Title: A to B Exercise.

Exercise Type: Personal Growth, Self-Disclosure

Time Required: 40-60 minutes
Suggested Group Size: Medium
Suggested Age Group: Teenagers, Adults
Activity Level: Moderate

Materials Needed: None.

Venue: Typical: Large or Outdoor. Requires an open space of around 10ft. x 30 ft.

Purpose/Outcome: This exercise exposes participants to the habitual patterns they use when pursuing their goals. These patterns are revealed accurately and swiftly in this simple exercise. The typical outcomes of this exercise are: self-insight, pattern recognition, and knowledge of their own and their team-member's barriers to acheivement.

Activity Description: Identify two points in the classroom, point A and Point B, which are a minimum of 25 feet apart.

Ask each student to walk from point A to point B while keep in mind how they typically get from point "A" to "B" in their lives. In other words, to be thinking about how they typically approach their goals, solve problems. do their job, or reach a goal in their lives.

The participants can add anything or anyone from the group to represent their process. It is helpful if one or two facilitators model the exercise by sharing their path from A to B, to show the uniqueness and possibilities of the exercise.

In some cases, repetition of the exercise is important for an individual particularly when they weren't successful the first time. As a Facilitator, in this second try, you may sense that a person needs coaching to get to Point B, even if they don't request help. This may be a great opportunity to provide and while people are physically feeling their inner barriers, confusion, etc.

As a variation, you can ask the entire group to move from Point A to Point B together. This will give you fuel for discussion about teamwork, project management, and group dynamics.

Another variation or addition is to allow participants to draw their paths. This is especially helpful for people with mobility issues due to disabilities, or where there is inadequate space.

Debrief/Facilitator Notes: The facilitator may choose to process each person's journey, pattern, and path briefly at it's completion. Then, process again, with the class as a whole, when everyone is finished.

In discussing a participant's process, several questions and/or comments can help them analyze their thinking, feeling and behavior around during the exercise. For example:

• This exercise is a metaphor for how you approach life. How accurately do you think this exercise revealed your life patterns?

• What did you discover about these patterns?

• Did you go from A to B alone or choose to take someone with you?

• If you never reached Point B, tell us what you how you feel about that.

• Are there any judgements you have about yourself after doing this exercise? If so, how are they serving you?

• Is there anything you want to do differently as a result of what you learned here?

• Differences in journeys are symbolic of life patterns. Every time we do the exercise, we'll probably do it differently.
  

Learning Points: How we do anything is usualy how we do everything. If you watch the processes you use throughout your life even in the most mundane areas, you may uncover keys to patterns you're running in less tangible and more complex areas of your life. Whatever path we are now on, the path can be changed or altered immediately. If you need support in changing your path or the way you're pursuing your goals, seek help from trusted friends, associates, life coaches, etc.

Questions to Draw Out Learning Points

• What aspect of your trip from Point A to Point B is most important? (Time, distance, fun along the way, who went with you, ect.)

• How does this compare with your life to date?

• If you could change one thing about your path, what would it be?
  

Application: Journal about what the exercise revealed to you. Share what you discovered with a parnter. Ask participants to analyze what didn't work for them, and what they want to do about it. Have them commit to specific actions that support desired behavior changes.

Resources:

How You Do Anything is How You Do Everything, by Cheri Huber

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.