Purpose

This exercise helps delegates to understand the importance of focusing and concentration when they are in a fast changing environment.

Objective

Call other people’s number in a game without calling your own number or the number of people who are no longer participating.

What You Need

• An empty area where everyone can stand freely.

Setup

• Get the delegates to form a line.
• Ask one person at one end of the line to say “1” aloud.
• Ask the next person to continue counting by saying “2” and so on until everyone has said a number.
• State that these were people’s numbers. On your mark, each person should state a number and then the person with that number should state another number and so on.
• If someone hesitates to call a number or is late in replying when someone calls his number, he is dropped out of the game.
• A person cannot call his own number, the number of a person who is dropped out, or a number which is not in the range.
• You as the trainer will be the judge and your say is final.
• Start the sequence by stating someone’s number and let the group continue with the exercise until only two people have been left. They are the winners (You cannot end up with one winner because it is easy for the last two to simply call each other’s number back and forth).
• Bring back everyone together and follow with a discussion.

Timing

Explaining the Exercise: 2 minutes

Activity: 10 minutes

Group Feedback: 5 minutes

Discussion

What does it take in this game to win? Did you follow a particular strategy to respond to a fast changing environment? Did you feel that you had to stay totally focused to have any chance to stay in the game? What does this suggest for a business environment where change is taking place? What is the most important lesson you learned from this exercise?