Managing Large Groups and Choosing Teams

This past semester, I took a class called Social Recreation Leadership. In this class, we learned the importance of creatively choosing teams, how to involve everyone, and keep the fun going. My professor has taught this class for 25 years, and these are his guidelines for leading activities. This is the fifth post out of five about guidelines for leading activities.

These guidelines are not intended to work in all situations. Guideline application requires leadership. You must decide what activities to use in different conditions. Leaders must be alert to potential problems and adjust quickly. Maximum fun and participation in a safe environment is the goal.

Choosing Sides, Teams, or Partners

            Choosing sides can be an embarrassing and anxious experience for many people. Avoid friend-choosing-friend and leaving someone out. Be creative and fun in dividing people into groups. Here are a few ideas on how to choose sides, teams, or partners:

• Clasp hands – the hand on top is in a group and the hand on bottom is in a group
• Name tags - different colors to signify different teams
• Birthdays
• Clothing/jewelry items
• Hold up fingers
• Left thumb/right pinky
• Fold arms/left arm on top is one group, etc.
• Number of letters in first name – odds/evens
• Eye color
• Height
• Wink – left or right
• Animal sounds
• Choices of fruits, vacations, etc.
• Folders/scrunchers
• Count off by 2’s, 3’s, 4’s, etc.

            Once groups are formed, you can put the groups together in various combinations throughout the program. Groups make formations easier.

If a Relay is Moving too Slow

• Make teams smaller
• Use shuttle relays
• Half the team is on one side and half on the other side. The relay moves twice as fast and doubles the participation. 

Promoting Team Spirit

• Have a 'team yell' competition
• Use group leaders to foster team spirit
• Use lots of team skits, cheers, and group contests

Creative Ways to Finish Group Races

• Form a pyramid
• Sit down and raise hands
• Sing a song

Teams are not Even in Number

• Have some people run more than once
• Use group leaders/staff members to even the teams

People are Standing around and Watching

            While we cannot force everyone to participate, you should make every effort to involve him/her, sometimes without him/her realizing it. If you are doing the activities for a larger group, try a test run with a few people to hopefully find any possible problems and fix them. Here are some ideas on how to keep people from standing around and watching:

• Make groups smaller
• Example: In a group of 100, more will participate if the group is divided into 10 smaller groups with one leader over each rather than 10 leaders over a group of 100.
• Have participants help you. Make them judges and officials
• Modify the rules
• Quickly change games

Please share your insights on leading groups and choosing teams in comments below.

Group Considerations

         This past semester, I took a class called Social Recreation Leadership. In this class, we learned how to lead different activities for different age groups. My professor has taught this class for 25 years, and these are his guidelines for leading activities. This is the fourth out of five posts about guidelines to leading activities.

        These guidelines are not intended to work in all situations. Guideline application requires leadership. You must decide what activities to use in different conditions. Leaders must be alert to potential problems and adjust quickly. Maximum fun and participation in a safe environment is the goal.

Age Considerations

• Age groups:
• Children
• Teenagers
• Young adults
• Adults
• Seniors
• Mixed – all/any of the ages
• Ideas:

• Children: the younger the group, the more important the control. This is especially important with children and teenagers. Control keeps the activity safe and usually makes it more fun. The degree of control becomes a judgment call of the activity leader based on the group age and ability
• Teenagers and Young Adults: These groups generally go for the outrageous, “off the wall,” high-energy activities. Making it safe is the challenge. From young adults and older, generally reduce control.
• Adults and Seniors: As people get older, they enjoy lower-energy activities and entertainment.
• Mixed age group: Generally you are trying to provide a bonding opportunity for mixed age groups. This category can be the most challenging depending on the age range. The wider the range, the greater the challenge. Example: toddlers to grandparents
• Ways to Plan for Mixed Age Groups
• Plan for the younger ages and invite the older ages to join in and help. Example: daddy/daughter dance.
• Find activities that all ages can enjoy. This is difficult, but there are some.
• Use group contests, songs, and skits which involve families or mixed age groups.
• Involve the younger ages in an activity that entertains the rest of the group. Example: have younger participants do a dance onstage while the older participants cheer them on.
• Gear activities to the abilities and interest of the seniors and invite all others to join in the fun.

