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Teambuilding Icebreaker:
"Hog Call"
Set Up: None
Process: Inform participants that you will now be putting them all into
teams. Have them then count off so that approximately five people end up in each
grouping. Once everyone has a number, but before they begin moving, explain that
the Ones are all now members of the ""Dog Team," the Twos are all on the "Cat Team",
the Threes are on the "Lion Team", and so on, using different animals for each
team name. Take good care that each of the animals you choose for them makes a
distinctive and recognizable sound. Some other good choices for the game would
be sheep, cows, roosters, frogs, and crows. When everyone knows their group animal,
ask them to close their eyes and begin making their animal's sounds. Their task is to
find their teammates, without opening their eyes or using human language.
Discussion Questions: How did it feel to "surrender your dignity" and behave
like a child (especially in public)? With all the other noise distractions, how did
you zero in on your teammates? Were all your fellow group members using the same exact
animal sound? How satisfied or dissatisfied did you feel when you received your animal
assignment, and why? And how did it feel when you finally found your team and could
open your eyes and speak normally again?
The Point: Embedded within this deceptively simple energizer are some
significant lessons about groups, communication, identity and hierarchy. By
surrendering both their sense of sight and their language, participants enter
a state of disorientation that can be used to build understanding and empathy
for the lives of the disabled as well as those from other cultures. People
often perceive a hierarchy amongst the animal title they receive, with dogs
and lions typically coming out at the top of the pyramid and sheep and cows
derided at the bottom. Moreover, participants seem to derive enormous comfort
and belonging when they finally join their fellow animals, an interesting
comment perhaps about the power of names and "cheers" in the building of
team identity and spirit. Try it…but watch out! You'll be hearing those
animal sounds for the rest of day, a beastly proposition indeed.
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Feature Article:
Eight Lessons for Solving the Crossword of Teamwork
By Dave Blum
"Egotism, n: Doing the New York Times crossword puzzle with a pen."
--Ambrose Bierce
Sunday morning at my house is crossword puzzle time. Breakfast is a hasty affair, with dishes often left un-washed 'til noontime; beds go un-made; and all other chores must simply wait until my girlfriend and I have satisfied our weekly fix of Merl Reagle's wonderful Sunday crossword puzzle. Oh, I know, some of you puzzlers out there will surely argue that there is only one crossword worth attempting, that of the estimable New York Times. And, yes, the NYTCP is a doozy. For those who haven't tried it, the Times crossword is difficult with a capital D; it's the Mensa of crosswords. Complete it (in ink!) even once and you get a special place in Puzzlers' Heaven. Myself, I find the Times crossword a bit esoteric, with a frustrating emphasis on archaic phrases and New York-centric trivia and personalities. No, I prefer the Sunday crossword of the witty Mr. Reagle, syndicated in 12 papers nationwide (including our local paper, the San Francisco Chronicle), a fun, solvable puzzle with a tendency towards wordplay and humor - just the way I like it.
So why, you ask, am I extolling the pleasures of crossword puzzles in a teambuilding newsletter? Well, solving crosswords, like building teams, is a fairly complex and puzzling endeavor. In both cases, you need to bring to the table your entire body of knowledge and experience. You need to engage both sides of your brain -the logical and the intuitive. And you need to recognize patterns, plan a strategy, and think things through with the utmost mental flexibility. What follows below are eight lessons I think team builders can learn from the fascinating and arcane world of crosswords.
Lesson 1: Jump right in. Advance planning, of course, is vital in kicking off almost all tasks, whether it's the daily crossword or a big product roll-out. But on the flip side, too much planning can lead to "analysis paralysis," a condition common to all of us at one time or another. Often what's needed is simply getting beyond the drawing board and jumping on in there. But how does one start? Sunday crosswords, in particular, have so many questions to answer, it's easy to be overwhelmed. (A recent Merl Reagle puzzle had over 270 total clues!) Crossword solvers all have their own style, of course, for attacking a puzzle. My approach is to start with the "fill-in-the-blank" clues. For example, "Man's best ________" is finished by "friend". "_____ Kippur" is completed with "Yom." The clues with blanks are often the easiest to solve and give you a quick pathway into the puzzle. Teams also require, at times, a "just-get-started" attitude. You can so easily get bogged down in planning and organizing that the project just never gets started - or worse, it runs far over deadline. Try bringing the team together quickly for their first meeting. Survey the group's skills and knowledge base. Assign roles and set some initial objectives with specific completion dates. The key is finding your hook and "diving in" - for crosswords and for teambuilding.
