, stress-reduction, service quality, business
development, etc., and discuss this issues.
Ask the group what type of learning they'd enjoy and best and find most
helpful.
Additionally explore people's learning styles; also look at multiple
intelligences, and perhaps introduce a learning styles questionnaire.
Using these activities and exercises will enable you to identify
development opportunities that are high priority according to need and
organisational effect, and you can now conclude this part of the session
with an agreement with people to investigate or proceed with
implementation depending on personal wishes, learning styles and
preferences, organisational processes, budgets, etc. The
investigation/implementation can involve the people or not, depending on
the circumstances.
Now, provided the organisation/department/team endorses and supports
'non-work and 'life learning' development, turn to the non-work 'life
learning' items featured in the second list.
These can be anything: hobbies, pastimes, personal loves and passions,
natural abilities stifled or ignored at school, anything. The aim is to
explore personal potential and enthusiasm in whatever areas that might
be relevant to people and what they want from their lives.
It is important to open your own mind and the minds of the team
members to the fact that all learning and development is useful. All
learning and experience in life benefits people in their work. Everything
learned and experienced in life is transferable one way or another to
people's work. People commonly don't realise this, because nobody tells
them or gives them the confidence to see it. When you see it and talk
about it, people begin to see too that there can be more alignment and
congruence between their lives and their work. Moreover, organisations
are now seeing that when people are supported and encouraged to follow
their own life interests and natural potential, so the organisation benefits
from their development.
When people learn and experience new 'non-work' and 'life learning'
capabilities and development, they achieve and grow as people, and this
gives them many new skills for their work (especially the behavioural
capabilities normally so difficult to develop via conventional work-based
training), and a greater sense of value, purpose, self-esteem and maturity.
All these benefits and more result from non-work learning and experience.
What matters most is that people are given the encouragement and
opportunity to pursue experiences and learning and development that

they want to. People are vastly more committed to pursuing their own life
learning and experiences than anything else. So, the more that
organisations can help and enable this to happen for their people the
better. People develop quicker and more fully, and they obviously become
more aligned with the organisation because it is helping them to grow in
their own personal direction - far beyond the conventional provision of
work-only skills training and development.
Ask people to think about and discuss the skills, knowledge, behaviour,
maturity, experience, etc., from personal 'non-work' activities and learning
that are transferable to their work. Many people will be able to give
specific examples of where they are performing outside work in some
activity or other that is way, way, way above their status and
responsibility at work. This is the principle that we are seeking to
recognise and extend.
For example (these examples of experiences and learning and benefits
are certainly not exhaustive - they are simply a few examples):
• Sports and physical pursuits - develop fitness and determination,
leadership, discipline, commitment, teamwork, stress-management,
goal-setting, excellence, perfection, etc.
• Travel - develops cultural awareness, maturity, languages, etc.
• The Arts (art, music, writing, etc) - develops creativity,
communications, empathy, interpretation.
• History - develops cultural and political and philosophical
awareness, analytical and interpretation abilities.
• Voluntary and Care work - develops humanity, team-working,
management, leadership, decision-making, etc.
• Environmental, Animals, Natural World - develop humanity, social
responsibility and awareness, team-working, organisational and political
understanding.
• Clubs and Societies - management, planning, organisation,
communications, knowledge and information management, etc.
• Own 'sideline' business - entrepreneurialism, decision-making,
management, marketing, customer service.
I once knew a wonderful receptionist. She worked part-time. Most people

only ever knew she was a receptionist. She never received any training or
development. Nor much respect. In her spare time she ran an
international market-leading business, supplying high performance
components to a specialised sector of the industrial engineering sector.
She could have taught the MD a thing or two but they never asked..
Every organisation contains several people like this, and many more
people with the potential to be the same. But nobody bothers to ask.
When an individual pursues personal learning and development and
experience, whether through a hobby or some voluntary work, or any
outside-work activity, they always develop as people, and also learn lots
of new skills, which are increasingly transferable and valuable to their
work situations. The tragedy is that organisations mostly fail to recognise

this, and this is a major reason why most people continue to perform at
work considerably below their full potential.
Non-work experiences, responsibilities, learning and development provide
wonderful opportunities for people to grow in capability, maturity,
experience, and in specific knowledge and skills areas, that are
immensely valuable to employers.
Opening people's minds to these possibilities then enables discussion and
identification of personal learning aims and wishes, perhaps some
consensus, which then naturally enables planning and implementation
and support of some new exciting non-work and life-learning activities for
people, as individuals and as teams, depending on what people want and
will commit to, and how far the organisation is prepared to assist and
encourage.
playing card bingo (warm-up, icebreaker,

exercises to demonstrate competitive
effects, team-building, team-working
and cooperation - also a great way to
teach numbers to small children)
This is a bit of fun which can be used as a simple icebreaker or warm-up.
The game also adapts to provide a simple yet novel team-working
exercise. The game and games variations demonstrate the heightened
concentration and focus which results from contest and competition, and
as an adapted exercise it prompts teams to work together to approach a
complex statistical challenge. For groups of any size.
Materials required are simply two packs of playing cards (or more packs,
depending on group size).
Shuffle the packs keeping them separate. Retain one pack. Deal from one
pack between three and ten cards to each team member. The more cards
then the longer the exercise takes. If there are more team members than
can be supplied from one pack then use additional packs. It is not
necessary to remove the jokers, but be mindful of the effect of leaving
them in the packs.
Team members must arrange the cards dealt to them face up on the table
in front of them.
The dealer (facilitator) then 'calls' cards (like a bingo caller) one by one
from the top of the dealer's own (shuffled) pack, at which the players
match their own cards (by turning them over face down). The winner is
the first to turn over all cards. Suits are irrelevant - only the numbers
matter. Aces count as one. Picture cards as 11 (Jack), 12 (Queen), 13
(King), or simply call them by their normal picture names - again the suits
are irrelevant. Jokers (optional) treat as jokers. Players can only turn over

one card at a time, in other words, if a player has two 4's they must wait
for two fours to be 'called'.
Interesting variations can be made to the game to add team-building and
cooperation to the activity, for example:
Have people play in pairs or threes. Deal cards to each person as normal,
but then teams can sort and swap cards between themselves so as to give
the team of two or three the best chance of one (or two - it's up to the
facilitator) of the sorted sets winning. (This is pure guesswork obviously,
but it will test people's approach to the challenge of statistical
anticipation.)
Have the group play in two or three teams (each team size ideally no
bigger six people). Deal each team twenty cards and ask them to pick the
fifteen that they wish to play with as a team. Again this is pure guesswork,
but it will challenge the teams to think about statistics, and to agree the
best tactical approach.
Other variations include prohibiting or enabling competing teams to see
the other team's cards while they are deciding which to select.
To make the games last longer and to alter the statistical perspective you
can require that suits are matched as well as numbers/picture cards.
Practise your ideas first if possible.
'spice of life' exercise (personal

development, goals, true motivation and
purpose, visualisation, life balance)
A quick simple powerful activity for groups and teams of any size. The
exercise can also be used for yourself, and when working with individuals
in counselling, coaching and performance reviews and appraisals.
Optional preparation for a group activity: buy some green cardamom pods
- they are a highly aromatic spice used in Asian cooking and curries - the
Latin name incidentally, for interest, is Eletteria Cardamomum. Star Anise
- aniseed seed pods - and cloves also work well for this sort of exercise -
they reinforce the point and add additional sensory stimulation to the
activity. Distribute a pod or clove or several of each spice to each team
member. Alternatively you can give different spices to different people if
you have them. This will prompt discussion and expectation. You can
mention that spices like these are symbolic - they are small and natural,
of relatively little monetary value, and yet have a remarkably powerful
effect. They also have healing qualities, and being seeds they represent
new life and beginnings.
Also optionally at this point in the exercise you can ask people do this
calculation in their head to further concentrate the mind: Subtract your
age from 90 and add two zeros to the answer. Divide that number in two.
This is roughly how many weeks you have left on this Earth, assuming you
live to a very ripe old age. If you smoke and don't look after yourself
properly subtract 1,200 weeks (if you are very lucky). How quickly does a
week pass by? Almost the blink of an eye...
Then ask the group to close their eyes, take a few slow deep breaths, and
visualise.... (it's a bit morbid but it does concentrate the mind somewhat):
You are very close to the end your life - perhaps 'on your deathbed'. You
have a few minutes of consciousness remaining, to peacefully look back
over what you achieved, and what difference you made in the world. And
especially how you will be remembered.
So how do you want to be remembered? What did you do that
mattered? What spice did you add to people's lives? What was the
spice in your life? What will you have done that will give you a
truly good feeling at the end of your life? And so, how can you
best fulfil your own unique potential?
We rarely think about our lives this way: that we are only here for a short
time, and that what really matters is beyond money, possessions,
holidays, cars, and the bloody lottery.
Thinking deeply about our own real life purpose and fulfilment helps us to
align what we do in our work with what we want to do with the rest of our
life.
This in turn creates a platform for raising expectations and possibilities
about direction and development - pursuing personal potential rather than
simply 'working' - and finding ways to do so within our work and our life
outside it.
(As facilitator do not ask people to reveal or talk about their dreams
unless they want to. The exercise is still a powerful one when people keep
their dreams and personal aims to themselves.)
This type of visualisation exercise is also important in helping people to
take more control of their lives and decisions - becoming more self-reliant
and more pro-active towards pursuing personal dreams and potential,
instead of habitually reacting to work demands and assumptions.
'starter keys' icebreakers and activities

