Title: Box Lift Exercise

Exercise Type: Communication Skills

Time Required: 50 minutes
Suggested Group Size: Small to Medium
Suggested Age Group: Teenagers, Adults
Activity Level: Heavy

Materials Needed: One sturdy wooden platform two feet by two feet square and roughly four inches high.

Venue: Typical meeting room.

Purpose/Outcome: The object of this exercise is to explore individual and group communication skills and to build trust and teamwork.

Activity Description: Students are asked to stand on a wooden platform, two feet square, using only each other to balance on it. They should be given some set length of time (say 15 min.) to accomplish this. If the group is "unsuccessful" in completing the exercise, it is often useful to repeat the exercise after a partial debrief so that they can practice new behaviors. This is clearly a useful exercise for exploring communication patterns, and building teamwork and trust.

In the past, this exercise has been completed successfully by over 20 participants at a time and offers the students an opportunity to stretch their idea of what is possible, and to work as a team in close physical contact.

Because this exercise can be very challenging, and seemingly impossible at first glance, the students with strong self-regard may ask for concessions or additional props to aide them in this exercise. This exercise offers a great opportunity to process student thinking in the areas of "asking for what you want," particularly if it involves changing the rules. As it is our common practice in this culture to blindly accept rules and constrictions laid before us, it takes a great deal of self-assurance to break out of that box.

Debrief/Facilitator Notes: You may wish to debrief this activity in small groups. Suggested questions for small group facilitators:

• What happened for you in this exercise?

• What did you notice about your communication patterns?

• Do you see areas in your life where your communication patterns could be more effective?

• How well did you get your needs met?

• How did you feel about yourself during the exercise?

Debrief the experience in large group. Ask students to share insights such as:

• What are the behaviors of effective listeners?

• How do you know when you're being listened to?

• What's the difference between listening and hearing someone?

• How do you feel when you're heard? Not heard?

• How does your ability to listen relate to your self-esteem?

Learning Points: Asking for what you want or need to accomplish a task or to solve a problem is a great skill to have. Rules are designed to serve and protect us. Sometimes they become barriers that we need to break or bend. Seemingly impossible tasks can be accomplished by people working together in a way that taps into their collective wisdom and cooperation.

Questions to Draw Out Learning Points:

• How do you feel about asking for help?

• What is your relationship to "rules?"

• How do you decide if something is impossible or not?
  

Application: Form dyads and have students practice asking for what they want. For 5 min., speakers practice asking for what they want in any and all life areas. Listeners: Practice silent listening. Listen until you don't exist-Notice your thoughts and let them go. Don't say much, practice silence. Use positive and open body posture.

Resources: None.

About the Author: Steve Davis, M.A., M.S., is an Facilitator's Coach, Infoprenuer, and free-lance human, helping facilitators, organizational leaders, educators, trainers, coaches and consultants present themselves confidently, access their creativity, empower their under-performing groups, enhance their facilitation skills, and build their business online and offline. Subscribe to his free weekly ezine at www.MasterFacilitatorJournal.com or visit www.livingmastery.com to learn more about him and his offerings.