Communication is the Key

Two teams have to communicate by emails and by holding meetings in order to achieve their shared goal. Neither team knows what the other is up to - though they do make assumptions, and these can be fatal!

How it works

The objective, for both teams, is to plan routes around a number of pubs that will maximise their joint score of points. But just how long will it take them to realise the vital point that the tasks they’ve been set are slightly different? They have two methods of communicating - emails, using a single computer placed between the two groups, and face-to-face meetings every 30 minutes. At the meetings only one member of the team can speak - and there’s the added task of communicating details of each other’s flag! Teams submit their plan and the computer provides results and an assessment - plus a (revealing) transcript of the communications!

What it does

Brings out some absolutely key lessons about communication. This dynamic exercise illustrates just how much confusion and error is created - and time (and profit) lost - through sloppy communication. The exercise illustrates the pitfalls of making assumptions in what we read and hear and the dangers of failing to think carefully about the messages we give out. At the Debrief, these can be related to real examples from the workplace.

Learning benefits:

• Listening
• Questioning
• Importance of clarity
• Written and verbal communication skills
• Co-operative teamwork
• Using emails effectively

Testimonial :

"The Kaleidoscope Team were superior to most I have experienced. They were very professional but also friendly. They worked together well as a team but were never patronising or dare I say it, mildly irritating as sadly some Facilitators can be! They gave excellent feedback and gave us detailed analysis about what had happened through the event." - Team member from BBC Worldwide

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