(warm-up exercises, introductions,
getting people talking, potentially
leading to deeper discussions)
An easy and flexible exercise (using people's bunches of keys) for ice-
breakers and introductions for groups of any size (very large groups need
to be split into smaller teams with appointed team leaders). Also a quick
fun method for deciding order (who goes first - for introductions, speaking,
presenting, etc) and also for splitting a group into smaller teams, threes or
pairs. The idea can also extend into various activities for self- and mutual
awareness, story-telling, understanding life 'partitions', time management
and prioritising, life balance, responsibility, even delegation and
management. Keys are of course very personal items with significant
personal connections and representations, and so provide opportunities to

create lots of interesting, enjoyable and helpful activities around them.
Exercises examples:
1. For deciding order- 'Who goes first' - Ask each person to put their bunch
of keys on the table in front of them. Order is decided according to most
keys on the bunch. Tie-breaker(s) can be decided according to the key(s)
with most notches.
2. For splitting group into teams or threes or pairs - Ask the group to sort
themselves into the required number (which you would normally
stipulate, unless your purpose allows/prefers them to sort into teams of
their own choosing) of teams or threes or pairings according to
shared features (in common with others) of their key bunches, for
example number of keys on bunch; type of key-ring fobs (sensible, daft,
tatty, glitzy, unmanageably large, uselessly small, broken, holiday
mementoes, promotional giveaways, etc), size of keys, type of keys,
colours of keys, purpose of keys.
3. For starting and framing personal introductions and profiles - Ask group
members to put their keys on the table. Each person then takes turns (you
can use the order-deciding method above) to introduce and describe
themselves according to their keys, from the perspective of each key's
purpose and the meaning in their life represented by what each key
unlocks.
4. For addressing time management, life balance and personal change,
etc - Split the group into threes and ask each person to discuss in turn,
among their teams of three, what their own keys represent in terms of
stuff they're happy with and stuff they'd like to change (where they live,
what they drive, what they value, their responsibilities, their obligations,
personal baggage and habits, etc).
5. For addressing personal responsibilities and delegation, from others
and to others, and responsibilities people aspire to - Ask the group to split
into pairs or threes, and as individuals, to discuss with their partners what
they'd like their bunch of keys to be like instead of how it is at the
moment - what responsibilities (keys) would they like to lose or change or
give to others - what new keys would they like to add? How else would
they like to change their bunch of keys? If anyone is entirely happy with
their bunch of keys ask them to think ahead five years. If they're still
happy with their keys ask them to help facilitate...
You will no doubt think of your own ideas and variations to these
exercises. Let me know anything different and interesting that works for
your team.
See also the 'letting go' de-cluttering exercise on the team building games
page 1, which might give you more ideas for extending and varying these
activities.
See also the Johari Window model, which helps explain to people the
benefits of feedback and developing self- and mutual awareness.

'where in the world' exercise (personal

development, icebreaker, warm-up
exercise, questions for recruitment
group selection or interviews , student
presentations)
This exercise and the activities that can be developed around this idea
provide very simple quick ice-breakers or presentation ideas for all sorts
of situations. The activity is for any group size. (For large groups: split
group into teams of 5-7 people and appoint team facilitators to ensure full
participation by all. Presentations can be given within teams, not to whole
group. Teams can then reconvene as a whole group to review the exercise
and experience after completing the activities in teams.)
Ask the group as individuals to take a couple of minutes to close
their eyes and imagine running their own ideal business or
enterprise (not necessarily profit-making in a conventional business
sense - it can be a service of any sort; some people for example seek to
be carers, or writers, or gardeners, or cooks, to have a shop or a cafe, or
to teach others. It is important to emphasise that everyone - not just
entrepreneurs - can follow their dreams. Visualising and stating one's
dreams helps greatly to make them happen).
Then ask the group as individuals to close their eyes and think
where in the world would they locate their business/service
activity and why? Give the team members or delegates anything
between two and five minutes to think of their answers and to structure a
brief explanation or presentation (again stipulate timing for their
presentation or answer), depending on the purpose and depth of the
activity.
N.B. Giving a presentation is not an essential part of this activity. It might
be more appropriate for the participants and/or the situation for people to
simply keep their thoughts to themselves, or to write them down
privately, perhaps to refer to and consider in the future.
In explaining their choice of location team members will be encouraged to
think about and express personal dreams and passions relating to their
ideal business or service activity or enterprise (which involves exploring
their fulfilment of personal potential and strengths), and also where in the
world and why they would locate their enterprise or service activity,
(which involves each person in considering the environment and context
to which they see their dreams relating). Some people will not imagine
locations very far away; others will imagine locations on the other side of
the world. There are no right or wrong answers - the activity is an
opportunity for people to think and imagine possibilities for
themselves beyond the constraints that often limit us and our
fulfilment.
The exercise relates also to Johari Window development, to goals,
personal and self-development, and (if ideas are expressed or presented)
also provides helpful insight for team leaders, facilitators, trainers, or

recruitment selection observers in understanding more about the people
performing the exercise.
'one word' exercise (exploring deep values

and purpose, and behaviour towards
others, which relates to all sorts of
development needs and opportunities)
Again - this is a simple activity - which contributes to many and various
positive outcomes. The exercise is for any group size, although if
presentation is required split large groups into smaller teams which can
self-facilitate to enable full participation and discussion. If splitting into
teams you can reconvene as a whole group for review of the experiences
after the team activities.
Ask people as individuals to clear their minds, close their eyes,
and to think of one word - just one word - which they feel best
describes or encapsulates living a good life. A one-word maxim
for life.
The facilitator might be required to explain what is meant by 'living a good
life'. Use your imagination so as to relate the concept to the situation and
the participants. Think about: force for good; civilised society; leaving the
world a better place than when you entered it.
Of course words mean different things to different people, and many
people will find it quite difficult to pick just one word, but this is the point:
One word concentrates the mind in a way that five or six words, or a
longer sentence tends not to. For participants who find it impossible to
decide on one word, encourage them to use as few words as possible - but
still aiming to focus on the essence, or a central concept, rather than a
catch-all or list. It's easy for people to think of a list - one word is a lot
more thought-provoking.
Ask people to write down their chosen one word (or words if necessary),
plus some brief explanation as to what they mean.
Then in turn ask people to tell or present their answers to the group or
team.
It is interesting to hear people's ideas. They will be quite different to how
people actually normally behave in organisations - to each other, to
customers, to suppliers, etc. And quite different to how people behave in
societies in local, national, religious and global communities. Why is this?
Where does individual responsibility begin and end? Are we part of the
problem - or part of the solution? Do we want to be part of the solution?
What actually stops each of us trying to live and behave more often as we
know to be right? Are the pressures and habits and expectations that
distract us from more often following a right path really immovable and so

strong that we cannot rise above them? What personal resolutions and
changes might we want to make?
The exercise relates also to Johari Window development, to personal life
philosophy and values, personal and self-development, and (if ideas are
expressed or presented) also provides helpful insight for team leaders,
facilitators, trainers, or recruitment selection observers in understanding
more about the people performing the exercise.
Transactional Analysis and the blame model within the TA section can be
a helpful reference to assist people in understanding more about the
forces that cause us to behave differently to what we know to be right.
See also the articles section about love and spirituality in organisations
which helps explain about bringing compassion and humanity to teams
and work.
This is page 2 of the free team building activities and games ideas on this
website.
If you'd like to share your own team building or personal development
games and ideas please send them.
see also
• team building activities page 1 - including full listing of all games
• abstract images for feelings, challenge and change
• quizballs quizzes
• amusing and fascinating origins of words, expressions and cliches
• word-play puzzles and games for quizzes and exercises
• stories and analogies for training, public-speaking and writing
• difficult puzzles for teams
delegation
delegating authority skills, tasks and the
process of effective delegation
Delegation is one of the most important management skills. These logical
rules and techniques will help you to delegate well (and will help you to
help your manager when you are being delegated a task or new
responsibility - delegation is a two-way process!). Good delegation saves
you time, develops you people, grooms a successor, and motivates. Poor
delegation will cause you frustration, demotivates and confuses the other
person, and fails to achieve the task or purpose itself. So it's a
management skill that's worth improving. Here are the simple steps to
follow if you want to get delegation right, with different levels of
delegation freedom that you can offer.
This delegation skills guide deals with general delegation principles and
process, which is applicable to individuals and teams, or to specially
formed groups of people for individual projects (including 'virtual
teams').
Delegation is a very helpful aid for succession planning, personal
development - and seeking and encouraging promotion. It's how we grow
in the job - delegation enables us to gain experience to take on higher
responsibilities.
Effective delegation is actually crucial for effective succession. For the
successor, and for the manager too: the main task of a manager in a
growing thriving organization is ultimately to develop a successor. When
this happens everyone can move on to higher things. When it fails to
happen the succession and progression becomes dependent on bringing
in new people from outside.
Delegation can be used to develop your people people and yourself -
delegation is not just a management technique for freeing up the boss's
time. Of course there is a right way to do it. These delegation tips and
techniques are useful for bosses - and for anyone seeking or being given
delegated responsibilities.
As a giver of delegated tasks you must ensure delegation happens
properly. Just as significantly, as the recipient of delegated tasks you
have the opportunity to 'manage upwards' and suggest improvements to
the delegation process and understanding - especially if your boss could
use the help.
Managing the way you receive and agree to do delegated tasks is one of
the central skills of 'managing upwards'. Therefore while this page is
essentially written from the manager's standpoint, the principles are just
as useful for people being managed.
delegation and SMART, or SMARTER

A simple delegation rule is the SMART acronym, or better still, SMARTER.
It's a quick checklist for proper delegation. Delegated tasks must be:
• Specific
• Measurable
• Agreed
• Realistic
• Timebound
• Ethical
• Recorded
Traditional interpretations of the SMARTER acronym use 'Exciting' or

'Enjoyable', however, although a high level of motivation often results
when a person achieves and is given recognition for a particular delegated
task, which in itself can be exciting and enjoyable, in truth, let's be
honest, it is not always possible to ensure that all delegated work is truly
'exciting' or 'enjoyable' for the recipient. More importantly, the 'Ethical'
aspect is fundamental to everything that we do, assuming you subscribe
to such philosophy.
The delegation and review form is a useful tool for the delegation process.
Also helpful tools for delegation, see the goal planning tips and template,
and the activity management template.
The Tannenbaum and Schmidt Continuum model proviodes extra
guidance on delegating freedom to, and developing, a team.
The Tuckman 'Forming, Storming, Norming Performing' model is
particularly helpful when delegating to teams and individuals within
teams.
Below are:
The steps of successful delegation - step-by-step guide.
The levels of delegation freedom - choose which is most appropriate for
any given situation.
the steps of successful delegation
1 Define the task

Confirm in your own mind that the task is suitable to be delegated. Does it
meet the criteria for delegating?
2 Select the individual or team

What are your reasons for delegating to this person or team? What are
they going to get out of it? What are you going to get out of it?
3 Assess ability and training needs

Is the other person or team of people capable of doing the task? Do they
understand what needs to be done. If not, you can't delegate.
4 Explain the reasons

You must explain why the job or responsibility is being delegated. And
why to that person or people? What is its importance and relevance?
Where does it fit in the overall scheme of things?
5 State required results

