Okay, so the general administrivia that begins any job would hardy be cause for celebration, I know. I'm just glad to have something concrete and constructive to work on. There's little glamor in filling out yet another W-2, but I gladly signed my address multiple times and forfeited my services for the next fiscal year :)
I also relished the beauty of my real, legitimate parking pass. Not that there's much glory in having MY OWN PARKING SPACE or anything... I'd better not let this power recklessly go to my head. We were also SUPPOSED to get our ID cards (and thus, the power to purchase food), but alas, it was not to be. The resulting "you can get it tomorrow" was hardly consolation, having put so much time into my appearance today. I didn't look like an unshaved scrub, for once. Oh well. Guess I'll have to put that much attention in tomorrow morning as well. Then I can go back to being a slob.
Training itself was fun. The presenters today did an excellent job of 1. keeping us awake, entertained, involved, etc., and 2. forcing us to actively engage in the materials: asking questions, encouraging follow-up thoughts, etc. All in all, a well-organized day. I hope there are many more like it in the month and year to come.
A large portion was spent playing games: ice breakers, team builders, etc. Since I might find them useful in the immediate and far future, I'm going to collect the summaries here and tag the entry, helping with future game reference ideas.
BOOM Game
Circle up. Leader says someone's name. That person ducks. Individuals on either side of person must shout "boom" at each other. Slower one is eliminated. Ducking individual is also eliminated if he or she fails to duck. Moves fast.
King Toad
Circle up, seated. King Toad has hand motion, everyone else picks accordingly (eel, ocean, chicken, etc.). Last person is always "Riblor coming at a bad time." Volley the hand signals ("King toad, Snake. Snake, Giraffe. Giraffe, Ocean") until someone messes up. They are the new Riblor, and all others cycle upward.
30 Second Ad Campaign
Assign teams. Give one random object to each team (teddy bear). Team must come up with alternative use for product. New name, slogan, jingle, etc. Judges involved as teams present to group. All done within 3 minutes max time.
Coffee Pot
Individual leaves the room after hearing directions. Group comes up with action (eg, "changing a flat tire"). Individual comes back in and must ask questions to decipher question, based on questions asked of group. Must use the phrase "coffee pott-ing" instead of actual action when asking questions. ("Mike, have you coffee-potted today?")
The Brain
Similar to The Sphinx from my A&M days. Maybe prepping the individuals ahead of time would yield more desirable results.
Tic-Toc
Seated in circle, group passes around small ball/object. Dialogue is a train that always cycles back to and from the original player.
A: This is a Tic
B: A What?
A: A Tic
B: Oh, a Tic! (then, to C): This is a Tic
C: A what?
B (to A): A what?
A: A Tic
B (to C): A Tic
C: Oh, a Tic! etc. etc. etc.
Once group has "Tic" down, send the "Toc" the other way and watch the paths cross.
The games were fun, and helped us transition into more discussions. At the end of the day, we met Frankie at the Columns, where he read his sentimental pieces about who we are and why we do the things we do. Popsicles really hit the spot. I'm going to have to start bringing my camera around to more things. Seriously. I'm slacking. :)
