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Eamon Connor, manager of new product development
Games are great fun as a leisure activity. But did you know that they can also be a very useful learning tool? Trainers often overlook them when rushing to get employees through an orientation program and then out to work.
If you are looking to put some sparkle into your orientation programs, try these three games, and see how you fare. They have all been tried and tested and are guaranteed to encourage involvement, excitement, and a willingness to learn. If you have just hired 50 or 60 people and brought them together for an orientation or guest service training for the first time, they are probably nervous and unsure of one another, so a game or fun activity is a good way to put everyone at ease. It is also a good way to build up team spirit.
Breaking the Ice
Start off by asking the group to form pairs. Have each pair face each other, then have them turn back to back. Next ask the pairs to change five things about themselves (take off glasses, shoes, etc.). Then ask them to turn facing one another again and describe the changes that each has made. Almost everybody can think of and spot the changes that have been made.
Next have just one of the pairs turn back to back and ask them make 12 different changes about themselves. This is usually next to impossible for most people to do within the bounds of decency! But as they struggle to come up with changes, solicit suggestions from the rest of the group. You will be surprised how many suggestions people have. Many times you can get to 12 suggestions and more.
After the group has settled down, ask them what they thought the game was about. Chances are people will be adjusting their hair, makeup, clothes, etc., back to its original form. Point out that people are always more comfortable with the old way of doing things but that in your facility you want people to try new ways of doing things. You can use that as a lead into a discussion on your mission statement and company philosophy.
You can also point out how easy it was to come up with suggestions when everyone was contributing, and how difficult it was when there were just two people working alone. This can be a powerful statement about the value of teamwork.
If you are nervous about losing control of many people, start with just a volunteer pair until you get a feel for the game.
Bringing It to the Table
When your group members have a feel for one another, try this game to get them thinking outside the box. Make up cards that contain the names of different groups of people or things. For example, use the names of world leaders, planets, or the cast of a TV show.
Distribute the cards at random to your trainees and instruct them to find their group, i.e., all the world leaders should be together, all the planets, etc. Then ask them to write what the objects on the cards can bring to the company. For example the planets might suggest that they are orderly and dependable. The world leaders might offer experience.
Once you have given each group an opportunity to speak you can make the point that everyone has something to contribute to the group as a whole.
Mission Impossible
This is a great game for ending an orientation or guest-service training. It can build teamwork, reinforce learning of product knowledge, and challenge your employees on what they know.
Divide your group into two or more teams of eight to 10 people. This exercise is part scavenger hunt, part trivia game. Teams will be asked to find certain places and/or specific items inside a facility. (See? They’re being tested on their knowledge of the park or attraction.) At each location or item, teams will receive a trivia question and a clue related to park operation, the price of an item, the height requirement of a ride, or anything else you want to add. Ultimately, the challenge is to find the items or rooms, and solve the trivia questions. This exercise gets the team thinking in terms of facts and figures, and in terms of the physical location of certain things in your facility.
This game also tests people’s teamwork skills. Teams that do not organize themselves at the start will find this game difficult. It is a great way to get people to know and remember all the details about your facility that a formal lecture just cannot convey.
Rewards
If you know of any games that you would like to share with IAAPA members, contact Eamon Connor at IAAPA, 1448 Duke Street, Alexandria, Va. 22314, or call +1 703/836-4800.
First prize will win two videos of the submitter’s choice from the IAAPA Product and Services catalog. The second place winner will receive one training video of choice from the catalog.
