Leadership Activity - Sort the Cards
Trainer guidelines
This is an icebreaker aimed at highlighting various aspects of leadership.
Put the delegates into teams of between five to ten people and for each team provide a pack of playing cards, blindfold for each person and one set of instructions. Place the materials on a table near to each team.
Please note that during this activity delegates will be blindfolded and therefore it is best to keep each team at a safe distance. During the activity watch to see that team members are safe and don’t bump or knock each other.
During the activity, don’t speak to the delegates apart from instructions regarding safety.
If any delegates are concerned about wearing a blindfold they may simply close their eyes or may be utilised as observers to assist in the review session
Icebreaker Activity – Sort the cards
(Brief to delegates)
Form a team line with each team member holding a playing card. The cards must be in a logical ascending order.
You may touch the cards during the first five minutes whilst you are planning, but you may not issue them to team members or hold them in your hands ready for action. Action time takes place after the first five minutes. Immediately after the first five minutes is up, you will be instructed to put all cards back in a single pile, on the table and put on the blindfolds over your eyes. When all team members are blindfolded you may then begin the task. You will be given ten minutes to complete the whole task, five minutes with sight (planning time) and five minutes without sight. The trainer will not answer questions
Trainer Notes
After action time is completed stop the activity and allow delegates to remove blindfolds. Ask the teams to check how well they performed. Are the cards in a logical order?
Review the Activity
There are no right or wrong ways of resolving the activity so the aim of the review is to discuss how people reacted…
Which team members took the lead?
What did people learn about leadership?
What did people learn about themselves e.g. too submissive, too aggressive, lacking confidence… or of course very confident.
What positive leadership skills were applied?
How may people have displayed better leadership, communication or problem solving techniques?
