Play with opposites to energize your resource group.

As a creative facilitator, you know that having the same people in your resource group requires you to energize participants by shaking things up a bit. In today's tip, we take a page of our childhood playbook to explore opposites.

The inspiration from this tip comes from overhearing some kids in the park who were playing, "Opposite Day." I see this same group of kids playing together regularly. What caught my attention was that when "Opposite Day" was called out, each kid did their own version of opposite.

All of them were playing on the swing set the same way they had for the last several days. With the suggestion of "Opposite Day" one flipped over and laid down on the swing, another tucked up his knees and created motion by moving his knees instead of his feet and yet another stood on the swing and pumped her arms to create momentum.

Using an energizer during your session infuses a playful approach that can breathe life into a session and accomplish the important outcome of inspiring people to think differently.

Try exploring opposites the next time you want to energize your resource group.

  1. Time check. Ask participants who are wearing a watch to put it on the opposite wrist. Later in the session, ask the group for a time check.
  2. No watches, no problem. Ask participants to switch their phone clock settings. For example: Set to 12-hour, please switch to 24-hour. Later in the session, ask the group for a time check.
  3. Card trick. Prepare index cards with opposite words on each card. Shuffle the cards and give each participant one card. During the session ask people to get up, find their opposite partner and sit next to them. (For example: Salt/Pepper, Big/Small, Loud/Quiet, Plus/Minus, Floor/Ceiling.)
  4. Musical chairs. Play some music and ask participants to walk around the seating area in a line while the music plays. Instruct them to stop when the music stops. Play the music until each person is near a chair that is opposite to where they started.

Contact Creative Resources for more help with energizers.