Create Many Words from One Word

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Create Many Words from One Word

Basically this exercise is an exercise in creativity. As the program coordinator or workshop leader you can use this exercise in your sessions or modules on "creativity", "creativity and innovation" and similar other programs on the topics related to creativity and innovation. This exercise helps in stimulating the brains of the program participants and inculcating creative thinking in them. It is a kind of brainstorming exercise or brain teaser.

The exercise is a good energizer and a warm up intervention. It can be used even as a good icebreaker. The exercise is carried out individually but the discussions post completion of exercise is quite participative.

Since the exercise serves as an energizer, warm-up intervention and icebreaker, it can be used in any program other than the programs related to the topics of creativity and innovation.

Make a short list of a few words that have some relevance to your workshop or seminar. If your program pertains to management, business and leadership, you can shortlist the words like "management", "business", "leadership", "customer" and "employee" etc. This is only an indicative list of words. You may choose any other five words that are somewhat related to your program. 

Write down these words one below the other on the white board in big bold letters so that all the participants can see them clearly.

Ask the participants to make many words out of each of these five words by using the various alphabets that make that word. You may like to give them an illustration. For example, from the word "customer" you can make "us", "or", "cost" "sum" etc by using the alphabets contained in the word "customer". 

Now they should start constructing as many words as are possible to be made out of one single word. They should write them down against the parent word in their diaries/note pads. The participants will carry out this exercise individually, without discussing or consulting with each other.

Allow them 25 minutes to complete the exercise. If they request for more time, give them additional 5 to 10 minutes.

Before undertaking the exercise, each participant will be asked to make a guess or estimate of the words they can construct from the letters of each of the five words.

After the exercise is complete, let each individual share with the rest of the group his performance against the estimated  performance for each of the five words.

Identify the highest scorer for each of the five words. Declare the names of the highest scorers and request the entire participants to applaud for them. Join in the clapping.

Congratulate the participants for the excellent participation in the exercise and move on to your next session in the program.

Get Hold of the Related Books

You can order the following books on "management games and icebreakers" as printed books and eBooks from Amazon online:

1. Classic Management Games, Exercises, Energizers and Icebreakers
2. Classic Management Games, Exercises, Energizers and Icebreakers (Volume 2)
3. Classic Team Building Games, Exercises, Energizers and Icebreakers
4. 101 Classic Management Games, Exercises, Energizers and Icebreakers

Related Reading: (Repository of a large number of articles in management and leadership): http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com and http://management-universe.blogspot.com