Activity: The Essence
The activity may be called “We Are Not Animals, But Still…” There is a group of 10 people, who need to tell more about themselves and discover what all members think about each other. Each member is provided with several (10) pieces of paper and a pen to write the animal and two main characteristics of him/herself and other members that may be associated with the chosen animal (e.g. a tiger because this animal is confident in the actions and achieves the goals by any means).
First, a person offers his/her vision of the skills and introduces the choice of the animal and two main characteristics. Then, other opinions (anonymous) are revealed. The more answers are matched, the better. The activity helps to identify the strong and weak aspects of each member of the team and clear up if the team is the Predators or the Herbivores. As people in the team know a little about each other, it is a good chance to share information and understand the importance of the first opinion. Such aspects as socialization, communication, evaluation of the results, abilities to learn each other, the necessity to consider the opinions of different people are considered.
Team Name and Roles
The peculiar feature of the chosen activity is that the name of the team depends on the identification of the members. As soon as the team introduces the names of the animals, it is possible to decide if the team is the Predators or the Herbivores. The primary task of the members is to share their opinions. The secondary task is to understand the roles that are defined by the members.
Plan of Actions and Timeline
- Each member is provided with the required material (2 minutes)
- Each member writes the required information about him/herself and other members of the team (5 minutes)
- Each member introduces the results and evaluates the material offered by each team member (18 minutes).
Code of Conduct
Each team member should understand that it is teamwork that cannot be taken too personally. It is a chance to understand what several people think of one particular person and comprehend if there are changes to be done. The opinions should be anonymous. Still, the participants are allowed to disclose themselves if they want and find the disclosure appropriate. If some people need more time to analyze the material, they should inform the team and come to the same conclusion.
In my opinion, every participant should be provided with the same opportunities and have the same chances to learn more about the members of the team and learn what other people think about each other. The comparison with the animals should make the task more interesting and educational. The participants can relax and learn a lot at the same time.
Development of the Final Paper
Based on the opinions offered by each member, it is possible to identify a leader of the group, pay more attention to the crucial qualities, and the characteristics that may lead to some challenges. In general, it is also possible to understand if people are properly chosen for a team, or there is a need to change something and promote some substitutions. In general, it should be easy to realize if the team is “Predators” or “Herbivores” and identify the goals and possibilities of a team as a whole.