PSA SE snowball fight

Some members of PSA SE after the paper-tearing exercise. Pic by Mary Asante

Last night, I was invited to the South East region of the Professional Speaking Association UK & Ireland, to demonstrate some of the activities from my Experiential Speaking book.

We ended with a ‘snowball fight’ – an activity where audience members are invited to write a question or comment on a piece of paper, screw it into a ball, and throw it to me at the front of the room. It’s an adaptable exercise that can also be used to share tips or introductory networking information.

I promised to respond in a blog post, so here we go…

Questions

What’s the best interactive exercise you’ve ever used?

It’s hard to quantify ‘best’. It’s the one that the audience members benefit from most. And that varies by each individual.

One took his pig drawing home to show his wife (I didn’t do that activity last night but you can find ‘pig personality profile’ all over Google).

People tell me they remember the paper-tearing activity years later (and what they learned from it).

Some keep the fuzzy balls I occasionally give away.

The point is that people remember what they do more than what they see and hear. And that’s why audience participation (with a point) is so powerful.

What is the exercise you use most?

Probably the paper-tearing exercise, as it works both online and offline and can be used to draw out so many different learning points.

Online, I also love doing the game mashup, for a party atmosphere. It’s a bespoke version of Articulate, Charades and Pictionary.

What’s been the most unlikely outcome to one of your activities?

I did the snowball fight at a weekly breakfast networking meeting where everyone knew everyone else really well. I asked them to share something the others didn’t know. That’s how we discovered one member was pregnant.

What’s a game that works well with lawyers/bankers?

Lawyers and bankers are people too. They like to laugh. They need to know there is a point to anything they are asked to do.

All my ‘games’ are designed to have a learning outcome. The level to which I spell this out can vary depending on the audience.

So I’d ease them in gently, doing something they are used to and comfortable with (paired sharing, for example), and then lead them into bolder and bolder activities. I always give people the chance to opt out.

‘Pick a card’ is a safe way to engage the audience when you have, say, 10 points to cover, and you ask someone to pick a numbered card at each natural break point which changes the order you deliver the content. This helps keep you fresh too.

I suspect they’d enjoy the pub quiz to test their existing knowledge of a subject and share new information in a fun way.

Do you have a game that can be used in a talk about ‘legacy’?

If ‘legacy’ means ‘How do you want to be remembered?’, here are three ideas…

Show something like the jellybean video to prompt a discussion:

Ask people to take a piece of A4, fold it into quarters and tear it into 4 pieces. Write one life goal on each of the four pieces. Then throw one piece away, and another, and a third. They will be left with one thing that might be their priority. If they feel regret about one of the things they threw away, they can prioritise that instead.

You can also do a timeline / future pacing exercise. Everyone starts in a row at one end of the room and takes a step forward. That represents next week. Another step forward and it’s a month ahead. One more step is three months on. Next step is six months, then a year, and so on. At each point you ask them how they feel they are succeeding against the goals they set at the beginning.

Do you get clarity and detail on exactly who are you speaking to before you deliver, or are you making a choice on the day?

Both. Inspired by Alan Stevens, I usually ask to interview, say, 3 audience members before I plan the session, to understand what they know already, and what they need to know. I also discuss my ideas with the event organiser and ensure the room layout suits my plans. Another point to ascertain is whether I should adapt the activities for any attendees, such as a blind or deaf person, or wheelchair-user.

On the day, I try to stay ‘in the moment’ and make a judgement about what’s working and what that particular group will respond best to. I always have lots of spare ideas up my sleeve.

With audience participation, you can never quite know how long things will take. So you need to be ready to do more – or less – to keep to time.

What’s the weather forecast for tomorrow?

Tricky question. The answer changes daily.

Tip

Reach out to people outside the box to collaborate. You can find gold in there!

Feedback

“Thank you for a really engaging and fun session”

“Thanks for a great session”

“Great session, thank you” (x 2)

“Love the toilet roll exercise!”

“Thank you all for being so welcoming and friendly”
from first-timer ✔, beginning with J ✔, wearing blue ✔, active on LinkedIn ✔

(Those last two comments will only make sense if you were there)