Lesson 2: Polish off the small sections one at a time. Your typical crossword puzzle grid can be divided into a series of sections or chunks - some larger, some smaller. Frequently there is a corner, a cul-de-sac, a discreet "unit" consisting of a mere four words up and four words down. This is where I tend to start, my goal being to complete this entire area before moving on to the next section. Teams might well consider a similar approach. Work each "corner" of the project to completion. Break the challenges down to bite-size segments. And be flexible enough to shift to a different section when you hit a dead end.
Lesson 3: Seek confirmation in at least one other direction. Let's say you've encountered a four-letter Across clue that reads (enigmatically): "Bride's time." You suspect the answer might be "June" but you're just not sure. Before writing it in and risking a later scratch out, wouldn't it be wiser to first check the Down clues in search of a confirmation answer? Ah yes, good, the Down clue for the first letter is "Film about Amity's calamities," the answer of which must be "Jaws." There's your confirmation; it's now safe to pencil in "June." Similarly, teams would do well to question their initial strategies and assumptions, seeking additional input before implementing tough decisions. Perhaps extra research is in order. Maybe you should talk things over with your teammates, or check in first with management. Guesses and hunches are a part of the creative process, to be sure, but made in isolation without secondary confirmation, they can often come back to haunt you.
Lesson 4: Master the vocabulary. Crossword constructors re-use words -- of course they do. Not in the same puzzle, mind you, but from one crossword to the next you constantly see the same odd words showing up, again and again. How else could a master like Reagle fill a 21x21 square grid on a regular basis? Learning the recurring vocabulary of crosswords can significantly increase your puzzle-solving speed and agility. What's a petri dish layer? "Agar" naturally. A printer's units? "Ems," of course. "Love" in Latin? Why, it's "amo"…unless, perhaps, it's "amas" or "amat". How do you acquire this specialized word-set? By asking other experienced crossword-doers. Or by looking at the answers! Teams, too, have their own vocabulary to learn and master. Especially when entering a pre-existing team, you must quickly discover the acronyms people are using. The buzzwords. The shorthand. Moreover, teams have their own distinctive way of communicating. Some groups prefer a formal and business-like style, for example, while others opt for a more informal and folksy manner. Uncovering the team's idiosyncratic vocabulary and language is key to fitting in and navigating your way around the group's culture. If you're new to the company, read the organization's brochures. Pore over its website. If you're new to the team, above all listen. And when you're confused, ask questions of your teammates.
Lesson 5: Learn the rules. Crosswords have a particular set of conventions. For instance, if the clue has an abbreviation in it, that means the answer will be also an abbreviation. So the solution to the clue, "Mandela's org." is "ANC"; "Ariz. Neighbor" would be "NMex", not the full name, "New Mexico". (Nor would it be "Utah," a possible four-letter state bordering Arizona that, had you ignored the abbreviation rule, would have put you into a heap of puzzle trouble.) Another crossword convention: if a first name is used in the question, a first name is also sought for in the answer. (The same rule holds for last names as well.) For example, a clue that reads: "Fay in King Kong" is asking not for the last name of the actress (Wray) but for the first name of the character she played in the movie, which in this case is "Ann." Get it? Question marks are still another crossword convention to recognize and respond to. They tend to imply that a pun is forthcoming. Thus, the clue "Deposit in some banks?" is asking not for an answer relating to financial institutions, but for the response "ore" (punning off the alternate definitions of the words "bank" and "deposit"). Achieving good teamwork, as well, requires the mastery of certain rules and conventions. Some typical group ground rules might be, "No cell phone use or open laptops during meetings." Or, "One person speaks at a time, without interruption." Or, "All decisions require 100% unanimous agreement before enactment." "Or, 'We don't take vacations around here.'" (Sadly.) Of course, rules are made to be broken, as well - within reason - but starting with an understanding of your group's rules and conventions can often lead to a smoother team (and puzzle) experience.
