PERSUADING – BRIDGING
4-8 people – Facilitator input needed at the end
90 minutes
- Exercise: 30 minutes
- Review: 1 hour
Instructions
Background Information
In this exercise, a group of people with different information, backgrounds, and styles work together to solve a difficult problem under time pressure. This situation simulates a fairly typical event in the world of work: a diverse group of people coming together to solve a problem. This exercise will help you assess your effectiveness in these situations and test new Influence Styles and Behaviours.
Four to six participants may participate in this exercise. A time limit of 30 minutes is appropriate – about 50 percent of groups finish in 30 minutes or less.
Exercise (30 minutes)
Distribute the eight information cards randomly among participants. Each person should get one or two cards. Participants may tell the others what is on their card(s), but may not pass them around for others to read.
Observe the 30 minute time limit. The task is finished when all group members agree on an answer, or when the time is up, whichever happens first.
When you finish, open the answer tab. Do not read this until you have completed the exercise!
Remember to video the exercise!
Distribute the cards
Allocate the eight information cards among the participants. Each person should be allocated one or two cards to open.
Although you may tell your group what is on this card, you may not pass it around for others to read.
You must not open any cards that have not been allocated to you.
Card 1
Your group members have all the information needed to find the answer to the following question:
- What is the salesperson’s last name?
Only one answer is correct. You can prove it. Some of the information your group has may be irrelevant and will not help solve the problem.
Information: The customer who drives the same make of car as the engineer graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in London
Card 2
Card 3
Information: The engineer graduated from Manchester University and in their final year had been captain of the rugby team.
Carroll thinks that a vacuum tube is part of the water pump. When asked what a transistor is, Carroll replied that it was the name for the earphones used by U.N. delegates to listen to the translation of speeches.
Card 4
Information: By a strange coincidence, the customers’ cars match the cars of the partners.
Thus, one customer and one partner both have Ford saloons. One customer and one partner both have Toyota trucks.
Card 5
Harlow borrows the manufacturing manager’s car to go camping because it is the only one large enough to hold Harlow’s camping gear and family of five.
Card 6
Information: Trent graduated from Manchester Met University in 1993 with a 2:1 in Politics.
Card 7
Card 8
Information: The customer who drives the Ford saloon car was born in Manchester and completed all formal education there.
Turney and spouse plan to buy a second car but can’t agree on what kind. Turney wants to buy some type of sports car, but Turney’s spouse wants another American-made car.
ANSWER: DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE EXERCISE!
ANSWER
Turney is the salesperson.
RATIONALE
1. Turney drives an American made car: it must be a Ford saloon car.
2. Harlow borrows a car from the manufacturing manager which is large enough for five people and their camping gear. It cannot be the Volkswagen sports car or the Ford saloon car; it must be the Toyota truck.
3. Therefore, we know that Turney is not the manufacturing manager (Turney drives a Ford). We also know that Harlow is not the manufacturing manager, since Harlow borrows the manufacturing manager’s car. So Benson is the manufacturing manager and drives the Toyota. Harlow must drive the Volkswagen.
4. The customer with the cello, who went to the Royal Academy of Music, drives a Volkswagen, as does the engineer. Therefore, Harlow is the engineer.
5. Since Benson is the manufacturing manager and Harlow is the engineer, Turney must be the salesperson.
Review (1 hour)
As a group review the recording, pay close attention to the first few minutes when the group sets the pattern for how it will work together. What working norms – informal rules or customs – did the group establish? How did the group establish these norms? Did the norms help or hinder the group’s performance?
Usually the key to solving the problem – a critical piece of information, or an important connection – is put forth by one or more group members, but does not get heard by the others. Some group members may not be listening or the initiator may not be influential or powerful enough. Watch for this as you review your recording. Think of ways to avoid this type of oversight.
At the end of the session take time to record useful feedback and learning in your Journal.