Change offers opportunities

A fun energizer is one we learned at seminars. You can apply this in any team.

• Ask the team members to stand in pairs facing each other. Look at each other for a moment and then turn around so that you are standing back-to-back.

• Change three things about your appearance. Wait to turn until the signal is given. Then turn around simultaneously.

• Give feedback to the other on what you see that the other has changed about their appearance.

• Then we do two more rounds. Each round team members have to change three other things about themselves. You will notice that this becomes increasingly difficult for the participants. Until they realize that you can change not only by changing things but also by removing or adding things.

Besides being a funny exercise, it is also educational. During the debriefing, ask what insights this exercise has brought. Usually, it turns out that you can change more than you think. Point out that change also means you can add things (Post-it® Notes on the clothes, glasses of their colleague, etc.). It is not just about losing the old but also about new possibilities and opportunities.

Did you notice that just before and during the debriefing, everyone is busy putting everything back in the old state? You can also share this observation. That we tend to go back to the old, but why actually? Change can also be quite fun! Invite people to leave the new elements in their appearance as they are. Watch out, as this can lead to comical situations!