What must be achieved? Clarify understanding by getting feedback from
the other person. How will the task be measured? Make sure they know
how you intend to decide that the job is being successfully done.
6 Consider resources required

Discuss and agree what is required to get the job done. Consider people,
location, premises, equipment, money, materials, other related activities
and services.
7 Agree deadlines
When must the job be finished? Or if an ongoing duty, when are the
review dates? When are the reports due? And if the task is complex and
has parts or stages, what are the priorities?
At this point you may need to confirm understanding with the other
person of the previous points, getting ideas and interpretation. As well as
showing you that the job can be done, this helps to reinforce commitment.
Methods of checking and controlling must be agreed with the other
person. Failing to agree this in advance will cause this monitoring to seem
like interference or lack of trust.
8 Support and communicate

Think about who else needs to know what's going on, and inform them.
Involve the other person in considering this so they can see beyond the
issue at hand. Do not leave the person to inform your own peers of their
new responsibility. Warn the person about any awkward matters of politics
or protocol. Inform your own boss if the task is important, and of sufficient
profile.
9 Feedback on results
It is essential to let the person know how they are doing, and whether
they have achieved their aims. If not, you must review with them why
things did not go to plan, and deal with the problems. You must absorb
the consequences of failure, and pass on the credit for success.
levels of delegation
Delegation isn't just a matter of telling someone else what to do. There is
a wide range of varying freedom that you can confer on the other person.
The more experienced and reliable the other person is, then the more
freedom you can give. The more critical the task then the more cautious
you need to be about extending a lot of freedom, especially if your job or
reputation depends on getting a good result. Take care to choose the
most appropriate style for each situation. For each example the
statements are simplified for clarity; in reality you would choose a less
abrupt style of language, depending on the person and the relationship. At
the very least, a "Please" and "Thank-you" would be included in the
requests.
It's important also to ask the other person what level of authority they feel
comfortable being given. Why guess? When you ask, you can find out for
sure and agree this with the other person. Some people are confident;
others less so. It's your responsibility to agree with them what level is
most appropriate, so that the job is done effectively and with minimal
unnecessary involvement from you. Involving the other person in agreeing
the level of delegated freedom for any particular responsibility is an
essential part of the 'contract' that you make with them.
These levels of delegation are not an exhaustive list. There are many
more shades of grey between these black-and-white examples. Take time
to discuss and adapt the agreements and 'contracts' that you make with
people regarding delegated tasks, responsibility and freedom according to
the situation.
Be creative in choosing levels of delegated responsibility, and always
check with the other person that they are comfortable with your chosen
level. People are generally capable of doing far more than you imagine.
The rate and extent of responsibility and freedom delegated to people is a
fundamental driver of organisational growth and effectiveness, the growth
and well-being of your people, and of your own development and
advancement.
levels of delegation - examples

These examples of different delegation levels progressively offer,
encourage and enable more delegated freedom. Level 1 is the lowest
level of delegated freedom (basically none). Level 10 is the highest level
typically (and rarely) found in organisations.
1 "Wait to be told." or "Do exactly what I

say." or "Follow these instructions
precisely."
This is instruction. There is no delegated freedom at all.
2 "Look into this and tell me the situation.

I'll decide."
This is asking for investigation and analysis but no recommendation. The
person delegating retains responsibility for assessing options prior to
making the decision.
3 "Look into this and tell me the situation.

We'll decide together."
This is has a subtle important difference to the above. This level of
delegation encourages and enables the analysis and decision to be a
shared process, which can be very helpful in coaching and development.
4 "Tell me the situation and what help you

need from me in assessing and handling
it. Then we'll decide."
This is opens the possibility of greater freedom for analysis and decision-
making, subject to both people agreeing this is appropriate. Again, this
level is helpful in growing and defining coaching and development
relationships.
5 "Give me your analysis of the situation

(reasons, options, pros and cons) and
recommendation. I'll let you know
whether you can go ahead."
Asks for analysis and recommendation, but you will check the thinking
before deciding.
6 "Decide and let me know your decision,

and wait for my go-ahead before
proceeding."

The other person is trusted to assess the situation and options and is
probably competent enough to decide and implement too, but for reasons
of task importance, or competence, or perhaps externally changing
factors, the boss prefers to keep control of timing. This level of delegation
can be frustrating for people if used too often or for too long, and in any
event the reason for keeping people waiting, after they've inevitably
invested time and effort, needs to be explained.
7 "Decide and let me know your decision,

then go ahead unless I say not to."
Now the other person begins to control the action. The subtle increase in
responsibility saves time. The default is now positive rather than negative.
This is a very liberating change in delegated freedom, and incidentally
one that can also be used very effectively when seeking responsibility
from above or elsewhere in an organisation, especially one which is
strangled by indecision and bureaucracy. For example, "Here is my
analysis and recommendation; I will proceed unless you tell me otherwise
by (date)."
8 "Decide and take action - let me know

what you did (and what happened)."
This delegation level, as with each increase up the scale, saves even more
time. This level of delegation also enables a degree of follow-up by the
manager as to the effectiveness of the delegated responsibility, which is
necessary when people are being managed from a greater distance, or
more 'hands-off'. The level also allows and invites positive feedback by
the manager, which is helpful in coaching and development of course.
9 "Decide and take action. You need not

check back with me."
The most freedom that you can give to another person when you still
need to retain responsibility for the activity. A high level of confidence is
necessary, and you would normally assess the quality of the activity after
the event according to overall results, potentially weeks or months later.
Feedback and review remain helpful and important, although the
relationship is more likely one of mentoring, rather than coaching per se.

10 "Decide where action needs to be taken

and manage the situation accordingly.
It's your area of responsibility now."
The most freedom that you can give to the other person, and not
generally used without formal change of a person's job role. It's the
delegation of a strategic responsibility. This gives the other person
responsibility for defining what changes projects, tasks, analysis and
decisions are necessary for the management of a particular area of
responsibility, as well as the task or project or change itself, and how the
initiative or change is to be implemented and measured, etc. This
amounts to delegating part of your job - not just a task or project. You'd
use this utmost level of delegation (for example) when developing a
successor, or as part of an intentional and agreed plan to devolve some of
your job accountability in a formal sense.
contracts - 'psychological contracts',

'emotional contracts'
Variously called 'contracts' or 'psychological contracts' or 'emotional
contracts', these expressions describe the process of agreeing with the
other person what they should do and the expectations linked to the
responsibility. It all basically means the same, whatever you call it. The
point is that people cannot actually be held responsible for something to
which they've not agreed. The point is also that everyone is more
committed to delivering a responsibility if they've been through the
process of agreeing to do it. This implies that they might have some
feelings about the expectations attached, such as time-scale, resources,
budget, etc., even purpose and method. You must give the other person
the opportunity to discuss, question and suggest issues concerning
expectations attached to a delegated task. This is essential to the
contracting process.
Certain general responsibilities of course are effectively agreed implicitly
within people's job roles or job descriptions or employment contracts, but
commonly particular tasks, projects, etc., that you need to delegate are
not, in which case specific discussion must take place to establish proper
agreement or 'contract' between you and the other person.
see also
Go to businessballs homepage for more tips and materials relating to
effective management, working, career and self-development. Many,
including those below, are very relevant to delegation.
For example processes and tools:
• Goal planning
• Project Management
And help with managing people in the theories, meaning and application
of:
• Erikson's life stages - very powerful for self-awareness - and helps
explain why have different responses to delegation
• Tuckman's 'forming storming' team model - brilliant for
understanding teams and group development
• Kolb's learning cycle and learning styles - helps explain why we
respond differently to different tasks and communications
• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - just as relevant today as ever
• Kirkpatrick's learning and training evaluation model - simple, quick
great for designing and measuring development effectiveness
balanced scorecard
kaplan and norton's organizational
performance management tool
In the beginning was darkness. We went to work, did our job (well or
otherwise) and went home - day in and day out. We did not have to worry
about targets, annual assessments, metric-driven incentives, etc. Aahh…
life was simple back then.
Then there came light. Bosses everywhere cast envious eyes towards our
transatlantic cousins whose ambition was to increase production and
efficiency year-by-year. Like eager younger siblings we trailed behind
them on the (sometimes) thorny path to enlightenment.
Early Metric-Driven Incentives - MDIs - were (generally) focused on the
financial aspects of an organization by either claiming to increase profit
margins or reduce costs. They were not always successful, for instance
driving down costs could sometimes be at the expense of quality, staff
(lost expertise) or even losing some of your customer base.
Two eminent doctors (Robert S Kaplan and David P Norton) evolved their
Balanced Scorecard system from early MDIs and jointly produced their
(apparently) ground-breaking book in 1996. Many other 'gurus' have
jumped on the Balanced Scorecard wagon and produced a plethora of
books all purporting to be the ‘Definitive' book on Balanced Scorecards.
Amazon.com shows over 4,000 books listed under Balanced Scorecards,
so take your pick - and your chances!
balanced scorecard - definition

What exactly is a Balanced Scorecard? A definition often quoted is: 'A

strategic planning and management system used to align business
activities to the vision statement of an organization'. More cynically, and
in some cases realistically, a Balanced Scorecard attempts to translate the
sometimes vague, pious hopes of a company's vision/mission statement
into the practicalities of managing the business better at every level.
A Balanced Scorecard approach is to take a holistic view of an
organization and co-ordinate MDIs so that efficiencies are experienced by
all departments and in a joined-up fashion.
To embark on the Balanced Scorecard path an organization first must
know (and understand) the following:
• The company's mission statement
• The company's strategic plan/vision
Then
• The financial status of the organization
• How the organization is currently structured and operating
• The level of expertise of their employees
• Customer satisfaction level
The following table indicates what areas may be looked at for

improvement (the areas are not exhaustive and are often company-
specific):
balanced scorecard - factors examples

Department Areas
Finance Return On Investment

Cash Flow
Return on Capital Employed
Financial Results (Quarterly/Yearly)
Internal Business Number of activities per function

