PORTRAITS EXERCISE

Purpose:
Icebreaker for Teambuilding and Leading Change (15 minutes total)

Supplies:
A pen and a blank sheet of paper for each participant

Process:
Have everyone find a partner to work with.   Preferably someone they don’t know or don’t know very well.  If you have an odd number, you can have one group of three.

Each person should have a pen and blank sheet of paper and partners should be sitting facing each other.

Inform each pair they will be drawing portraits of each other, one at a time (i.e. one draws while the other poses)           

Instruct participants to draw a head shot (neck up) of their partner and it has to fill the page.  No tiny drawings allowed!!

Your participants will already be groaning and stressed and which point you make it even worse for them.

Inform them they have to draw the portrait with their NON-DOMINATE HAND!

Let them decide who draws first and who poses.  Say begin……..DON’T tell them how much time (it will be five minutes).  Tell them to keep drawing and adding detail.  Give them a one minute warning to finish after four minutes.  Make sure people don’t quit early!  Tell them to keep adding detail until you say STOP.

Once stopped, they can switch to their dominate hand.  Have them sign and date their masterpiece and present it to their subject with pride.

Switch partner roles and do it again (i.e. (five minutes) the other person now draws their partner using their non-dominate hand).

Once the second round is complete, have everyone stand up and walk around holding their portrait next to their face and looking at others before sitting back in their original seats.

Discussion: 
Ask them how it felt?  Answer should include things like:  difficult, stressful, embarrassing, my hand cramped, etc.

Lessons:

  • Change is Hard.  New skills/behaviors require time to develop so be patience with yourself and others.

  • Learn how to say the two most important words in relationship building………I’m sorry?

  • We have to learn how to be vulnerable around others in order to build trust.  Be able to laugh at yourself.  Be self-aware of strengths and weaknesses and ask for help in areas of weakness.

 

TeamworkDerrick Stranddrawing, teambuilding, weaknesses, Change, StrengthsComment