Planning, sub-teams, problem solving, communication, leadership
Training Activity Overview
PLANKS is a challenging exercise which highlights the importance of planning, teamwork, working in sub-teams, effective communication and problem solving. It is also very effective for drawing out the characteristics of effective management and leadership.
Learning Objections
PLANKS is a versatile experience that can be used successfully in workshops, teambuilds, conferences or away days where the focus might include;
- Planning and Organising
- Communication Skills
- Project Management
- Problem Solving
- Performance Improvement
- Managing and Leading
- Team working and valuing work styles and preferences
- Working in sub-teams
- Team Learning
- Inter-team / department communication
How it works
The team is given 15 planks stacked according to length. They then have 60 minutes to develop a method of assembly that can produce a finished wooden structure in less than one minute. When first hearing the instructions the teams often assume that the assembly will be simple.
However, it can often take 30-40 minutes just to complete the first structure. The planks cannot be marked in any way to aid assembly. Effective teamwork and the ability to work in small sub-groups is essential to be successful. At the end of 60 minutes the team will have three opportunities to build their wooden structure. They will be building as fast as they can to beat the benchmark time of 30 seconds while demonstrating their ability to improve with practice.
Contents
15 high quality planks
Facilitators guide with ideas for running different sessions and debriefing
Whilst this game is sold with enough material for one team, we appreciate that you may want to:
- add a competitive element which increases the fun and excitement
- introduce inter-team co-operation
- focus on knowledge or resource sharing between teams
- encourage cross-functional teamworking and coaching
- run the exercise for larger groups
We are pleased to sell extra sets of planks for additional teams at £250.00 + carriage + VAT per team. For Additional Sets of Planks
click here
Trainer Helpline
We know that games and simulations can bring fun, learning and challenge to the programmes you deliver. Therefore, we would welcome the opportunity to talk you through any of our wide range of activities to ensure that you obtain the maximum benefit from your purchase. Please
contact us or call us on
+44 (0) 1202 729823.
Need Help Facilitating?
From as little as £500 we can send you an experienced consultant to help facilitate this simulation game. Contact us to find out more.
Who is it for? Employees at all levels
Duration: 90 minutes
Number of Participants: 4 - 8 per team