Processes Duplicate activities across functions
Process alignment (is the right

process in the right department?)
Process bottlenecks
Process automation
Learning & Growth Is there the correct level of

expertise for the job?
Employee turnover
Job satisfaction

Training/Learning opportunities
Customer Delivery performance to customer

Quality performance for customer
Customer satisfaction rate
Customer percentage of market
Customer retention rate
Once an organization has analysed the specific and quantifiable results of

the above, they should be ready to utilise the Balanced Scorecard
approach to improve the areas where they are deficient.
The metrics set up also must be SMART (commonly, Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Realistic and Timely) - you cannot improve on what you can't
measure! Metrics must also be aligned with the company's strategic plan.
A Balanced Scorecard approach generally has four perspectives:
1. Financial
2. Internal business processes
3. Learning & Growth (human focus, or learning and development)
4. Customer
Each of the four perspectives is inter-dependent - improvement in just one

area is not necessarily a recipe for success in the other areas.

balance scorecard implementation

Implementing the Balanced Scorecard system company-wide should be
the key to the successful realisation of the strategic plan/vision.
A Balanced Scorecard should result in:
• Improved processes
• Motivated/educated employees
• Enhanced information systems
• Monitored progress
• Greater customer satisfaction
• Increased financial usage
There are many software packages on the market that claim to support
the usage of Balanced Scorecard system.
For any software to work effectively it should be:
• Compliant with your current technology platform
• Always accessible to everyone - everywhere

• Easy to understand/update/communicate
It is of no use to anyone if only the top management keep the objectives

in their drawers/cupboards and guard them like the Holy Grail.
Feedback is essential and should be ongoing and contributed to by
everyone within the organization.
And it should be borne in mind that Balanced Scorecards do not
necessarily enable better decision-making!
Here's a helpful webpage for further in-depth information on Balanced
Scorecards.
see also
• Quality Management
• Adair's Action Centred Leadership model
• McGregor's X-Y Theory
• Adams' Equity Theory
• McLelland's Motivational Theory
• Personality Models and Types
• NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming)
• Transactional Analysis
• Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences theory
• Kolb's Learning Styles
• Kirkpatrick's Learning Evaluation Model
• Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains (Educational Objectives)
• 360 degree appraisals tips
• Employment termination, dismissal, redundancy, letters templates
and style
• Exit interviews, questions examples, tips
• Grievance procedures letters samples for employees
• Group selection recruitment method
• Induction training checklist, template and tips
• Job interviews - tips, techniques, questions, answers
• Job descriptions, writing templates and examples
• Performance appraisals - process and appraisals form template
• Team briefing process
• Training evaluation processes
• Training and developing people - how to
design process and design

management tips
how to plan and manage the creative
design process, creative agencies and
creative people
All organisations, businesses and individuals use design in very many
ways. For example, the design process features in corporate identity,
branding, image; design is central to advertising, marketing, promotion,
and in the development of new products, new services and technical
development of all sorts such as websites and other internet systems.
Design features in very many aspects of work and business.
The design management principles explained in this section also apply to
all sorts of other management processes involving the use of external
creative agencies or providers, for example architects, interior designers,
landscape gardeners, personal stylists, etc.
The principles of planning, communication, control and working towards
clear agreed aims and accountabilities apply to all situations where we
ask a creative provider - internal or external, in-house or contracted - or to
do something for us.
These simple principles will help in managing the design process, and are
relevant to a lesser or greater extent when working with creative people
and providers of all sorts, from design and advertising agencies, product
designers, branding and image consultants, to creative people providing
design services for building and renovation, and other creative services
relating to domestic, house and home, lifestyle and personal image.
design process stages and principles

These process steps are certainly applicable and necessary for large
complex commercial or industrial design projects. For smaller routine
design management projects and tasks, or for managing creative
providers in domestic or personal style areas, many of these principles will
be unnecessary, so use what is helpful and appropriate.
If in doubt ask team members and agency people and creative specialists
what stages are necessary and helpful for them. Err on the side of caution.
Where any simple routine design management project encounters
problems or fails, it's likely that the project manager will have decided
that something in this process could be ignored or taken for granted.

Even at the most simple level of working with a creative provider - for
example a hair stylist or an interior decorator - if there is an unhappy
result, it's rarely the fault of the creative person - the problem and the
ultimate responsibility belongs to the customer or specifier. Problems are
generally due to the fact the customer or specifier has not explained and
agreed 'the brief' properly, or not managed the process adequately while
it's happening.
Managing design and creative projects requires a clear methodology. For
complex tasks the project manager must be vigilant and detailed. This is
not to say you need to be 'hands-on' and constantly interfering -
absolutely not - creative people need to be given freedom to use their
abilities or you might as well ask an accountant to do the job (no offence
to accountants), however, you as project manager - or the customer -
need to allow for and anticipate everything that can arise. The key to this
is establishing clear positive open communications at the outset, and then
maintaining full mutual understanding at all times, irrespective of how
much freedom is delegated.
This is both a process and a checklist of management stages. Adapt and
use it to suit your purposes. Again, bear in mind that the full extent of the
process here is for complex design projects, but the essential
principles are transferable to any situation where a creative
person or provider is required to design something. Adapt the level
of detail and use the aspects described here to suit the purposes of your
particular design project.
process for managing design projects and

creative services
1. First, establish and agree the aims of the project - large or small -
aims must be defined and agreed with the executive budget-holder
(that's you if this is a small project and you are the only person at
the 'customer' side), and if appropriate with all other stakeholders
(team-members, focus group, departmental opposite numbers,
legislative/approving bodies, etc). See the more detailed notes
about establishing and agreeing design aims below.
2. Determine a budget, (or for simple projects decide simply what you
are prepared to spend) and decide timescales and chief
outcomes/results required - remember the principle of 'fitness for
purpose' - there is no point shooting for the stars if all you need is a
quick basic refinement. Conversely do not expect to create a new
market with a 'me-too' basic improvement.
3. Decide the level of innovation required - 'me-too' or high innovation,
or something in between - this depends on your aims and required
outcomes. Again consider 'fitness for purpose'. See the more
detailed notes about level of design innovation below.
4. Write an 'outline' brief or specification - a detailed brief comes later
and should be developed with or by the principle agency when

appointed. Ensure interested affected people are aware and are in

agreement.
5. Define a team or supplier specification - what sort of team agency
will be best for this - have a clear idea of the qualities and scale and
style of the agency and/or creative people that will be appropriate
for the project.
6. Consider and (perhaps provisionally) decide what project
management tools and information systems you will use. For small
projects you will not need to change your mind about this, but for
large projects you'll need to ensure that your chosen tools and
systems interface with those of the selected creative agency, so for
larger projects keep your options open; the agency might have
better suggestions, and will certainly want to use their own systems
for managing the creative activities and progress at their end.
7. Draw up a short-list of external agencies or creative providers - for
anything other than small routine projects and on-going design
work, use referrals to identify candidates - do not use an existing
agency out of pure habit unless there are good reasons for doing so
- ensure any large design project is won by going through proper
selection process.
8. Decide method of team or agency selection - make this transparent
and inform candidates of the process - for large projects invite
formal presentations in response to the outline brief.
9. For large projects particularly, ensure that proper legal
documentation and processes are used and in place, for example,
non-disclosure agreements (where the development is commercially
sensitive, or might be subject of a patent application), clear
agreement about the use of ideas, intellectual property and
copyright ownership - clarify any areas of doubt and potential
misunderstanding. Creative agencies commonly have a different
view about these things to commercial business managers -
misunderstandings develop easily so you must flush all of these
issues out into the open and make sure they are fully understood
and agreed on all sides (and ensure this transparency of agreement
is maintained through the design management project).
10. Select the internal team and agree clear responsibilities as
appropriate - often internal team members are on the fringe,
notably for such things as quality and safety, ITC, finance, etc.,
which means these people are easy to forget, but it's important to
involve and include them as appropriate in your planning and
ongoing communications so that they are able to provide the
assistance and input required. Consider the strengths and styles
and preferences of different team members. Look at the
personalties and styles section to better understand that different
people are naturally better at doing different things. If in doubt, ask
people what they are good at and what they prefer to be
doing within the project - don't just assume that everyone can do
anything. Some creative people are passive or introverts and need
to be given guidance and management; others are proactive and/or
extraverts, and will be happy to instigate and use their initiative. Be
aware of whom you expect to do what, and seek their commitment
that your expectations are appropriate and comfortable for them.
11. Select external team - external agency and or other creative

people as appropriate - be mindful of level of innovation required -
assess integrity and track-record as well as the quality of their
'pitch' presentations (in trying to win the project contract) - clarify
allocation of work and responsibility within external agency - senior
people are more expensive than junior people, but senior people are
bored by routine work - be comfortable with the people appointed to
the tasks within the agency.
12. Identify and agree clear project management accountability among
the internal and external team members - you certainly need a
primary project manager on the agency side to take responsibility
for the project (aside from the ultimate accountability which
naturally defaults to you, being the project manager for your own
organisation). Again consider personalties, styles, strengths and
work preferences of all team members; do not assume that the
team leader at the agency end of things will be on top of this,
although usually they will be. Some won't be however, and as the
customer and specifier you are entitled to check that different types
of work are being done by people best suited to the responsibilities
and expectations concerned. This is where a good relationship with
the agency team leader is very helpful. You need to be confident
that they can manage their team well, on your behalf.
13. Develop and agree detailed brief with the appointed agency - large
projects will require 'sub-briefs' for each team or element of the
project. For large projects an agency is perfectly entitled to include
the development of the detailed brief within the overall project
chargeable services. It is not advisable to seek to avoid these costs
by developing a detailed brief in isolation and then presenting it to
an agency as a 'fait accomplis' (decided and issued as an edict). the
detailed brief is part of the project, and a good agency will help
usually you develop one that is realistic and deliverable. Conversely,
no supplier is comfortable being given a complex brief which
excludes the supplier's input, expertise and interpretation. And
aside from all of this, people work best on projects when they have
a sense of involvement and ownership; inviting agency input to the
detailed brief creates involvement and a sense of ownership, which
generally provides a platform for commitment and reliable delivery.
14. Develop and agree a detailed project plan with the appointed
agency - the plan includes the tools you will use for managing and
communicating - especially for budgets and approvals. Again, for
large complex projects expect this to be chargeable agency time
and part of the agency service. Only for the smallest simplest
projects will you get away with creating a detailed project plan in
isolation. the bigger the project, the more input you should seek
from the agency - they are the ones who'll have to make it all
happen. Edicts and X-Theory management techniques are a recipe
for disaster. You've gone to all the effort to find a good agency, so
let them contribute as fully as possible to the project.
15. Be guided by the agency about the different stages of the design
process, and when you can expect to see representations, ideas,
models, art-work, etc., whatever is appropriate for the project. For
certain design projects, for example the design of new products, the
agency will suggest a staged process of producing ideas, drawings,

