How to run a memorable value game

Probably more then money, Motivation is the nerve of the war for NGOs daily lives. Finding answers to and sharing best practices about “How to motivate oneself, teams and organisation?” is crucial for Youth NGOs growth, development and their members and volunteers recruitment. That probably explains why, since the beginning of my career as soft skills trainer, Motivation training is one of the training I have been requested to deliver in BEST and outside the most.

Even though the learning goals of these sessions are different and specific to the training audience, one of the learning block I find very interesting and instructive to run is a team Value Game.
A Team Value Game is meant to bring out common values in a group and also make people aware of their values to be in the group and prioritise them.
Participants are asked to write a certain number of reasons they have for being in the group. Then they are asked to pick from their list the least significant one, the one they would most easily give up and for the last one present it to the group, saying why it is important to them.

I would like to share with you 7 steps on how to make from this training activity a memorable learning experience that can spice up your future sessions. In short:
1. Design the scenario of the activity
2. Collect the material
3. Set the atmosphere
4. Present the main characters
5. Prepare to deal with participants emotions
6. Make participants present their core value
7. Terminate the activity

Let’s get it started…

It is very important while designing the session to also design the scenario of the activity. It can be run in a single block or throughout several learning block or the training session. Trainer has to decide how many sticky notes participants will use and how often and when to ask them to them to get rid of less important ones. The most important element though is to ask the right question supporting the learning objective of the activity.

Value Game Single block - Training schedule abstract

According to the plan set earlier, the trainer should collect the training materials. Pens and sticky notes should be prepared in sets and ready to be distributed; same applies to accessories such as glasses, hats, trash bin, sound system, …

Sample of Value Game materials

The trainer should set the atmosphere by taking a special care to the introduction of the activity. Preparing the participants by clearly explaining what is expected from them. The trainer can also decide to set the basis of emotional responses by allowing some time for clarification question before the activity starts, by playing some instrumental music in the background, by preventing participants to anticipate the next steps, by ensuring that they use completely the time trainer decide to allocate.

Once the atmosphere is set, trainer should present the main characters: the Game master and the Vilain. It is possible to even name them and introduce their different characteristics.
The Game master is the person explaining the rules of the activity and who make it move forward and keep the atmosphere positive. The Game master is emotionally neutral, friendly and reminds participants that participation to the game has a greater purpose then sole frustration.
The Vilain will challenge the participants, make them do something they wouldn’t do without being coercive, he raise the tension, he is the character against which participants will turn their griefs: a common enemy. The Vilain is the one collecting the elements thrown away.
Ideally, there should be 2 trainers to run this activity though in case the trainer play the Game master AND the Vilain, it is crucial to play and differentiate both characters, by using accessories for instance or changing significantly the body language of one of the two.
If distinction is not very clear, it can happens participants shut themselves and limit their participation to the rest of the session.

(Dimitri the Demotivator aka Miha Pelko, BEST Trainer and Zero Generation Colleague and great Vilain)

As you can see from the video, during the activity the trainer should be prepared to deal with a various set of emotions: frustration, sadness, apathy, participants feeling rushed, forced or blocking. The main guideline here would be to practice your Emotional Intelligence. Strive to make participants express their emotion(s) by asking questions and, even when playing the vilain, keep a light and playful tone, de-dramatise the losses, remind them that it’s an activity meant for them to discover the core answer to the main question of the learning block.

To keep a high level of attention from the audience, the trainer can also take from the bin some trashed sticky notes and read them out loud. The idea here is to allow participants to realise how different is their neighbours’ value system. There is no name and except the trainer, no one can see handwritings except the author so nobody is the target, it’s a collective norming.

(Herve Tunga at bePROUD9 Aveiro – September 2010)

When there is only one sticky note left, do ask participants to present their core value to the audience and why this value more then others, one by one. For group calibration it is important that they are aware of their own core motivation and the other participants’ values as well because the people around them are at least as motivated as they are for their organisation not neglecting to satisfy a set of needs could mean physically loosing some people from the audience.

To terminate this learning block, the trainer should remind the purpose of the exercise, the key elements to take out, if possible from the reactions throughout the exercise, and link the conclusion to the activity’s learning objective.


(Herve Tunga at bePROUD9 Aveiro – September 2010)

As you can see, running a Value Game can be an intense experience and every time I strive to make something new. I learned a lot, developed my personal Emotional Intelligence and I introduced some more acting into my delivery. I decided to share about this learning block because many former trainees (Spring 2007), and many of the following ones, when talking about past Motivation training, always pinned the value game as a key element they kept from the session. Even though emotional response can be high, for most participants this learning experience has been an eye opening as sometimes people don’t really know why they do what they do, what keep them up and running or a confirmation of what they already knew.

Please do leave a comment to share about your experience with this activity.

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