for this assignment follow the instructions for the activity.
Communication Exercise
This exercise was taught in a communications workshop with John Day who uses it to teach what effective communication is all about in his leadership workshops. His application focuses on a large group setting, here we will describe it in a smaller setting where just you and your client can participate.
Supplies:
Roll of blue painters tape
Yardstick
1 – 2 dozen mousetraps (the old fashioned wooden and metal spring type)
Blindfold
Requirements:
This works only for people who are able to walk and have no fear of being blindfolded. All participants MUST wear shoes!
Set up:
For this activity you will need a large clutter-free area, a wide hallway would work if it is just two people participating in the activity. Any more than that, you will need to find a larger space of about 16 x 16 or bigger.
Take the painters tape and apply it to the floor in a very long strip about 12 feet long. Using the yardstick, measure 3 feet away from the first strip of tape, and place a parallel strip of tape exactly 3 feet away for the length of 12 feet. When you are done you will have outlined a pathway that is three feet wide.
Now, set all of the mousetraps. Be careful, they are pretty sensitive! As you set each trap, place the traps in a random way throughout the entire outline pathway. The more traps the better. The more random the placement the better. The idea is to put the traps directly INSIDE the pathway.
Once all the traps are set in place, you will place the blindfold over your client’s eyes and position him or her at the “entrance” to the mousetrap-strewn pathway.
The Activity:
The first time through this activity, give very little instruction as to how to do this activity successfully. When teaching this activity to others, tell them, “You and your partner have to communicate where the traps are, where and how to step around them without setting any of them off.”
Never tell them at the outset how to communicate. People learn so much better when they become frustrated with their partner either for not giving the proper instruction, or when the blindfolded partner doesn’t understand.
Using only your words, you need to instruct your client how and where to step so that they are able to navigate the pathway without setting off any of the traps.
This sounds a whole lot easier than it really is to do in person! People have participated in this activity many times and each time they do, they learn so much more about communication.
You are welcome to change any parameters of this activity in any way you wish, provided that you are encouraging your client to understand why communication is so important, and the various components of communication.
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