mock-ups, models and various stages of prototypes. Understand and
agree these stages and expectations, and build the stages and the
approvals into the project plan.
16. For design projects that involve a production phase, as many
will do (eg., new products, advertising campaigns, websites, etc)
again be guided by the agency about how the design process should
interface with aspects of production and implementation. In many
circumstances the agency will have more experience about this
than you (for instance design to print production), and in any event
you must ensure connections and understanding between design
and implementation, whatever that entails. Your job is to ensure
that the connections between design and
production/implementation enable a seamless transition from one to
the other, ie., design to production/implementation. This transition
varies greatly depending on the type of design project and you must
involve and integrate the needs of all departments, divisions,
organisations, whatever, that are responsible for or have an interest
in the implementation or production of the design(s) concerned. The
more the agency understands about the implementation and
production issues, the better able it is to incorporate those
requirements and factors into the design plans.
17. Communicate and explain the plans to all involved and seek
agreement - clarify expectations (and always keep doing so through
the project). At this stage, assuming appropriate sign-off of the
plans, you are ready for the project to start, and are now into the
implementation stage. Clarify and agree the preferred management
style and management methods with the agency, firstly with the
agency's team manager or project manager, and then with all other
people on the project, so that everyone knows what's expected -
this should embrace communications, updates, approvals, break-
points, amendments - where possible anticipate anything that might
arise to affect the project - aim to prevent surprises on either side -
transparency and clear open positive communications on both sides
are essential. Look at the levels of delegation, and decide
continuously how much freedom to extend to people within the
project. Your job is to manage the project - not to do all the work.
The aim is to manage the team so that they feel good about what
they are doing, they know clearly what the 'rules of engagement'
are, and they get feedback and regular updates about progress and
expectations. Communication, measurement, encouragement and
maintaining some flexibility to accommodate slippage and new
opportunities along the way, are vital aspects of managing
successful creative projects.
18. Ensure plans and forecasts are kept up to date and communicated.
Provide information and progress reports to upline managers and
executives - do not wait to be asked. Updates and progress reports
are vital for staying on top of creative projects, and demonstrate
that you are in control, which keeps nervous up-line managers off
your back, because they can trust the project is in safe hands. Stay
informed; measure and monitor; be available when required, but try
to let the team get on with their jobs. Creative people need space
and reassurance. You have the overview, not them, so behave

accordingly: manage and feedback and update in the big picture
and resist the temptation to 'micro-manage', if you have such
tendencies.
19. And generally enjoy the creative process and encourage all
involved to do the same - it's a wonderful thing, in which the
combination of solid project management skills and creative
specialisms can produce extremely significant and rewarding
outcomes, for the organisations and all the people involved.
20. Finally, always remember to give good positive feedback and thanks
to creative people and agency staff. Creative agencies and creative
people are like most other staff - they get blamed when things go
wrong, but get little credit when things succeed. Instead turn it
around the other way: make sure you take responsibility and accept
the blame for any problems that arise, and ensure the creative
people get the thanks and the credit for all the success. As with any
management role, this provides the best platform for success.
design process and principles - important

aspects in more detail
establish the aims of the design project

Be clear first what your aims are - what is the purpose of the design
project?
You need to agree and confirm with all involved the actual purpose of the
design project. What are the outcomes required? Use the SMARTER
criteria to establish these essential starting parameters. Design and the
creative process will always tend to zoom off in weird and wonderful
directions - that's the nature of the creative process and of creative
people - so you need to establish clear guidelines or things can become
very difficult to control.
It's all too easy to lose sight of the original purpose of any design project
unless it is properly established, quantified, agreed and recorded.
• Specific (a clear written description of what is intended or required,
the outcome needed - the basic aim of the exercise)
• Measurable (quantify every aspect that is fixed, especially
budgets, scale of application,
• Agreed (with all stakeholders and interested/affected parties)
• Realistic (even highly conceptual projects need to have a realistic
intention or the project is inherently flawed)
• Timebound (proper start and finish timescales, ideally with
milestones (check-points) and measures along the way)
• Ethical (if you build ethics in from the start you provide a valuable
reference point to maintain integrity)
• Recorded (write everything down; it's essential for clarification,
agreement, management and control)
Using the brainstorming process can be very helpful in beginning to

establish project aims.
consider and decide the level of design

innovation required
This is a vital dimension of the specification and is critically important for
any creative people working on the project.
Is your design project highly conceptual and ground-breaking, or is it a
revision or development or improvement of an existing design or product
or service? Or something in between? The thought process and design
process are entirely different for something absolutely new compared to
something that simply adapts or develops an existing concept or idea.
Creative people therefore need to know the level of innovation required.
Many of the best creative people will by their nature tend to strive for
optimum innovation. This is fine if the project requires it, but if the design
project is merely to design next season's range of tea-towel patterns,
there's no point in having a designer working on the next generation of
bactericidal super-absorbent textiles that change colour to indicate when
they're due for cleaning.
The level of innovation must be 'fit for purpose' whatever that purpose is.
Your reference point is the outcome or result required by the business or
organisation.
Deciding the level of innovation is also crucial for selecting the right type
of designer(s) to work on the project. Some designers are highly
innovative; others are more comfortable with refinements and
developments. Knowing the level of innovation helps you to identify the
right people for the job.
patents and non-disclosure agreements

(nda's)
It is generally not possible to patent an idea or an invention once it
becomes public knowledge, or enters the 'public domain'.

If your design project involves a concept or plan or details that might be

subject of a future patent application, you can protect the confidentiality
of your ideas when discussing them with prospective designers through
the use of a non-disclosure agreement (commonly abbreviated to NDA,
also called a non-disclosure undertaking or a confidentiality agreement).
A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) simply states that both sides (normally
the specifying 'company' or customer, and the prospective supplier or
'recipient' of the confidential information) will keep confidential all
sensitive information disclosed by either side relating to the (named or
described) project. A two-way undertaking is often more appropriate than
merely protecting the interests of the customer or specifier because the
supplier will commonly have their own needs for confidentiality too.
Having said this many NDA's ignore the interests of the potential supplier
and are worded as a simple one-way protection, basically signed by the
potential supplier or agency to guarantee that they will keep information
relating to the project confidential, and take reasonable measures to
ensure that all information is treated confidentially among their people.
A simple NDA can be achieved also via a simple exchange of letters. It's
not a complex thing, unless the project is very serious.
If you do not have a non-disclosure agreement document or template,
most good design agencies will often have their own NDA's which can be
adapted to suit the needs of both sides.
If not, a decent solicitor should be able to advise on the creation of a
simple non-disclosure agreement. Alternatively examples of NDA's are
freely available on the internet. Try to choose an NDA which uses simple
plain language, and avoid being persuaded by lawyers to spend a lot of
money creating a complex document, unless the project is very serious.
The likelihood is that the creative agency will want to amend your NDA
anyway, so keeping things simple is your best way to complete this
formality quickly and easily, and then get on with awarding and managing
actual project.
Incidentally non-disclosure agreements can be used for any discussions
where you need to protect the confidentiality of information - NDA's are
not restricted to design projects and ideas that might be patented.
time management tips

time management quick tips here
time management techniques, tools, free
systems samples and templates here
Time management starts with the commitment to change. Time
management is easy as long as you commit to action. The key to
successful time management is planning and then protecting the planned
time, which often involves re-conditioning your environment, and

particularly the re-conditioning the expectations of others. In terms of
time management, you are at your most efficient the day before you start
your annual leave. Your time management and efficiency on this day is
probably awesome. If you really want to, you can be that well-organized
every day...
Time management enables each of us to improve and be more productive
and fulfilled individually, so logically the effects across whole
organisations of good or poor time management are enormous.
The collective implications of wasted time, and happily also the benefits of
increasing personal productivity, are immense.
some interesting time management

statistics
Emphasising the huge significance and opportunities in time
management, a 2007 survey by the Proudfoot Consulting (Guardian 22
Oct 07) covering 2,500 businesses over four years and 38 countries,
indicated that wasted time costs UK businesses £80bn per year,
equivalent to 7% of GDP. The causes of wasted time - labour inefficiency
in other words - were:
• inadequate workforce supervision (31%)
• poor management planning (30%)
• poor communication (18%)
• IT problems, low morale, and lack or mismatch of skills (21%)
Clearly organisations are vastly under-utilising their people, and could be

doing a lot more to enable more efficient working.
These failings of organisation and leadership make it all the more
important for individual people to think creatively about time
management, and particularly to start making changes to improve time
management at a personal individual level.
time management tips - and ideas for time

management skills training
Be prepared to make drastic changes. Be creative to find and introduce
different ways of doing things. If you need a starting point see the 'Pareto
Principle' (80:20 Rule), to assess what efforts and activities are most
productive, and which are not. (See also the acronyms PAY and MILE -
warning: there is adult content on the acronyms page.)