Lesson 6: Identify patterns. The best crosswords all have a theme, a recurring motif that unifies the longer words (and some of the shorter ones as well). It could be as simple and straightforward as "poets" or "famous automobiles," with the over-riding topic fairly clear and easy to recognize. Or, with a really clever constructor, the crossword theme might itself be a veiled puzzle to solve, the motif emerging only after you've figured out a few of the key answers. In an article on his website (www.sundaycrosswords.com, 6/16/04), Reagle writes: "A crossword puzzle is a little mystery. You're trying to figure out little clues, it's going someplace, there's often some little fillip, some little surprise at the end." Consider, for example, the following clue answers from a recent Reagle puzzle. 1. "Marquee Name" 2. "Shop Awnings" 3. "Gilgamesh" 4. "Broadcast Lingo" and "A pint of your best ale mate". The mystery is, what do they all have in common? Looking more closely, you'll see these hidden words inserted into each answer: 1. "queen" 2. "pawn" 3. "game" 4. "castling" and 5. "stalemate". Aha, so this is a puzzle about chess! Sneaky!
Cracking the puzzle's code, then, is essential for breaking down a crossword. Once accomplished, the longer answers are suddenly not nearly so intimidating, and before you know it, the rest of the crossword has fallen into place with astonishing rapidity. Teams, too, require such a big-picture approach. Are there recurring patterns holding the group back? Are there any themes you can identify that may be retarding your team's progress? Pattern recognition is essential for breaking down both crosswords and team challenges.
Lesson 7: Ask for help. Fans of crosswords offer a variety of reasons for their passionate devotion to the hobby. For some, crosswords offer a way to sharpen their minds. As Reagle puts it, "The people who like to do crossword puzzles like to get their brains started in the morning…a crossword puzzle, with coffee, kick-starts their brain." (6/16/04) For others, crosswords are satisfying in the way they allow you to achieve mastery and completion. Adds Reagle, "There's something, I think, about empty squares that you have to fill in that has some sort of irresistible draw to the human mind." In my case, however, what is most enjoyable about crossword puzzles is the potential social aspect. Sure, you can do them alone, but how much more fun to play off of another mind, to mingle vocabularies, to brainstorm puzzle themes together with a partner! Fun, and helpful too - especially when you get stuck. Two brains really are stronger than one when it comes to unlocking a particularly diabolical Reagle cipher. Teams, as well, are a social and collaborative structure. They offer a chance to leverage the skills and knowledge of others, thereby achieving more than one person could do in isolation. And perhaps most important, as a group activity, teams are fun to be on. And we do our best work when we're enjoying the process.
Lesson 8: The only competition is with yourself. Whether you're working on a crossword alone, with a partner, or as a group, the goal is simply to finish the puzzle. There's no one else to beat, no opponent to vanquish. It's really just you against the puzzle master. To add some spice to the proceedings, however, some crossword solvers like to give themselves a time limit for completing the puzzle. Former President Clinton, for example, often boasted that he could finish a Times puzzle in 20 minutes. Teams would do well to follow this example. Rather than seeing other teams as "the competition," they should concentrate more on completing their own projects, without errors, and before deadline. So much energy is wasted on worrying about what your rivals are doing, rather than attending to your own duties, your own puzzles. The only competition is with yourself, as you attempt to best your previous scores and improve prior standards.
One extra lesson: Be brave - use a pen. Whether you're solving a crossword or building a team, mistakes are healthy and indeed necessary. They're how you learn. When working in pen (rather than pencil), you dare to show your errors to world. You proclaim, "I'm not perfect. Here are my mistakes." It's a gutsy stance, to be sure, but solving in ink allows you retain a permanent record of where you are, and how far you have to go on the path to the holy grail: a perfectly completed puzzle, in pen, with no empty blanks and no scratch outs. Until then, however, it's always back to the drawing board, checking the answers, learning from your mistakes, and starting again. And so with the puzzles of teamwork.
