Performance Management training Icebreakers, energisers and short exercises (2023)

About

Time:
This exercise will take about 30 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 40 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To provide participants with a challenge that tests participants’ abilities to work together to solve a problem.

Group Size:
Suitable for use with groups of any size.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels, especially those working together in teams (or who soon will be).

You'll Need:
• Plenty of clear space for the activity and a way of marking the start and finish line of the racetrack.

And for each team:
• Two postal tubes (stoppers removed).
• Two golf balls.
• Six eggs.
• A flipchart pen.

Notes:
This training activity can get messy, so it is best run outside in an open space.

You should also check if any participants have an allergy to eggs. If so, they can assist you in observing.

Downloads

About

Time:
This exercise will take about 10 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 20 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To energise a group.
• To test participants’ abilities to work together quickly to solve a simple problem.
• To introduce the concept of continuous improvement.

Group Size:
This module can be used with groups of up to 25 participants.

Useful For:
All participants.

You'll Need:
• Nothing other than the materials provided.

Notes:
This simple activity is one you can return to several times in your training to demonstrate the principles of continuous improvement.

Provided you have more than one team, this activity adds an extra dimension to the remote delivery module, ‘Hands up, Line up!’ by encouraging participants to reflect on how a silo mentality might impact continuous improvement.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
The Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library is called ‘Hands up, Line up!’.

Downloads

About

Time:
This exercise will take about 15 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 25 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To understand the importance of listening skills.
• To illustrate the dangers of making assumptions.
• To provoke discussion about prejudices and stereotypes.

Group Size:
Suitable for use with groups of almost any size. This module is also suitable for remote/virtual delivery – see separate note.

You'll Need:
• Pens and paper for every participant.
• The audio recording of the story, which can be streamed from Trainers’ Library if you prefer not to read it aloud yourself.

Notes:
If reading the story to participants, we suggest that you rehearse reading the story aloud a few times prior to delivery.

This module has been endorsed by Show Racism the Red Card. For more information about the great work this charity is doing to educate against racism, visit www.theredcard.org.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library.

Downloads

About

Time:
This exercise will take about 20 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 20 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To encourage participants to reflect on challenges they’ve faced and identify what they’ve learnt from them.

Group Size:
Suitable for use with groups of almost any size.

Useful For:
Everyone.

You'll Need:
• Nothing other than the materials provided.

Notes:
This activity was written as a way to reflect on and move forward from the pandemic of 2020. However, it can be easily adapted and used not just to review a year, but, for example, a challenging experience or significant change that participants have been through. This can be a useful way to launch training around resilience, change or a planning session.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library.

Downloads

About

Time:
This exercise will take about 25 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 30 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To welcome the participants.
• To introduce the facilitator(s) and participants to each other.
• To introduce the facilities.
• To agree the course objectives and timetable.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of almost any size.

You'll Need:
Nothing, other than the materials provided.

Downloads

About

Time:
The exercise will take about 10 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 25 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To explore your participants’ response to change and the factors that drive it.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 25 participants.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:
• Five red and five green sticky dots for each participant.

Notes:
You will need to have pre-prepared flipcharts with the statements listed as per the handout.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library.

Downloads

About

Time:
This exercise will take about 15 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 20 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To provide participants the opportunity to practice their attention to detail and accuracy skills when under ever increasing pressure.

Group Size:
Suitable for use with groups of almost any size.

You'll Need:
• One set of 180 Filing Frenzy shape cards and instruction cards 1 and 4 for each team (see set up notes).
• A stopwatch or timer.
• A whistle or bell (optional).
• A prize for the winning team (optional).

Downloads

About

Time:
This exercise will take about 10 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 20 minutes for completion. (You may wish to take more time for larger groups or where you want to explore some of the learning in more detail.)

Aims:
• To test listening skills.
• To illustrate the dangers of making assumptions.
• To encourage participants to think about how they can check their understanding of information they receive.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of almost any size. It is possible to use this exercise in conference situations as well as more usual training interventions like courses and workshops.

You'll Need:
• A pre-prepared flipchart of the statements from the handout (hidden from view until required).

Notes:
We suggest you rehearse reading the story aloud beforehand.

If You Like This Training Exercise:
You’ll LOVE ‘The Witches of Glum’ which is also available from Trainers’ Library. ‘The Witches of Glum’ has been endorsed by Show Racism the Red Card for its ability to make participants think about prejudice and stereotypes. To find out more about the great work this charity is doing to educate against racism, visit www.theredcard.org.

Downloads

About

Time:
This exercise will take about 20 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 30 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To test participants’ abilities to work together to complete a challenge.

Group Size:
This module can be used with groups of up to 25 participants.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels, especially those working together in teams (or who soon will be).

You'll Need:
• Plenty of clear space for the activity and a way of marking the start and finish line of the racetrack. (Outside is best.)

And for each team:
• Two postal tubes (stoppers removed).
• A golf ball.
• A flipchart pen.

Notes:
A small prize for the winning team would be a nice touch.

For a similar activity, with a different approach, you might like to look at An Eggs-acting Challenge - Creating a Winning Strategy.

Downloads

About

Time:
This exercise will take about 20 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 40 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To develop participant’s brainstorming skills.
• To identify what changes participants would like to see within their team/department.
• To explore how participants can make those changes possible.

Group Size:
This icebreaker can be used with groups of up to 24 participants.