Manage your emails and phone calls - don't let them manage you. Ideally
check at planned times, and avoid continuous notification of incoming
emails.
The more senior you are the more selective you need to be about when to
be available to receive phone calls.
Try to minimise the time that you are available to take unplanned phone
calls, unless you are in a customer-facing, reactive role (customers can be
internal too), and even if you are customer-facing, you must plan some
time-slots when you are not available, or you'll never get anything
important and pro-active done.
Challenge your own tendency to say 'yes' without scrutinising the request
- start asking and probing what's involved - find out what the real
expectations and needs are.
Really think about how you currently spend your time. If you don't know,
keep a time log for a few days to find out there's a free time management
time-log template tool here. Knowing exactly what's wrong is the first step
to improving it.
Challenge anything that could be wasting time and effort, particularly
habitual tasks, meetings and reports where responsibility is inherited or
handed down from above. Don't be a slave to a daft process or system.
Download and use the free time management assessment tool at the free
online resources section, which will help you or another person to
objectively judge your time management, and underlying issues.
Review your activities in terms of your own personal short-term and long-
term life and career goals, and prioritise your activities accordingly.
Plan preparation and creative thinking time in your diary for the long-term
jobs, because they need it. The short-term urgent tasks will always use up
all your time unless you plan to spend it otherwise.
Use a diary, and an activity planner to schedule when to do things, and
time-slots for things you know will need doing or responding to. There's a
sample time management activity schedule template with examples on
the new time management section.
Re-condition the expectations of others as to your availability and their
claim on your time - use an activity planner to help you justify why you
and not others should be prioritising your activities and time.
Manage your environment as a whole - especially at the proposed or
actual introduction of new systems, tools, technology, people, or
processes, which might threaten to generate new demands on your time.
If you accept changes without question - particularly new technology that
helps others but not you - then you will open the way for new increasing
demands on your time, or new interruptions, or new tasks and obligations.
Instead consider new technology and other changes from the point of
view of your time and efficiency. Ask yourself - is this going to save my
time or add to my burden? Managing your environment - which includes

managing, redefining, or reconditioning the expectations of others - is a

critical aspect of effective time management.
You must plan time slots for unplanned activities - you may not know
exactly what you'll need to do, but if you plan the time to do it, then other
important things will not get pushed out of the way when the demand
arises.
Use the 'urgent-important' system of assessing activities and deciding
priorities. See more at the new time management section.
When you're faced with a pile of things to do, go through them quickly
and make a list of what needs doing and when. After this handle each
piece of paper only once. Do not under any circumstances pick up a job,
do a bit of it, then put it back on the pile.
Do not start lots of jobs at the same time - even if you can handle
different tasks at the same time it's not the most efficient way of dealing
with them, so don't kid yourself that this sort of multi-tasking is good - it's
not.
Be firm and diplomatic in dealing with time allocated for meetings,
paperwork, telephone, and visitors, etc. When you keep your time log you
will see how much time is wasted. Take control. Provided you explain why
you are managing your time in this way, people will generally understand
and respect you for it.
Keep a clean desk and well-organized systems. Don't be obsessive about
tidiness - busy people often make a mess - but ensure your mess doesn't
undermine your effectiveness.
Delegate as much as possible to others. If you have one, give 25% of your
responsibility to your successor. (See the rules of delegation.)
You don't need to be a manager to delegate. Just asking nicely is
sometimes all that's required to turn one of your difficult tasks into an
easy one for somebody else better able to do it.
If you can't stop interruptions when you need a quiet space for planned
concentration time-slots, then find somewhere else in the building to
work, and if necessary work at home or another site, and fight for the
right to do this - it's important for you and the organization that you be
able to work uninterrupted when you need to.
Set up an acceptable template for the regular weekly or monthly reports
you write, so you only need to slot in the updated figures and narrative,
each time.
If you can, get a good assistant, secretary or pa.
Sharpen up your decision-making.
Always probe deadlines to establish the true situation - people asking you
to do things will often say 'now' when 'later today' would be perfectly
acceptable. Appeal to the other person's own sense of time management:
it's impossible for anyone to do a good job without the opportunity to plan
and prioritise.
Break big tasks down into stages and plan time-slots for them. Use project
management methods.
Now read the time management systems, techniques and training section.
Choose some of the above time management tips and commit to putting
them into effect.
the priest and the politician (a story about

time management and being late)
After twenty-five years in the same parish, Father O'Shaunessey was
saying his farewells at his retirement dinner. An eminent member of the
congregation - a leading politician - had been asked to make a
presentation and a short speech, but was late arriving.
So the priest took it upon himself to fill the time, and stood up to the
microphone:
"I remember the first confession I heard here twenty-five years ago and it
worried me as to what sort of place I'd come to... That first confession
remains the worst I've ever heard. The chap confessed that he'd stolen a
TV set from a neighbour and lied to the police when questioned,
successfully blaming it on a local scallywag. He said that he'd stolen
money from his parents and from his employer; that he'd had affairs with
several of his friends' wives; that he'd taken hard drugs, and had slept
with his sister and given her VD. You can imagine what I thought...
However I'm pleased to say that as the days passed I soon realised that
this sad fellow was a frightful exception and that this parish was indeed a
wonderful place full of kind and decent people..."
At this point the politician arrived and apologised for being late, and keen
to take the stage, he immediately stepped up to the microphone and
pulled his speech from his pocket:
"I'll always remember when Father O'Shaunessey first came to our
parish," said the politician, "In fact, I'm pretty certain that I was the first
person in the parish that he heard in confession..."
(Adapted from a story sent by Stephen Hart, thanks.)
For more amusing time management examples and stories see:

the rocks in a bucket story
the monkey story
the 'we've always done it that way' story

SOLUTIONS * IDEAS * SOLUTIONS * IDEAS
Project Management
From web projects through

to major change projects
Project Agency
SOLUTIONS * IDEAS * SOLUTIONS * IDEAS
Brought to you by Project Agency www.projectagency.com
Why Write This Booklet and Who Wrote It?

Ron Rosenhead is Managing Director of Project Agency. He believes the modern day manager needs
project management skills to deliver the organisations’ agenda. He therefore decided to write this
book to help support them. The writing of this Tips Booklet fits nicely with the company motto
“Helping organisations deliver projects effectively.” The word project can be misleading. Many
people think of large scale building works or changes in information technology. Your project may
not be as big as those quoted; preparing and writing a report, developing an internet product alongside
marketing and sales plan, relocating an office. They all need careful planning.
This tips booklet is based on the unique Project Agency Project Management System - PMS. It has
been used in many organisations and is a tried and tested and very flexible model.
This booklet will help you in many ways:
• Providing you with a structure to manage your projects

• Giving practical advice based on over 10 years of running workshops and projects
• Answering many of the questions posed by people involved in projects
• Using it to check current project management practices in your organisation
You, the reader may be a one person business or working in a global company with many thousands
of workers. This book is written for all of you!! We mention senior managers. If you work alone, you
are the senior manager! Please adapt the content to fit your situation.
Ron has worked in the project and change management field for many years. He is passionate about
project management and formed Project Agency in 1995. Since then, he has written articles and
spoken at conferences and run many many project management events for a vast array of
organisations.
Project Agency run a wide variety of training events around the world, so do go to
www.projectagency.com for further information or contact us on events@projectagency.com
Good luck with all your projects and we would be delighted to receive feedback about the content of
this booklet as well as how you have managed to apply it.
Happy Reading 
© Ron Rosenhead, Project Agency Ver: 3. February 2006
This Tips Booklet has been produced for open distribution to anyone. Please feel free to pass it onto friends or
colleagues. We would be delighted to hear how you used this book and how useful it has been in supporting the
delivery of your project.
If you want something more in-depth try our e-book; Deliver That Project, a Step- by- Step Training Guide. Go to
www.deliverthatproject.com or send an email to events@projectagency.com Finally, good luck with all of your
projects. We would be delighted to talk with you about any project management issues you may have. Do call
+44 (0)20 846 7766 or email events@projectagency.com

Project Management Tips
Getting Started – Initiation
1. Develop a solid business case for your projects. Where appropriate, ensure you
obtain senior managers’ agreement before you start the project. Research points out
that too many projects are started without a firm reason or rationale. Developing a
business case will identify whether it is worth working on.
2. Ensure your project fits with the key organisational or departmental agenda or your
personal strategy. If not, why do it? Stick to priority projects.
3. Carry out risk analysis at a high level at the initiation stage. Avoid going into great
detail here – more an overview focussing on the key risks.
4. Identify at this early stage key stakeholders. Consider how much you need to consult
or involve them at the business case stage. Seek advice if necessary from senior
managers
5. Where appropriate, involve finance people in putting the business case together. They
can be great allies in helping crunch the numbers which should give credibility to
your business case.
Defining Your Project
6. Produce a written project definition statement (sometimes called PID) and use it to
inform stakeholders – see point 13. This document is ‘your contract’ to carry out the
project and should be circulated to key stakeholders.
7. Use the project definition statement to prevent creep. Use it to prevent you going
beyond the scope of the project through its use in the review process.
8. Identify in detail what will and will not be included in the project scope. Avoid
wasting time by working on those areas which should not be included – identify these
in the PID.
9. Identify who fulfils which roles in your project. Document them on the PID. Include a
paragraph to show what each person does.
10. Identify who has responsibility for what in the project e.g. project communications is
the responsibility of AD. This helps reduce doubt early in the life of the project.
11. Think ‘Team Selection’ – give some thought to who should be in your team. Analyse
whether they have the skills required to enable them to carry out their role? If not,
ensure they receive the right training. Check they are available for the period of the
project. NOTE: this includes any contactors you may need to use
12. Form a group of Project Managers. The Project Manager role can sometimes be very
lonely! Give support to each other by forming a group of Project Managers.
13. Identify who the stakeholders are for your project – those affected and ‘impacted’ by
the project. This should be an in- depth analysis which needs updating regularly.
14. Recognise early in the life of the project what is driving the project. Is it a drive to
improve quality, reduce costs or hit a particular deadline? You can only have 1.
Discuss with the sponsor what is driving the project and ensure you stick to this
throughout the project. Keep “the driver” in mind especially when you monitor and
review.
15. Hold a kick off meeting (Start up Workshop) with key stakeholders, sponsor, project
manager project team. Use the meeting to help develop the PID (see Tip 6). Identify
risks and generally plan the project. If appropriate hold new meetings at the start of a
new stage.
16. Ensure you review the project during the Defining Your Project Stage – involve your
sponsor or senior manager in this process. Remember to check progress against the
business case.
Delivery Planning
17. Create a work breakdown structure (WBS) for the project. A WBS is a key element
you will need to develop your plan. It lists out all of the activities you will need to
undertake to deliver the project. Post it notes can be a great help in developing your
WBS.
18. Group tasks under different headings once you have a list. This will enable you to
identify the chunks of work that need to be delivered, as well as put together the Gantt
chart and milestone chart.
19. Identify dependencies (or predecessors) of all activities. This will let you put together
the Gantt and milestone charts. Ensure you write them down otherwise you are trying
to carry potentially hundreds of options in your head.
20. Estimate how long each activity will take. Be aware that research points out we are
notoriously bad at estimating. You estimate a task will take 3 days. Identify how
confident you are that you can deliver in 3 days by using %
e.g. I’m only 40% certain I can deliver in 3 days. You should aim for 80%. If you
do not believe you can achieve 80% then re-calculate
21. Identify the critical path for the project. The critical path identifies those activities
which have to be completed by the due date in order to complete the project on time.
22. Communicate, communicate, communicate! Delivering a project effectively means

you need to spend time communicating with a wide range of individuals. Build a
communication plan and review it regularly and include it in your Gantt chart.
23. Are you involved in a major change project? If you are, think through the implications
of this on key stakeholders and how you may need to influence and communicate with
them.

