Those two words now become a reference for the next turn: The goal of the whole team becomes to find a word that somehow connects “banana” and “blue.”<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To get there, everyone will think of what could be between “banana<\/em>” and “blue<\/em>” (it could be “yellow<\/em>” or “sky,<\/em>” for example—there’s no right or wrong).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As soon as one person has a word in mind, they will say, “One.<\/em>” Someone else will follow with “Two,<\/em>” and then they’ll count again in unison and say their words. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The cycle then starts again, trying to find the word that connects “yellow<\/em>” and “sky<\/em>” (such as “sun,<\/em>” for example) and the game finishes when two people say the same word after counting up to three.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Again, an apparently basic game, but one that is able to bring 100 percent of the team’s focus to what is happening in the room and to what others are thinking about. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It helps people connect and use words that others could easily build upon, and most importantly, it helps everyone break away from their thoughts and tasks outside of the room.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In my experience, people often are skeptical about this game in the first round, but as soon as they realize how quickly they can get to saying the same word together, they become enthusiastic about it and very engaged in the process.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I have used these games for several years and they have never failed me, so I encourage you to use and share them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If you pass them on to your leadership team, and encourage their use before every meeting when they need input from others, you will make a strong impact on the effectiveness of those meetings and also indirectly heighten the leadership skill level throughout your organization.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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