Tatiana Thomas

LEI 4724
Activity: Draw & Guess
Source: Facilitation Techniques Lab (Personal Communication, 06 Feb 2016)
Equipment Needed: Dry erase board, dry erase markers, container
Activity Description:
1. 8-20 participants. The facilitator will prepare small paper strips with a word written on
them ahead of time. There is no limit to number of papers but the minimum should be 10.
The words on the paper could be anything such as jumping, astronaut, or teaching.
The words should be concrete not abstract words such as love or worried. Place all
the papers into an open container.
2. During the activity, the participants will be split up into 2 groups. One person from each
team will approach the board. One person picks a paper from the container. Both
members from each team reads the paper without letting their teammates know what it
said. Each person at the board will have to draw whatever was written on the paper and
their teammates will have to guess what the word was.
3. Anyone can call out their guess at any time while the two people are drawing on the
board. Whichever side guesses the correct word, that side will receive a point. Once the
correct answer is given, then another two students may come up to the board and draw
another word.
4. This game is to stimulate the minds of participants as well as express what their mind
sees when they see a word through drawing. This game is not meant to be very
competitive considering there is no prize.
Leadership Considerations:
1. Facilitators must maintain the level of competition without being biased or allowing
things to get too competitive and hostile. Therefore, when working with participants who
have oppositional defiant disorder, it is important to make sure everyone knows the rules
and what happens at the end of the game. The ambiance should be light and fun without
emphasis on the amount of points any side has. There is no timer, therefore, students can
take as much time as they need and can draw whatever they want. If a client does have an
outburst or gets angry, they can be taken aside to calm down and the rules and game can
be further explained to them.
2. Usually dry erase boards are large and hanging on the wall in a classroom. But when
dealing with someone with a C5 spinal cord injury, they will be in a wheelchair and may
have weakness in their arms although they do have mobility. For these clients, small dry
erase boards may be placed in front of them or in their lap so that they will not have to
struggle to reach high. Along with that, the competition can be eliminated meaning they
can go up by themselves or normally if they choose but the element of speed is omitted.
If they have weakness gripping, a large marker may be used instead and when they are
done drawing, they may show the class while they try to guess what it is.