1. The I's Have It !
Objectives:
To illustrate how we tend to be more self-centered than we may have thought, and to demonstrate the importance of focusing on the other person.
Procedure:
After a discussion on inter-personal skills or any aspect of communication, casually mention that many of us forget about focusing on others and instead become somewhat self-centered, albeit not in a conscious way. With this in mind, ask the participants to find a partner and for the next 2 minutes, they will be allowed to talk about anything in the world they want to discuss. There is, however, one rule - THEY CANNOT USE THE WORD 'I'. They can do anything else they want; they just can't say I. After 2 minutes, call time out & lead the discussion.
Discussion Questions:
• How many of you were able to talk for those 2 minutes without using the pronoun 'I'?
• Why do so many of us have difficulty avoiding the use of 'I' in conversation?
• How do you feel when talking to (listening to) someone who starts every sentence with I?
• How can we phrase our communications to better focus on the other person?
• If you did not use the word 'I', what strategies did you use to avoid it? Could you do those things more often in your work (or social) environment?
Objectives:
To illustrate how we tend to be more self-centered than we may have thought, and to demonstrate the importance of focusing on the other person.
Procedure:
After a discussion on inter-personal skills or any aspect of communication, casually mention that many of us forget about focusing on others and instead become somewhat self-centered, albeit not in a conscious way. With this in mind, ask the participants to find a partner and for the next 2 minutes, they will be allowed to talk about anything in the world they want to discuss. There is, however, one rule - THEY CANNOT USE THE WORD 'I'. They can do anything else they want; they just can't say I. After 2 minutes, call time out & lead the discussion.
Discussion Questions:
• How many of you were able to talk for those 2 minutes without using the pronoun 'I'?
• Why do so many of us have difficulty avoiding the use of 'I' in conversation?
• How do you feel when talking to (listening to) someone who starts every sentence with I?
• How can we phrase our communications to better focus on the other person?
• If you did not use the word 'I', what strategies did you use to avoid it? Could you do those things more often in your work (or social) environment?
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