The name of the game refers to the repeated reduction of a number of cards to a single card. The participants compare pairs of cards, select the better one, and repeat this procedure until only one card remains.
About the Cards
This game uses a deck of Practical Advice Cards.
Each card in a deck of 52 Practical Advice Cards contains an actionable guideline related to a specific topic. We currently have more than 20 different ready-to-use decks of cards for sale on topics such as trust building, coaching, interviewing, customer service, facilitation, feedback, innovation, leadership, listening, managing globally, motivation, presentation skills, teamwork, and training. You can find them in our online store at http://www.thiagi.biz/category_s/1833.htm .
We'd love to sell you the cards, but you don't have to buy them. You can create your own cards by writing different pieces of practical advice on blank index cards. If you want to be more efficient (and effective), you can ask the participants to generate their own cards, mix them up, and conduct the game.
This game requires one card per player.
Synopsis
Participants pair up and compare the pieces of advice on the two cards they have. In each pair, the participant with the better card keeps it; the other participant returns his or her card to the facilitator. The participants with cards continue pairing up with each other and comparing cards. The game continues until only one cardholder remains with the best piece of advice.
Purpose
To comparatively review the pieces of advice on different cards and to identify the best piece of advice.
Participants
Minimum: 5
Maximum: Any number
Best: 20-50
Time
15-30 minutes, depending on the number of participants
Supplies
One Practical Advice Card for each participant.
Flow
Brief the participants. Select any two cards and read the piece of advice on each of them. Ask the participants to compare these pieces of advice and to select the better one. Encourage the participants to talk to each other and to discuss the costs and benefits associated with implementing each piece of advice. After a suitable pause, select the card with the better piece of advice based on the inputs from the participants.
Distribute Practical Advice Cards. Ask each person to take a random card and review the piece of advice printed on it.
Ask the participants to pair up and compare their cards. Tell each participant to pair up with another participant. Ask the members of each pair to review the pieces of advice on the two cards they have. Encourage the participants to discuss the relative merits of the two cards and to select the card with the better piece of advice.
Give instructions to the cardholders. Ask the participant with the better piece of advice (“the cardholder”) to hold on to the card and to pair up with another cardholder.
Give instructions to the facilitators. Ask the participant with the other card (“the facilitator”) to give back his card and help the cardholders to continue the activity. Ask these facilitators to spot cardholders in different parts of the room and to pair them up. Also ask the facilitators to help speed up the review process and to select the card with the better piece of advice.
Continue the activity. Ask the participants to continue reviewing pairs of cards and selecting the one with the better piece of advice. As the game proceeds, the number of facilitators will increase and the number of cardholders will decrease. Encourage the mobs of facilitators to actively help the cardholders to review the pieces of advice and to select the card with the better one.
Conclude the activity. The game will come to an automatic stop when only one cardholder remains, holding the card with the best piece of advice. Ask for a drum roll and ask the remaining cardholder to read the piece of advice. Encourage the participants to reflect on this piece of advice and to implement it at the next available opportunity.