Choice & Consequences Thumball

Choice & Consequences Thumball

In many team building activities, it is common for a group to bend or break the rules.  When this happens, facilitators have options to impose a consequence on the group.  Participants often view the consequence as negative, and it can impact morale and team spirit.  Common consequences among facilitators are to restrict someone’s sight, to mute the loudest person in the group, or to have the group start the task completely over.  Those consequences work well, and can still be used, however now it’s time to think outside of the proverbial box and look at the consequences through a different lens.

Sometimes the facilitator gets looked at as the ‘bad guy’ for making the group start completely over, when in fact, it was the group's actions or decisions that got them into the situation.  The Choice & Consequences Thumball can step in (or get tossed in!) as the bearer of the bad news, the heavy hand, or the rule enforcer.  With one toss fate will decide what happens next, and you are no longer the bad guy!  By implementing choice into the equation, the group has more ownership in the process and it can really shift the group's attitude. The consequences can sometimes add comic relief at a pivotal point. Sometimes it adds to the challenge but seems to break up the monotony where starting over happens a lot.  Pick one up today and give it a try!