Most trainers and facilitators are paranoid about the use of training games. They worry about several nightmare outcomes such as wasting time, losing control of the participants, treating the participants as children, emphasizing rote learning, and increasing cutthroat competition. In my training sessions on the design and facilitation of training games, I use Probable Problems to encourage the participants to generate lists of potential problems and possible solutions.
Synopsis
Ask an open-ended question about problems associated with the use of training games and invite the participants to write a single-word answer. Later, invite the participants to exchange their answers and discuss them.
Purpose
To identify probable problems (and suitable strategies) related to the use of training games.
Participants
Minimum: 3
Maximum: Any number
Best: 10 to 40
Time
10 – 20 minutes
Supplies
Small pieces of paper
Pens
Flow
Ask a question. Use this open-ended question that permits several acceptable alternative answers: What problems could be associated with using training games?
Write short answers. Invite the participants to independently write a one-word answer on a small piece of paper and fold it. Permit the participants to write more than one alternative answer, each answer on a separate piece of paper.
Switch the answers. Ask the participants to exchange their folded answers with someone else. Ask them to keep exchanging the answers several times.
Review the answers. After about 2 minutes, ask the participants to stop exchanging the answers, open the piece of paper they currently have, and examine the answer.
Share the answers. Invite a random participant to read aloud the answer. Ask the other participants to raise their hand if they have the same answer (or a similar answer). Continue this process to identify several different answers.
Relate the answers to the training topic. Invite the participants to share suitable ideas for preventing each type of probable problem. Present your own ideas. Repeat this procedure to share a variety of countermeasures to probable problem related to the use of training games.
Follow Up
Reflect on this game and conduct it with your own group. Come up with ideas for adapting this game with other topics. Also think of ideas for modifying the game for use in other contexts.