Split people into teams of 2-3 people. Give them an object of little value. A paper clip can do. Have them go to a public location and trade their paper clip into bigger, better more valuable objects during a set period. Have them return and give them a chance to argue why their new object is the most valuable.
Outcome:
To bring people out of their comfort zone and challenge them to sell and trade with strangers to get a better deal than their competition (the other teams).
DETAILS
- Group Size: 6+
- Time: 60+ mins
- Props: Yes
Details
- Type: C/T/R
- Class: Physical/Mental
- Video: No
PROPS
- A small item of little value
VIDEO
No video is available for this energizer.
Description
Setting it up:
Start by dividing your group into teams of 2-3 people. For this to be a competition, that obviously means you’ll need 6+ people.
Provide the teams with a small object of little value, for instance a piece of string, a rubber band, toilet paper or similar.
Rules:
Explain these simple rules:
Keep upgrading your item through trades with other people.
The final object will be judged within these categories… (examples: size, value, creativity, rarity etc.)
The time frame will be X amount of time. Be back by then or be disqualified.
It isn’t allowed to “sweeten” the deal by offering anything other than the object.
The team has to stick together.
Have them go to a public location, a mall, walking street or similar, and let the challenge begin!
Once they return, have the team talk about their experience, present their object and how they managed to get from a paperclip to this new piece. Have them argue why their item is the best, most rare, valuable etc.
Pick a winner!
Facilitation:
This activity is really about getting out of the comfort zone, put yourself on the line and about selling yourself and your product. It’s spot on for any sales organization, but is easily used with other departments as well (Marketing is obvious too).
The energizer involves teamwork, being part of the team and taking your share of the challenge, even if you don’t think it’s natural for you. It’s about making a strategy and executing on it. Perhaps evaluating along the way, change strategy and implementing a new one.
Questions such as these (and many more) can provide valuable dialogue depending on the topic or context in which you made this exercise:
What did you discover along the way concerning your sales strategy?
Which roles did you have, how were they picked or distributed and how did that work?
If you could change something you did as a team, what would it be? Why didn’t you change it as you went along?
Facilitation notes:
Make sure the public location isn’t too far away. You don’t want them to spend their time travelling from point A to point B. “Public” can be anywhere with plenty of people to trade with.
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