24. Conduct Risk Assessment – carry out a full risk analysis and document it in a risk
register. Regularly review each risk to ensure you are managing them, rather than
them managing you. Appoint a person to manage each risk.
25. Develop a Gantt chart and use it to monitor progress against the plan and to involve
key stakeholders in the communications process.
26. Draw up a milestone plan. These are stages in the project. You can use the milestone
dates to check the project is where it should be. Review whether activities have been
delivered against the milestone dates and take a look forward at what needs to be
achieved to deliver the next milestone.
Project Delivery – Monitoring and Reviewing Your

Project (Project Governance)
27. Have a clear project management monitoring and reviewing process – agreed by
senior managers - the project sponsor and the project Board, if you have one.
28. Ensure your organisation’s corporate governance structure and your project
management monitoring and control structure are compatible. If you do not know
whether this is the case then seek senior management involvement.
29. Be aware early in the project what will be monitored, how they will be monitored and
the frequency.
30. Keep accurate records of your project not only for audit purposes but to ensure you
have documents which enable you to monitor changes.
31. Use a Planned v. Actual form. It is easy to create – it allows you to monitor how you
are progressing with specific tasks – time and money. Link these forms into milestone
reviews.
32. Identify with your sponsor the type of control that is needed – loose or tight or a
variation of these, e.g. tight at the start, loose in the middle, tight at the end. Ensure
the system you develop reflects the type of control intended.
33. Agree a system for project changes – have an agreed system for monitoring and
approving changes. Use change control forms and obtain formal sign off (agreement)
by the sponsor, before action a change. Look for the impact of the change on the
project scope as well as the “key driver” - quality, and cost and time.
34. Appoint someone to be responsible for project quality especially in larger projects.
Review quality formally with the client at agreed milestone dates.
35. Make certain you have agreed who can sanction changes in the absence of your
sponsor. If you haven’t agreed this, what will you do in their absence?
36. Set a time limit for project meetings to review progress. Have an agenda with times
against each item and summarise after each item at the end of the meeting.
37. Produce action points against each item on the agenda and circulate within 24 hours
of the meeting. Use these action points to help in the creation of your next agenda.
38. Review the items on the critical path checking they are on schedule. Review risks,
review yours stakeholders and your communication plans and whether you are still on
track to deliver on time, to budget and to the required quality standard.
39. Set a tolerance figure and monitor e.g. a tolerance figure of ±5% means as long as you
are within the 5% limit you do not have to formally report. If exceed the 5% limit
(cost or time) then you need to report this to the agreed person – probably your
sponsor
40. Report progress against an end of a stage – are you on schedule? Time, cost or
quality? Ensure that if something is off schedule the person responsible for delivering
it suggests ways to bring it back on time, within budget or to hit the right quality
standard.
41. Develop an issues log to record items that may be causing concern. Review at your
project meetings.
42. See whether you are still delivering the original project benefits when reviewing your
project. If not, consider re-scoping or if appropriate abandoning the project. Do not
be afraid of abandoning a project. Better to abandon now rather than waste valuable
time, money, and resources working on something no longer required. If you close a
project early – hold a project review meeting to identify learning.
43. Produce one-page reports highlighting key issues. Agree the areas to include with the
Sponsor before writing a report.
44. Use a series of templates to support the monitoring process, e.g. milestone reporting,
change control, log, planned v. actual. Contact info@progectagency.com for more
information.
45. Apply traffic lights to illustrate how you are progressing – red, amber and green. Use
these in conjunction with milestone reports.
46. Engender honest reporting against specific deliverables, milestones, or a critical path
activity. If you do not have honest reporting imagine the consequences.
Closedown and Review
47. Agree well in advance a date to hold a post project review meeting. Put this onto the
Gantt chart.
48. Invite key stakeholders, sponsor, and project team to the post project review. If the
date is in their diary well in advance it should make it easier for them to attend
49. Focus your meeting on learning – identifying what you can use on the next project.
Share the learning with others in the organisation.

50. Check whether you have delivered the original project objectives and benefits and not
gone out of scope.
51. Make sure that you have delivered against budget, quality requirements and the end
deadline.
52. Understand how well you managed risks and your key stakeholders. Use
questionnaires to obtain feedback.
53. Prepare a list of unfinished items. Identify who will complete these after the project
and circulate to any stakeholders.
54. Hand over the project formally to another group (it is now their day job) - if
appropriate. You may need to build this into the project plan and involve them early
in the plan and at different stages throughout the project.
55. Write an end of project report and circulate. Identify in the report key learning points.
56. Close the project formally. Inform others you have done this and who is now
responsible for dealing with day to day issues.
57. Celebrate success with your team! Recognise achievement, there is nothing more
motivating.
General Tips
58. But what is a project? Why worry whether something is a project? Why not use
some of the project management processes, e.g. stakeholder analysis or use of traffic
lights to manage your work? They key principle is to deliver the piece of work using
the appropriate tools. We use the term project based working to describe this
approach.
59. Get trained! Research points out that only 61% of people have received any project
management training. Contact Project Agency on Telephone No: +44 (0) 208 446
7766 or email info@projectagency.com for more information.
60. Ensure you have the buy-in of senior managers for your project. You will need to
work hard to influence upwards and get their support.
61. What about the day job? Projects get in the way and the day job gets in the way of
projects! Many people have found that by applying project based working to day to
day activities and by being more rigorous on project work, more is achieved.
62. Identify early on in the life of the project the priority of your projects. Inevitably
there will be a clash with another project or another task. Use your project
management skills to deliver and your senior management contacts to check out the
real priority of the project.
63. Discover how project management software can help. But, you will need to develop
the business case, produce a project definition alongside planning what will go into

the software. Many project managers use simple Excel spreadsheets or charts in word
to help deliver their project.
Good luck in delivering your project!

About Project Agency
Project Agency was formed to help people and organisations deliver projects effectively. Its
philosophy was developed early in our history and is still with us today. We work in
organisations:
 demystifying project management with professionals at all levels
 developing core skills – of project managers, their teams and project sponsors
 providing written guidelines and protocols for staff to deliver projects in

consistent and effective way
 helping those involved in the project management process to recognise the need
to further develop their people skills as well as their project management skills.
We have a range of staff who support us in delivering the above philosophy. They are all
well trained and work flexibly with clients.
What does the Project Agency do?
We list below a range of services to our clients. Please note that we customise much of
what we do to meet organisational and individual needs. Our services include:
 Delivering practical project management training:
 designed to ensure project managers and project team members understand the
processes and skills to deliver effectively
 customised to meet specific needs – really targeting organisational needs
 working with project teams focusing on delivering a specific project – alongside
developing their team skills
 running PRINCE2 qualification programmes or PRINCE2 training workshops
 Developing in-house project management systems i.e. a customised project

management system ensuring consistency of approach - complete with
templates
 Running training sessions for project sponsors and project board members – to
help develop their role effectively
 Carrying out audits of projects – after project completion, end of stage or an

audit of internal project management approaches.
 Organising and running start up workshops for groups pre project – ensuring
projects get off to a really effective start
 Developing effective business cases.
 Effective project leadership training.

 Working with senior managers identifying the key projects for the organisation
and their priority
 Individual coaching support to project managers and project sponsors
 Developing programme management strategies and establishing project

(programme) support offices
www.projectagency.co.uk
Blank Project Management

Templates
Saving Time!
Saving Money!
Saving Stress!
Please feel free to copy any of the attached

documents. You can alter any of them to suit the
needs of your specific project or organisation.
If you want information about the services

provided by Project Agency please call 0208 446
7766 or email events@projectagency.com our
web site is www.projectagency.com

Note: in supplying these templates, Project Agency cannot be held

responsible for how they are completed!

Listed below are some forms you will find on the next pages.
Please complete the forms as appropriate. Please note, completing the forms
is an aid to help you deliver your projects, not an end in itself.
Page No.
♦ Defining
Project Responsibilities 3
♦ Stakeholder
Analysis 4
♦ Milestone Chart 5
♦ Milestone
Report 6
♦ Variation Form
♦ Risk Log 8
♦ Business Case
Form 9
♦ Project
Definition Form or PID 10
♦ Project
Reporting Form 12
♦ Highlight
Report 13
♦ Change
Control Form 14
♦ Change
Control Log 15

♦ Actual V
Planned 16
♦ Project
management check sheet 17

These project management templates have been produced for open
distribution to anyone. Please feel free to pass them onto friends or
colleagues. The forms have been used by professional staff at all levels –
staff who have to deliver projects. Some of these projects are small quick
delivery (less than a month), others large long term projects which cost
significant sums of money.
We would be delighted to hear how you used these forms and how useful
they were in supporting the delivery of your project. Please email
events@projectagency.com. Do look at www.projectagency.com where you can find a
range of information, products and services.
Finally, good luck with all of your projects and we would be delighted to talk
with you about any project management issues you may have. Call on +44
(0)20 846 7766 or email

Defining Project Responsibilities
PERSONNEL
TASKS/ACTIVITIES
297
Stakeholder Analysis
The purpose of stakeholder analysis is to inform the project manager and sponsor who should contribute to the
project, where barriers might be, and the actions that need to be taken prior to detailed project planning.
Stakeholde Their interest or What the project Perceived Actions to take

r requirement from the needs from them attitudes and/or
project risks
298
Milestone Chart
Main milestones/phases shown on higher chart, and sub-milestones for each phase on charts below
TIME [in suitable units -days, weeks, months, etc.]

