Title: Shipping Container Exercise

Exercise Type: Problem Sovling

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

Materials Needed:

- 8.5" squares of paper with some not perfectly square to create more tension.
- Written instructions for boxes for each group (can be purposely vague).

Venue: Typical meeting room.

Purpose/Outcome: To develop effective Problem Solving strategies in a stressful working environment.

Activity Description: This exercise involves creating an origami box using purposefully vague instructions and time limits.

1. Divide students into any number of groups.
2. Instruct them to create 100 boxes using the directions provided.
3. Specify time available (the less time the better. 10 minutes or so is ideal).
4. Provide additional instructions only if asked

Facilitators intentionally create a stressful and emotional working environment by pressuring them with frequent time reminders, tossing out boxes that don't meet "quality control standards," being boisterous, playing music, interrupting students, playing with the lights, etc.

This exercise works best when participants appear frustrated and take matters into their own hands.

Debrief/Facilitator Notes: When under pressure, people revert to learned behavior. The best intentions and theory go out the window. This exercise reveals how participants react under pressure and how they solve problems. Is this working for them? The insights gained during this exercise have led to students intentionally modifying ingrained behavior. Using small groups or large group, get students talking about their experience in this activity. In the past, this exercise has generated a lot of emotion, so be prepared for a spirited debrief. Sample questions might be:

• How did you go about solving the problem?

• Which problem solving methods worked? Which methods didn't work?

• What was your emotional reaction to the problem, and were you surprised by your reaction?

• What have you learned about problem solving and what would you do different next time?

• What are effective steps to solving a problem such as this in this type of environment?

Learning Points: Changing and stressful working conditions make problem-solving all the more difficult. This can create additional stress which challenges our problem solving and communication skills, just when we need them most. When you sense yourself reverting to reactive behavior, this is a good sign to stop and examine the situation. Try to see the bigger picture of what's happening, discuss your perspectives with your colleagues, and develop new strategies than will get you what you want and take care of the emotional needs of all concerned.

Questions to Draw Out Learning Points:

• How do you know when you're operating at peak performance?

• What can you do to improve a situation that's getting worse?

• How do you relate to others when you're having problems or under stress?

• What would be a more effective response?
  

Application:: Research and report on a problem solving process that would work best for you.Try this process the next on a current problem and report the results.

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.