Sarita’s Top 10 Favorite Icebreakers & Get Acquainted Activities --  Plus BONUS Brainteaser!
 
1.         What’s in your wallet?
Participants share an object from their wallet/purse which represents them and explain why.
 
2.         Guess Who?
Participants write on an index card six adjectives that describe themselves.  Cards are collected, shuffled and dealt.  Each person reads the adjectives and attempts to identify which person in the group the card describes.
 
3.             Magazine Puzzle Hunt 
This activity is used to divide your staff into smaller groups.  In advance, cut magazine pages into 6-8 pieces (# of pages should equal # of groups desired).   Scramble and distribute one piece to each person.  Participants mingle and form groups as they put their puzzle together.
 
4.         Song Tunes
To divide your staff into smaller groups, give each participant a piece of paper with a well known but simple song title on it (For example – Happy Birthday, Row Your Boat, Jingle Bells).  Participants mingle and hum the song tune until they find other participants humming the same song.
 
5.         Life Line
Have each person draw a line on a piece of paper with 0 on far left end.  Instruct each person to write on the line at least 5 significant events and at what age each occurred.  Share in pairs or small group.  For example:
 
0--Spelling Bee (age12)--College (age18)---Married (age 25)—Sales Award (age 29)
 
6.         M&M Sharing
            Circulate a bag of M&Ms asking each person to take as many as they want.  The number of M&Ms each person takes is how many personal facts he/she must share with the group.  Best for small groups of less than 20 people.
 
7.         Truth, Truth, Lie
Participants write down three facts about themselves. Two facts must be  true and one fact must be false.  Other person(s) guesses which one of the three facts is false. Can be done in pairs or small groups.
 
8.         Name Game
Participants introduce themselves using a descriptive word that begins with same letter as their name (ex – Smiling Sarita, Sensational Susan, Perfect Paul).  The real fun is that participants must repeat all of the preceding descriptions and names prior to stating their own. This is good for newly formed groups of 30 or less.
 
9.         Human Scavenger Hunt
In advance, create a page of descriptions about people in the group.  Some items can be very specific based on facts you know about group members; some of info can be generic.  Each person must mingle and get the signature of the appropriate person/s.  First one to get all items signed wins.
For example-
Find someone who….
-Has been with the company more than 5 years
-Has traveled outside of the US
-Participates in the same hobby you do
 
10.       Who Am I?
The name of a famous person is taped on the back of each person.  Participants mingle and ask each other YES or NO questions to determine the identity of the person on their back...  (For ex – Am I a politician?  Am I a woman?  Am I someone who is over age 30?)  You can also create a theme such as names of characters from a certain movie or TV show.
 
Bonus Brainteaser

Example: 60 M in an H    
Answer: 60 Minutes in an Hour26 L of the A
7 W of the W
32 DF at which W F
18 H on the G C
90 D in a R A
24 H in a D
29 D in F in a L Y
52 W in a Y
4 S in a Y
4 Q in a G


Answer Key:
 
26 Letters of the Alphabet
7 Wonders of the World
32 Degrees Farenheit at which Water Freezes
18 Holes on the Golf Course
90 Degrees in a Right Angle
24 Hours in a Day
29 Days in February in a Leap Year
52 Weeks in a Year
4 Seasons in a Year
4 Quarts in a Gallon

Sarita's 50 Phrases for All Occasions

– Collaboration, Communication and Conflict Resolution

1. I need your help
2. Let’s…
3. Can we…
4. Could you please…
5. What are the options?
6. What’s plan b?
7. How can we make this work?
8. How can we resolve this?
9. What do you need from me?
10. Help me understand.
11. So what you’re saying is…
12. I’d like to make sure we’re on the same page.
13. I’m getting the impression that…
14. It seems like…
15. I feel that…
16. I think that…
17. When you say _____, it makes me feel_________.
18. When you do _____, the way it affects the staff is _______.
19. I noticed ______ and I’m wondering _________.
20. I thought you’d want to know that…
21. I’m concerned…
22. I would appreciate…
23. What will it take?
24. Would it be possible to…
25. Would you consider…
26. Would you be willing to…
27. I’d like your thoughts on…
28. Could you live with it if we…?
29. How might I gain your cooperation?
30. What do you think about…?
31. How about…
32. How would you feel about…
33. Would you be open to…
34. Would you be OK with…
35. I would like your support.
36. Can you be more specific?
37. Tell me more.
38. How do you mean?
39. What do you suggest?
40. In your opinion, what should be done?
41. I appreciate the offer, however I’ll pass
42. I appreciate your considering me, however I need to decline
43. I’ve chosen to opt out of…
44. I would prefer…
45. I appreciate your letting me know
46. Thank you
47. Fantastic!
48. Way to go!
49. Well done!
50. You rock!

Text Talk Quiz
Decode the text message abbreviations below
 

1. bff

2. brb 

3. btdt 

4. idk 

5. lol 

6. omg 

7. sete 

8. slap

9. tyvm
10. xlnt

 

 Text Talk Answer Key:

1. Best Friends Forever

2. Be Right Back

3. Been there done that

4. I don't know

5. Laughing out loud

6. Oh my god

7. Smiling ear to ear

8. Sounds like a plan

9. Thank you very much

10. Excellent

 

TO CONFRONT OR NOT TO CONFRONT?