MILESTONES Responsibilit
y
Project Agency Tele: 020 8446 7766 299

Milestone Report
Project:
Date of Milestone meeting/discussion:
Deliverables due Due R/A/G* Action to take to bring deliverable or task back on schedule
date
* R = Red flags [off plan - describe in detail: quality, cost, time]

A = Amber [is almost off schedule or will definitely be off schedule NOTE: you may need to agree the precise definition
before use]
G = Green flags [to plan or better - show savings]
300
Variation Form
Activity Description Date to Revise Reason for Effect on project

name /No. be d est. delay.
deliver Q/C/T Q/C/T? Explain
ed
Signed: Project Sponsor
Project Manager
Date
301
Risk Analysis
Score as follows, for Likelihood and Impact: High = 3, Medium = 2, Low = 1
Nature of Likelihood
High/
Impact
High/
Likelihood
x Impact
Actions required and who
Risk or Medium/ Medium/ [Score] will take responsibility to
Uncertaint Low Low manage the risk
y
303
Business Case Form

Please complete the form below and submit it to your project sponsor.
Background to the project (PLEASE KEEP BRIEF)
General aims(s)
Initial Risks
Expected Outcomes
Benefits of running with this project
Initial estimates of cost and time
£:
Time:
Outcome of the business case
Decision from (x x)
Date
304
Project Definition Form [or PID]
Project Title: Put here a very Sponsor: Insert actual sponsor name
brief title
State below the link with the corporate agenda – the actual wording
please.
Put here the actual words in the corporate agenda – showing the link with this project
Project Background: The background to the project. Enough information to

inform the reader.
Project Benefits: An outline of what the benefits are to the organisation,

individuals or stakeholders in delivering the project
Project Objectives: The specific objectives for the project. NOTE: the objectives
can be one line or more detailed text.
Project What you will be delivering at the end of the project. NOTE:
Deliverables: these are the what you will have at the end of the project,
e.g. a report, a building, improved service levels etc.
This project will include: This project will not include:
This section defines the boundaries Planning details should not be included at this
of the project. stage.
Success Criteria: How you will measure the success of the project. NOTE: the
success criteria must be measurable.
Constraints: Examples here can be specific (a skill which the project

team must have) resources, or a legal deadline – NOTE:
only include time and money if you can quantify them.
Key Assumptions: The assumptions you are making in putting this document
together.
305
Project Manager: Who fulfils this role and what they do.
Project Sponsor: Who fulfils this role and what they do.
Project Who fulfils these Project Team

Board/Steering roles and what they Members:
Group Members: do. NOTE: may not
be appropriate for
all projects
Budget
Resource Costs: Other Costs:
Total costs (attach a breakdown of the overall budget)

• VAT*– Some projects may have important VAT issues. Have you spoken to
accountancy to discuss these?
Start Date: Completion

Date:
Signature of Project Date:
Manager:
Approval from Date:

Sponsor:
 For your organisation, you will need to liaise with your Finance people in order to
develop financial information that will inform project delivery. The data on this form in
relation to finance needs to be fine tuned to your organisational and project
management needs
306
Project Reporting Form
Project Title: Number:

Project Sponsor: Project Manager:
Progress Report Report No.
RAG Status*: RED / AMBER / GREEN
Headlines
Tasks, Milestones, Outcomes delivered this Completion dates

period
Tasks, Milestones, Comments Plan Actual
Outcomes
Major Risks and Issues Include an assessment of the impact and any actions taken
Recommendations and Requests for Decisions or Support
Tasks, Milestones, Outcomes scheduled for Completion dates

next period
Tasks, Milestones, Comments Plan Forecast
Outcomes
* RED "Major concern - escalate to the next level" Slippage greater than 10% of remaining time or budget, or
quality severely compromised. Corrective Action not in place, or not effective. Unlikely to deliver on time
to budget or quality requirements
AMBER "Minor concern – being actively managed” Slippage less than 10% of remaining time or budget, or quality
impact is minor. Remedial plan in place.
GREEN "Normal level of attention" No material slippage. No additional attention needed
307
Highlight/Progress Report
Project Name: PROJECT NAME
Reporting Period: Project Manager: Project Sponsor:

RAG Status R Project Phase: 0
Prepared by: Date Prepared:
Project Description: Project End Date: dd/mm/yyyy
Key Deliverables Completed this period Key Deliverables Outstanding this period Key Deliverables for next reporting period
Delivery Delivery
Date Date
Risk Management Issue Management Change Management
Log No Risk Action/Status Log No Issue Action/Status Req No Details Approved
Financial Statement
Capital Revenue External
Source Budget Actual Remaining Forecast Source Budget Actual Remaining Forecast Source Budget Actual Remaining Forecast
0 0 0

Change Control Sheet

Project Title Project Number
Project Manager
CHANGE REQUEST
Originator Date of request Change request no.
Phone: allocated by Change Controller
Items to be changed Reference(s)
Description of change (reasons for change, benefits, date required)
Estimated cost, and time to implement (quotation attached? Yes No )
Priority / Constraints (impact on other deliverables, implications of not proceeding, risks)
CHANGE EVALUATION
What is affected Work required (resources, costs, dates)
Related change requests

Name of evaluator Date evaluated Signature
CHANGE APPROVAL
Accepted Rejected Name Signed Date
Deferred
Comments
CHANGE IMPLEMENTATION
Asset Implementer Date Signature
completed
Change Control Log

Project Title Project Number
Project Manager
Change Description of change Date Date Date Date

numbe received evaluated approved completed
r
310
Actual V Planned
Activity Planne Actua Differenc Planne Actua Differenc

d Time l e d l e
Time Cost Cost
311
Project Management - Check Sheet Amend this Check Sheet to suit your project
A: SET UP - INITIATION Y N COMMENTS 5 Have you identified the critical path Y N COMMENTS
for the project?
6 Have you developed a
1 Developed the business case?
communications plan and included
2 Is a full options appraisal
its component parts into the Gantt
necessary?
charts?
3 Is the project in line with the
7 Are you continuing to carry out risk
strategic plan?
analysis throughout the project?
4 Has the project received sign off by
8 Are quality standards high? How do
sponsor or project board?
you know?
B: SET UP - DEFINITION D: DELIVERY

1 Has a PID or project definition form 1 Have you identified the appropriate
been completed? type of control – loose versus tight?
2 Are roles explicit and documented? 2 Project reporting – are you clear
3 Are levels of authority clear? who reports what and to whom and
4 Have you carried out a stakeholder how?
analysis and planned accordingly? 3 Do you have a clear procedure for
5 Have you assessed risks and put a managing change?
plan into action to monitor them? 4 Have you developed a planned
6 Are you clear what is driving the versus actual schedule? How up to
project Quality, Cost or Time (1 date is it?
only) 5 Tolerance – have you an agreed
7 Have clear project review tolerance figure?
procedures been established? 6 Variations – are these quickly
8 Has planning started for a start up flagged?
workshop (or series of workshops)?
9 Team selection - have you got the
correct mix of skills and
E: CLOSEDOWN AND
professional experience? REVIEW
1 Post project review has been
C: DELIVERY PLANNING planned?
2 Learning identified?
1 Have you broken the project down 3 Is the project still delivering the
into its component parts – work benefits intended?
breakdown 4 Is there a case for abandoning the
2 How accurate are your estimates? project – off schedule or delivered a
If a low percentage then significant part of it?
recalculate. 5 End of project review reports are
3 Have you developed a milestone produced and circulated?
chart or produced a Gantt chart?
4 Have you developed an overall
project budget? Have you sought
advice from financial experts
313
Project management templates from Project Agency – please alter to suit your
needs
Services provided by Project Agency
Project Agency provides a wide range of services. Some of these are

listed below:
 Delivering practical project management training:
o designed to ensure project managers and project team

members understand the processes and skills to deliver
effectively
o customised to meet specific needs – really targeting
organisational needs
o working with project teams focusing on delivering a
specific project – alongside developing their team skills
o running PRINCE2 qualification programmes or PRINCE2
training workshops
 Developing in-house project management systems i.e. a

customised project management system ensuring consistency of
approach - complete with templates
 Running briefing sessions for project sponsors so they can

understand their important role in projects
 Carrying out audits of projects – after project completion, end of

stage or an audit of internal project management approaches.
 Organising and running start up workshops for groups pre project –

ensuring projects get off to a really effective start
 Developing effective business cases.
 Effective project leadership.
 Working with senior managers identifying the key projects for the
organisation and their priority
314
Project management templates from Project Agency – please alter to suit your
needs
 Individual coaching support to project managers and project

sponsors
 Developing programme management strategies and establishing

project [programme] support offices
Please do visit our web site

microteksankatmochanmba2010@gmail.com for further company
information or call 09795445381 for further information
the end
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Microteksankatmochanmba2010@gmail.

com +91 9795445381

Microteksankatmochanmba2010@gmail.com +91 9795445381

project management, tools,

Project Agency Tel: 020 8446 7766 2

• storage, distribution, logistics

Successful project management, for projects large or small, tends to

project management process

1 - agree precise specification (terms of

outputs, sources, participants, budgets and timescales (beware - see note

1. Describe purpose, aims and deliverables.

Separately the acronym BOSCARDET provides a useful example structure

Project Agency Tel: 020 8446 7766 4

standard practice. See also Terms of Reference in the business dictionary

2 - plan the project

project timescales and costs

the project team

Project Agency Tel: 020 8446 7766 5

consultants or other partners - is crucial to the quality of the project, and

project management tools

Project Agency Tel: 020 8446 7766 6

Project brainstorming and initial concepts, ideas,

Project Agency Tel: 020 8446 7766 7

Project Agency Tel: 020 8446 7766 8

project critical path analysis (flow diagram

project critical path analysis flow diagram

Project Agency Tel: 020 8446 7766 10

not very easily or obviously show the importance and inter-dependence of

gantt chart example

A wide range of computerised systems/software now exists for project

project financial planning and reporting

project contingency planning

3 - communicate the project plan to your

whose cooperation is crucial) is a common reason for arousing suspicion

4 - agree and delegate project actions

5 - manage, motivate, inform, encourage,

Project Agency Tel: 020 8446 7766 14

6 - check, measure, and review project

7 - complete project; review and report on

8 - follow up - train, support, measure and

Project management almost always involves change management too,

amusing project management analogies

business process modelling

Project Agency Tel: 020 8446 7766 17

Business Process Modelling techniques are concerned with 'mapping' and

(N.B. US-English spelling is 'organization'. 'Organisation' spelling is UK-

business process modelling index

Project Agency Tel: 020 8446 7766 18

glossary of main BPM terms

business process modelling definition

purpose of business process modelling

• the 'as is' or baseline model (the current situation)

As with other management tools, there is no point producing a

adding value for the customer

Project Agency Tel: 020 8446 7766 20

This point about customers being internal as well as external is

example - BPM added value

Project Agency Tel: 020 8446 7766 21

sequence - significance in business process

Project Agency Tel: 020 8446 7766 22

business process modelling - background

origins of business process modelling

specialisation - 'division of labour' - 1776

analysis of specialised tasks - 'time and