Useful For:
Existing teams.

You'll Need:
• Flipchart paper and pens.
• Enough green sticky dots for participants to have three each. (If you are unable to source sticky dots, a green marker pen for every participant will work too.)

Notes:
This module is designed for situations where your participants work together in the same team. It can be run as a stand-alone exercise on brainstorming, or as part of a session looking to develop the continuous improvement skills of a team.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library.

Downloads

About

Time:
This exercise will take about 10 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 25 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To raise awareness of how quickly we draw conclusions about other people.
• Understand the impact unconscious bias has on our interactions with others.

Group Size:
Suitable for use with groups of almost any size.

You'll Need:
• Nothing other than the materials provided.

Notes:
This exercise works best if your participants don’t know you very well.

Downloads

About

Time:
This exercise will take about 10 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 15 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To encourage participants to share information about each other.
• To test participant's listening and recall skills.
• To briefly explore barriers to listening.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 25 participants.

You'll Need:
• Nothing other than the materials provided.

Downloads

About

Time:
This exercise will take about 20 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 30 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To explore how participants perceive their role in the team and if they adopt a similar approach away from work.
• To explore how their colleagues perceive their own roles in the team and if this differs away from work.
• To understand the importance of diversity of skills and abilities within a successful team.

Group Size:
Suitable for use with pre-existing teams of up to 15 team members.

You'll Need:
• One set of My Role Cards per 8 participants, blu tack and flipchart.

Notes:
This exercise is designed for pre-existing teams, especially if they need to work more effectively together.

Downloads

About

Time:
This exercise will take about 5 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 15 minutes for completion (see notes).

Aims:
• To give participants an opportunity to feel for themselves how stressful procrastination can be.

Group Size:
This module can be used with groups of up to 25 participants.

Useful For:
Staff at all levels.

You'll Need:
• Enough identical, plain wrapped chocolates, for there to be one per participant.
• A jug of water and a glass (on standby for dramatic effect).

Notes:
This module involves a simple ‘side’ activity that continues throughout the workshop/course with the discussion at the end.

Chocolate coins will work well for this exercise as they just need to be simple pieces of plain or milk chocolate that look identical, but your participants will think something quite different.

Downloads

About

Time:
This exercise will take about 5 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 15 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To explore the positive impact of assertive communication when working with others.
• To describe how communication helped or hindered their problem solving.

Group Size:
Suitable for use with groups of almost any size.

You'll Need:
• A length of rope. (We suggest around 1 metre per participant.)
• A blindfold for each participant.

Notes:
If using this exercise with very large groups, you will need volunteers to take part and the remaining participants act as observers.

Downloads

About

Time:
This exercise will take about 15 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 20 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To encourage participants to gather information about each other.
• To illustrate the importance and benefit of open questions when gathering information.
• To illustrate the uses of closed questions.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of up to 15 participants.

You'll Need:
• Nothing other than the materials provided.

Notes:
This exercise will take longer the larger the group.

Downloads

About

Time:
This exercise will take about 10 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 15 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To help participants to understand why clear objectives and goals matter.

Group Size:
This exercise is suitable for use with groups of almost any size.

You'll Need:
• One set of Sorting Out Shape Cards per two participants.
• A stopwatch.
• A buzzer or bell to signal when their time is up.

Notes:
Filing Frenzy card packs are available to purchase – each pack contains 10 sets of the shape cards used in this activity.

Downloads

About

Time:
This exercise will take about 5 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 15 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To explore how participants see their role in the team.
• To allow participants to share what they think they personally contribute to the team.
• To understand the importance of diversity within a successful team.

Group Size:
Can be used with groups of up to 24 participants.

Useful For:
Pre-existing teams.

You'll Need:
• Flipchart paper and pens for each participant.

Notes:
This exercise is designed for pre-existing teams, and especially those that may need to work more effectively together.

If you have more than 10 participants, you may need to allow extra time for this activity.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library.

Downloads

About

Time:
This exercise will take about 10 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 20 minutes for completion.

Aims:
• To explore the impact on the wider team if under performance isn't effectively addressed.
• To understand why performance management is also about effectively using all the skills within their team.

Group Size:
Suitable for use with groups of almost any size.

You'll Need:
• Nothing other than the materials provided.

Downloads

About

Time:
This exercise will take about 5 minutes to complete. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing 10 minutes to complete this module.

Aims:
• To illustrate, in a fun way, the problem with being too close to a situation or problem.

Group Size:
This module is suitable for use with groups of almost any size.

You'll Need:
• A small prize for the winner would be a nice addition to this exercise.

Notes:
The PowerPoint will automatically move to the next slide after a minute.

Downloads

About

Time:
The exercise in this module can be completed in about 10 minutes. In total, allowing for discussion, we recommend allowing about 20 minutes for this module.

Aims:
• To demonstrate the difference effective feedback can make to someone’s performance.

Group Size:
This module can be used with groups of up to 25 participants. Ideally, you'll have at least 4 participants though, so that you can demonstrate the 4 types of feedback described.

Useful For:
Anyone who needs to give or receive feedback.

You'll Need:
• Nothing other than the materials provided.

Notes:
This is a great way to demonstrate the difference it can make when feedback is given effectively. During the role-play element it is advisable to select with care the people who will be receiving the different types of feedback. It is also advisable to explain clearly at the start of the exercise that it will involve you role-playing different types of feedback.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library.

Downloads