Factors to Consider before Beginning

• Type of groups
• Ages
• Abilities
• How many
  
• Gender
• Mixed ages and genders
• Mixing genders can be difficult because this can change the whole dynamic of the group
• Other
• Theme
• Purpose
• Location
• Responsibilities
• Who is going to do what? Divide responsibilities based on talent and personality.
• Provide written instructions to those helping/staff
• Variety
• Time length
• Equipment 

Please comment to share your insights on things we should consider when planning activities for different populations and groups.

Leading Activities

      This past semester, I took a class called Social Recreation Leadership. In this class, we learned how to lead the activity and change during the activity as necessary. My professor has taught this class for 25 years, and these are his guidelines for leading activities. This is the third out of five posts about guidelines for leading activities.

     These guidelines are not intended to work in all situations. Guideline application requires leadership. You must decide what activities to use in different conditions. Leaders must be alert to potential problems and adjust quickly. Maximum fun and participation in a safe environment is the goal.

How to Establish and Maintain Group Control

            Getting everyone involved and keeping them involved throughout the program requires preparation. Starting with the first person use an activity (called a pre-opener) that will keep everyone busy until each person has arrived (if participants are arriving at separate times; if they will all already be there, pre-opener is not necessary). Follow up with something simple, fast, and easy to learn with no lag time. The pre-opener and first activity set the tone for the success of the rest of the program. Suggestions:

• Smooth the transitions between events by using activities, where possible, that lead to the next event.
• Start and end with your best events. Use the middle for flexibility.
• Watch the pre-opener to see that it does not end before everyone has arrived, causing people to lose interest.

What to Look for during the Activities

            Maximum fun and participation in a safe environment is the goal. If any of these elements change, consider the following:

• Switching to another event
• Adjusting group size
• Making rule changes
• Adding new elements to the game
• Adjusting unsafe conditions

Getting the Most Out of Your Games

            You can enhance or stretch out an activity just by the way you introduce and conduct it.

• Incorporate fun, imaginative stories into your game instructions
• Teach games in small steps or phases. Keep it simple. Add each rule as the situation presents itself
• Add elements or variations to the game when an added boost is needed
• Use themes to enhance activities
• Watch for the best group size for the event
• Leave game surprises out of the explanations. In safe outrageous games (“off the wall”), do not tell the participants everything they are going to do until the end of the explanation, then start quickly before they have a chance to bolt for the nearest exit.
• Make the sequencing of events smooth

Sequencing

            Organize games and events in a logical, smooth order so that the fun is continuous – no lag time or long game explanations.

• Where possible, organize so activities lead to the next activity, including refreshments
• Group activities with similar formations and props
• Alternate high-energy, low-energy activities

How to Make an Activity Fit Every Problem Situation

            You can alter a game or solve a problem simply by changing the rules. I call them “problem modifier rules.”

• Speed up or slow down
• Give more kids a chance to be “it”
• Even up the teams
• Involve more people
• Make the game more or less complicated
• Add or reduce energy
• Add more noise
• Make it quiet
• Remove an unsafe situation

What Makes a Great 'Social'

• Variety
• Smooth movement – no gaps
• Ending while the participants still want more
• Entertaining activities
• Fun
• Everyone involved

Elements of a Great Activity

            Each activity will have a different combination of elements depending on its purpose.

• Excitement
• Suspense
• Surprise
• Frustration (humorous, not angry, frustration)
• Humor
• Fun and entertainment
• Physical challenge
• Mental challenge
• Risk
• Recognition
• Building self-esteem
• Everyone’s involvement
• No elimination

Leading Songs

• Sing the song first to demonstrate how it goes
• Use repeat songs and chants (Example: audience repeat chorus, you sing verses)
• Teach in small steps similar to games. Example: first sing the song a few times, then add actions, then add rounds, etc.
• Add actions
• Add rounds
• Try to sing without printed copies (for yourself or the audience) – eye contact will enhance your song

Make It Safe

• Make boundaries safe (do not use walls)
• Remove sharp edges, protruding objects, etc.
• Modify rules
• Avoid running in opposite directions toward each other
• Watch for physical and emotional safety

Making Elimination Games More Fun

            Use them as a transition technique into another game, refreshments, etc.

