Title: Qualities

Exercise Type: Personal Growth

Time Required: 10-20 minutes

Group Size: Small: 6-20

Suggested Age Group: Children, Teenagers, Adults

Activity Level: Light

Keywords: Creativity, imagination

Materials Needed: Paper, pencil, board to write on. Choose 12 "qualities" and number them 1 through 12.

Venue: Typical Room

Purpose/Outcome: Accessing the groups imagination, accepting all offers; going for quantity of ideas vs. quality of ideas, encouraging thinking way out of the box.

Activity Description:

• Groups of three sitting with a "recorder" holding the pencil, paper on the writing board..

• Each member of the group selects a different number between 1 and 12; the recorder writes these on the top of the sheet.

• The leader reads a quality that corresponds with each number; when one of the selected numbers is called out, the recorder writes down the quality. Each group will end up with three qualities. If there are less than ten groups, you can have them read out their qualities.
  
  Hint: the leader may want to give some off-the-wall ideas to generate more flexible thinking.

• A timer is set for 4 to 5 minutes, and at the signal, each group brainstorms all the possible things that possess all three qualities. Every contribution is acknowledged and recorded.

• When the timer goes off, each group counts the total number of ideas..

• Depending on the number of groups, have them share.

  • 4 or fewer groups: have them read their qualities, and all the ideas. Applause.

  • 5-10 groups: have them read their qualities, the number of ideas - applause - and the three groups with the highest numbers, read their lists.

  • 11 or higher: leader calls out range of numbers. Groups raise their hands if they have more than this number (i.e. more than 20? 30? 35? 40?) Have the group with the highest number read their list. Applause.

Debrief/Facilitator Notes:

• What did you notice about the creativity in this process?

• What kinds of limiting thoughts tried to interject themselves into the process? How did you get past them?

• Any other comments / observation?
  

About the Author: Sue Walden is the Founder and Director of ImprovWorks, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to building Life Skills through Improvisation. Her experience includes a BA in Education and 26 years of teaching, performing and adapting and widely applying the techniques of improvisation. She approaches improv training as a powerful and joyful way to peel away constraints, restraints and inhibitions, allowing the naturally expressive, collaborative and creative self to emerge. Visit Sue's website at www.improvworks.org.