That is the question.   Do you confront the cranky coworker, annoying neighbor, overbearing boss…or just let it go?

If you’re trying to decide whether confronting a current difficult situation makes sense or not, take a look at the two tips below.  Then try the three step A.I.R. approach to sharing your concerns.  This will come in handy both at work and at home.

Ask yourself:

1)     Why are you confronting?

If it’s just about you wanting to be “right” don’t do it.  But, if someone’s behavior is having a negative effect on you or others, it is worth saying something…and letting the person know specifically the negative impact of his or her behavior.  (i.e. – “When you interrupt I feel like you’re not interested in what I have to say” or “When you arrive late it throws off everyone else’s schedule.”)

2)     What are the consequences of NOT confronting?  

Much like dirty dishes left sitting in the sink, confronting only gets “grungier” and more difficult as time passes.  If your resentment is building and your attitude is growing sour is probably time to say something.  Worse, letting the situation continue, might also be affecting the people around you.

Use "A.I.R." to Confront

When you are ready to confront, use AIR: A- Awareness, I- Impact, R-Request.
This three-step model for constructively confronting a negative situation is a great tool in a variety of challenging situations.  

A - AWARENESS –

Assume that other people are not aware of the problems that their actions are causing. Give them the benefit of the doubt.   When I do workshops on dealing with workplace negativity, participants sometimes tell me that they were sent to the seminar to get their negative attitudes “fixed”.  Many of them also quietly confess that they were not aware of the negative impact of their behavior. They had been walking around with the proverbial spinach in their teeth and no one had told them.  

Following are possible phrases that you can use to make the other person aware of your concerns while giving him or her the benefit of the doubt.  Choose the ones you like the best.

“Awareness” phrases include:

“I don’t know if you’re aware of it…”
“I’m sure that it wasn’t your intention to…”
“Perhaps you didn’t realize that…”
“As you may already know…”
“I noticed that…”
“I’m getting the impression that…”
“It seems like…”

I - IMPACT-

This second step is a great litmus test when you are still unsure of whether or not to confront.  This is the “so what?” question.  Why confront?  Oh, that’s right – the person’s behavior is negatively affecting you or others.  This is the time to share with the other person HOW the behavior is negatively impacting you, the team, or whomever it affects.  Sometimes the behavior is even be having a negative impact on them (for example – “when you turn in your part of the project late and we miss the deadline, I’m concerned that it makes us both look unprofessional”)

“Impact” phrases include:

“I’m concerned that…”
“I worry that….”
“I feel that…”
“When you do ______it makes me feel ________”
“When you say______the way it affects the office is ______”

R - REQUEST (not a demand) -

Specifically, what do you want the person to do differently next time?  In what way would you like them to change?  
This step is the most overlooked of the three steps.  It is easy for most people to identify what they don’t want.  For example: “ I wish my co-workers would stop complaining all the time”.  But what do you want them to do instead?  Keep concerns to themselves? Find a positive way to express their concerns?  Complain to the boss or someone who can change things?  Figure out solutions to the concerns?  The list of possible changes is long.  Most people are not mind readers, so you must let them know what YOUR preference is.
By the way, standing in the middle of the office and muttering to no one in particular, “Sure would be nice if someone would answer the phone”, does not count as a request.   Requests must be clear and shared with a specific person.

“Request” phrases include:

“Would you be willing to…”
“Could you please….”
“In the future I would like you to…”
“Next time I would appreciate…”
“I really need your help with…”
“I would rather you…”

Or, if you want to request input regarding future action, use:

“Would you be willing to agree to…”
“How can we resolve this?”
“What are our options?”
“Would you consider…”
“Would it be possible to….”
“Let’s…”
“Can us…”

So, to confront or not to confront?  If it’s not about you being “right” and the behavior is negatively impacting you or others, confront!   And, use A.I.R.!    

Five Strategies for Overcoming Procrastination

1. Try "Swisscheese."  Poke holes in a big, overwhelming project by doing one small task at a time until the project is done.   For example, I tactfully suggested this visual strategy to a woman in one of my seminars who said she was going back to school when she got a "chunk" of free time.  Most of us don't get large amounts of free time which means taking small actions during short time periods would be a better plan.  

2. Involve someone else.  I used this strategy when I wrote my book a couple years ago, after putting off writing for years.  I hired an editor to whom I was accountable each month for 1-2 chapters.  This is also a popular strategy for people who want to be held accountable to go to the gym, diet and other habit changes.

 

3. Create an Approved Task List.  These are small, yet productive things, that you can do when you feel you must procrastinate on a big project.   Tasks such as "writing client thank you notes" and "sending quick email replies" are on my list.

 

4. Multitask...in this case refers to pairing a pleasant task with an unpleasant one to make it more bearable.  One combination I've used is compiling tax paperwork for my accountant while watching a favorite TV show.

 

5. Just do it!   In this case, the "Nike-ism" refers to our tendency to keep getting ready to get ready to do something rather than just taking a first step, even a small one, and moving forward.

FOR MORE RESOURCES AND ARTICLES:

1. Contact Sarita via Contact Page to be added to Sarita's monthly "What DO You Say" Communique Email List
 

2. See Sarita's Recommended Reading List Below