Controlling Large Groups

            Split into smaller workable groups (divide and conquer). You have better control if each leader
is over a small group rather than all leaders over one large group. The group leader becomes the spark plug for the small group. This also gives you the flexibility to arrange the groups into any formation or grouping you want. This technique especially works well with teenagers and children.

When To Change Games

            When the game is beginning to lose some of the fun, consider adding a new element for a boost or switching to a new game.

When Not To Change Games

            When the game is going well, keep it going. Sometimes the group is just starting to learn how to play and have fun with the game. Watch the fun element to decide when to move on.

            You are not in a race to see how many games you can play nor do you have to do all the games planned. If you are running out of time, just skip the last part of the program. No one will ever know the difference.

Please comment below to share your insights! What has worked for your groups? What advice would you share?

Correctly Using Leadership

       This past semester, I took a class called Social Recreation Leadership. In this class, we learned about different styles of leadership that could be used in leading activities. My professor has taught this class for 25 years, and these are his guidelines for leading activities. This post is the second of five posts for leadership guidelines.

These guidelines are not intended to work in all situations. Guideline application requires leadership. You must decide what activities to use in different conditions. Leaders must be alert to potential problems and adjust quickly. Maximum fun and participation in a safe environment is the goal.

Leadership Techniques

   Match techniques to your personality and use what works for you.

• Have one person in charge at a time. All other helpers/staff should support the leader.
• Let activities do most of your talking and help place participants in the formation you want.
• Try the activity out in advance. Practice and be prepared.
• Use demonstrations where needed. Seeing clarifies and shortens explanations.
• Play the game a few times just for fun to shorten the explanation. A picture is worth a thousand words.
• In elimination games (which we use sparingly), play without elimination the first few times so no one gets out too quickly.
• In games with magic, riddles, guessing, etc., find out before you start who has played it, and ask them not to give it away so the others can enjoy it. The games can end too quickly if someone gives the answer away too soon.
• If the game is too difficult, the participants will lose interest fast. You may have to adjust the rules.
• Find a balance between being strict and lax on the activity rules. You can be extreme either way. Watching the 'fun' element will tell you which way to go.
• Prepare equipment prior to the event to eliminate people standing around while you are setting things up.

Improving Your Leadership Ability

• Read and study
• Plan and prepare
• Watch and work with others
• Practice, practice, practice

What Makes a Great Social Leader

• Involves everyone in a positive, uplifting way. Everyone has fun – everyone is important – everyone belongs.
• Uses lots of clapping, standing ovations, spot-lighting of people, teamwork, etc.
• Uses games to do the talking
• Uses lots of energy and enthusiasm
• Takes command
• Thinks of himself/herself as a “game show host”
• Exaggerates with hands, arms, and voice (loud and strong); uses body gestures, animation, etc.
• Is the example of having fun and smiles even if you do not want to

Master of Ceremony and Entertainment

   There are many styles of MC’s. Use what works for you and your personality.

• Think of yourself as a game show host
• Incorporate leader’s stunt, magic trick, puzzle, crazy song, brain teaser, group stunt, skit
• Involve the audience
• Choose people from the audience for entertainment – the higher in authority the better, but be careful not to embarrass too much. Choosing several people rather than one reduces the chance of too much embarrassment. Skits work great because they involve several people.
• Use jokes
• Use lots of standing ovations, high fives, etc.
• Be a little crazy
• Have high energy and enthusiasm
• Use candy, story telling, etc.

Fantastic Leadership Tools

• Music – as an energy boost or mood setter; timing is the key; music should not be continuous
• Candy – an attention getter, and it quiets a noisy group
• Water – adds excitement and suspense

How to be Seen and Heard by All

• Mass formation
• Stand in front of group
• Elevate yourself by standing on a chair, etc.
• Circle
• Blend within the circle rather than in the middle of the circle
• Lines
• Stand where most can see you

How to Lift and Build Participants and Remember Names

• Use lots of high fives, standing ovations, etc.
• Spotlight people as the MC. Be sensitive to embarrassment.
• Use people’s names often, in games, announcing, etc.
• Use 'get-acquainted' or name games
• Use name tags
• Take group pictures

Please comment with what leadership styles have worked for you!