Design Thinking: Warm-Up Games

2. © Operational Excellence Consulting CONTENTS 2 CLAPPING GAME 01 WALK & STOP GAME 02 NUMBERS GAME 03 COMMUNICATION GAME 03

3. © Operational Excellence Consulting ● In sports, warm-ups are used to heighten the performance of muscles; for musicians, warming up means preparing the voice for singing ● In design thinking, we use warm- ups not only at the beginning of the workshop, but also after a break or when we realize that the group is no longer working efficiently WARM-UPS ● This can take place in any phase of the collaboration and have different goals ● Warm-ups can stimulate creativity, boost group dynamics, bring about relaxation, or be used as an icebreaker to get to know one another 3

4. © Operational Excellence Consulting WARM-UPS 4 ● Warm-ups promote collaboration and strengthen a curious attitude ● Well-chosen warm-ups thus support the design thinking process, serves as an energizer, and improve problem-solving ● If you can, go for warm-ups with a physical, spatial, and mental component, and with a fun factor ● If people are concentrated, moving and laughing, it’s going to be a good warm-up

5. © Operational Excellence Consulting WHY DO WE DO WARM-UP? 5 Give workshop participants the chance to get to know one another Create a positive group atmosphere Reduce pressure to succeed Remove social barriers Distract the group a little bit so concentration is improved afterwards Activate and release positive energy Have fun and share a laugh Prepare the team for a certain mindset or way of working

8. © Operational Excellence Consulting ● Group size >/= 2 ● Typical duration: 5 mins ● Materials needed: No materials are necessary FACILITATION NOTES ● Variations: In order to put stronger emphasis on the acceptance of mistakes, a reflection of one’s own mistakes and the mistakes of other players can be integrated. A cheer every wrong clap, or count intensifies the feeling. 8

9. © Operational Excellence Consulting STEP 1 – CHOOSE A PARTNER 9 ● Each participant chooses a partner

10. © Operational Excellence Consulting STEP 3 – REPLACE NUMBER “TWO” WITH A CLAP 10 ● In order to increase complexity somewhat, the number “two” is replaced by a clap ● Then you get a number-clap rhythm One, clap, three!

12. © Operational Excellence Consulting WALK & STOP GAME ● Purpose: o To break through or overcome social obstacles, heighten concentration, and have fun o To energize the group ● Learning objective: Handling mistakes © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved. 12 WALK STOP

13. © Operational Excellence Consulting ● Everybody is moving freely in the room ● By calling “stop” or “walk,” the facilitator gives instructions to stand still or keep walking ● In order to heighten concentration, the meaning of the terms is switched: You keep walking at “stop” and stand still at “walk” ● In the next step, two more actions are added: “name” (stating one’s name) and “clap” (clapping your hands) INSTRUCTIONS ● The meaning of these two terms is also switched ● “Jump” and “dance” are added as to more commands ● And again the meaning of these terms is swapped ● Increase complexity by changing the order of “stop,” “walk,” “name,” “clap,”… ● If everything is done right, “name, name, name” triggers a round of applause at the end 13

14. © Operational Excellence Consulting WALK, STOP, NAME, CLAP, JUMP, DANCE… 14 Image Credit: Humor That Works

16. © Operational Excellence Consulting NUMBERS GAME ● Purpose: o Icebreaker/Getting to know one another o Prevent afternoon doldrums ● Learning objective: Working as a team © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved. 16 16

17. © Operational Excellence Consulting FACILITATION NOTES 17 ● Group size: Multiples of 10 (e.g. if you have 20 participants, form 2 teams of 10 each) ● Typical duration: 5 mins ● Materials needed: o Print numbers 0 to 9 on each piece of paper (A4 or letter size) o Laminate them if needed ● Form teams of 10 people each ● Each team will get their full set of numbers from 0 to 9 ● Make some space between each team so that you can distinguish the groups ● Each person will hold a number 0 through 9 so that all ten numbers are visible for the team

18. © Operational Excellence Consulting WATCH WHICH TEAM ARRANGES THE NUMBER YOU CALL OUT FIRST 18 Image Credit: Elevate Experiences

20. © Operational Excellence Consulting COMMUNICATION GAME ● Purpose: To generate a positive mood ● Learning objective: Understand how information is passed from one to another © Operational Excellence Consulting. All rights reserved. 20 20

21. © Operational Excellence Consulting CONSTRUCT THE MESSAGE CONSISTING OF FOUR ACTIONS 21 Action 1: Bend your knees slightly and flap both arms Action 2: Lift an imaginary bag with your right hand Action 3: Lift an imaginary bag with your left hand Action 4: Twinkle twinkle little stars with both hands above your shoulders Image Credit: Asgar Hussain

22. © Operational Excellence Consulting SEND THE MESSAGE STARTING WITH THE LAST PERSON 22 Image Credit: Asgar Hussain Send the message starting with the last participant. The last participant taps the next participant in front of him to turn around and relay the message he received.

23. © Operational Excellence Consulting Operational Excellence Consulting is a management training and consulting firm that assists organizations in improving business performance and effectiveness. Based in Singapore, the firm’s mission is to create business value for organizations through innovative design and operational excellence management training and consulting solutions. For more information, please visit www.oeconsulting.com.sg ABOUT OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE CONSULTING

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Design Thinking: Warm-Up Games

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