Thanks to Amy, Julie, Emily, Susie, Sandy, Cathy, John, Joe, Diahn, Alan,
Susan, Linda, and Dutch for great ideas to add to our like-type exercises
cadre. These are such fun, I can't decide which one to use (P)! Maybe, like
Linda, I'll just get a feel for the team and what they're like and trust the
ideas to come to me (N)!
:::::Virtual hugs to Susie and Linda::::::
(I don't know the rest of you that well...wouldn't want you to think I'm
forward...)
Anyway, below is my original request, and all the great responses I received.
Thanks! I'll let you know what happens!
Andrea, aka INFP
Cross posted to OD Net and Management Development lists. My apologies if
you receive this twice.
I am looking to refresh my cadre of like-type MBTI exercises. Any great ideas
out there? Any web sites I might visit? Right now I use these exercises for
exploring like types in like-type groups:
E/I: Planning a recognition event for yourself.
S/N: Describing an object, like a marker or a lipstick.
T/F: Deciding who gets to attend a conference in the Caribbean, or other
great location.
J/P: Reviewing what you did last weekend.
I find that the differences are not always clear in the outcomes of these
exercises, especially in the S/N and T/F exercises. I would appreciate any
and all ideas you have, especially exercises you have tried and like. I'm in
design right now for a large, global meeting. I will, of course, gather all
the replies and send them to the list membership.
Thanks for your creative ideas!
Andrea
Andrea Sigetich Affiliates
Organization Coaching for magnificent management and team development
Personal Coaching for amazing individual results
OrgCoach@aol.com
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From Amy:
Andrea,
I'd appreciate if you'd share a summary of responses you receive...
Here's what I use:
E/I - Come up with your ideal weekend, in a fishbowl-observation format
S/N - Describe an object, in a group breakout format. I usually use a piece
of fruit, or a simple drawing which could be described quite literally, or
interpreted abstractly
T/F - Define "marriage," in a group breakout session format (this one
usually yields great examples of the differences!)
J/P - Discuss a topic. I usually use "the environment" because it's
something everyone can contribute *something* to, is a very broad topic
(which drives the Js crazy, and illustrates their need to structure
everything), and is relatively boring to the Ps, which allows them to feel
all right about straying from the topic.
Hope this helps you!
-Amy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amy Roszak, Director of Training
Strategic Planning and Organizational Development
PHEAA
Harrisburg, PA
email:
aroszak@pheaa.org
http://www.pheaa.org
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From Julie:
Andrea,
For E/I: I have them come up with five questions they would like to ask
the opposite group. Then we ask and discuss.
For S/N: (This wouldn't work for a large group.) I take them out into a
hallway and have them describe the room we've been in. (S preferences tend
to point out the details of the room, N preferences tend to not know the
details but come up with some potential ways the room could be used or
improved.)
For T/F: I do the marriage example which was previously mentioned.
For J/P: I have used an exercise where I put signs on opposite ends of the
wall: "I must finish my work before I play." "I can play anytime." Then
have participants line up where they feel the fall on that spectrum and
explain why they are standing where they are and what each statement means
to them.
I have also had these groups describe their ideal vacation.
I realize some of these won't work for a large group, but maybe you can
find a way to modify them! Good luck!
Julie Jenson
1300 Office of Human Resources
Illinois State University
Normal, IL 61790-1300
(309)438-8840
mailto:
jbjenso@ilstu.edu
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From Emily:
Andrea,
I know what you mean about unpredictable outcomes for S/N and T/F
exercises. I think that's because the behavior becomes somewhat
"contaminated" by the culture of the organization. Especially in more
traditional technical industries (engineering-oriented, chemical,
manufacturing), the N's and the F's have learned effective behavior that is
often counter to their preference.
Here are some that have sometimes worked for me:
S/N - describe the meeting room.
- Show them something, allow them to examine it, and ask them to describe
it after you take it away.
- Find as many uses as possible for a common item (a brick, perhaps).
You can also ask each group to do two different activities: for example,
describe the meeting room and describe an ideal meeting room. Compare how
they've done the two tasks and ask each group which task was the easiest
for them.
T/F - Deal with a problem employee. (Give them facts, including both
performance information and personal information.)
- Explain to a new employee why this is a good place to work.
Emily Schultheiss
Why settle for surviving...when you could be thriving?
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From Susie:
Andrea,
For E/I I have participants self-select their preference and form 2
groups. I ask each group to describe (charting the responses) the
opposite type and what's it like to work with the opposites. Typically
positive and negative stuff gets generated. I find that it is a way to
begin to look at how we need/appreciate each other and also how we bug
each other. I remember one group of E's (nurses) who described the I's
as sexier and better lovers--can't remember all the reasons they had but
it got the day off to a fun start.
My favorite exercise for S/N is to use M&M's. I give each group a clear
glass containing M&Ms candies. The task is to describe (chart) what
they see in the glass. Typically the S's get real sensory and eat the
candy, but not until they count the 8 reds, 4 blues, etc. The N's
nurses from that same group I mentioned above described M&M's as PMS
food. I typically don't get that many sexual references.
But in my outside-the-box life I want to do a combination of two of my
favorite things: an MBTI-wine tasting. I bet the S's would be able to
detect the flavors, be making notes about the vintage, calcuating case
prices, etc. The N's would be recalling the wine they had when....or
thinking about serving it with...
Do you think there's some possible marketing angle here? :-)
Have a great weekend,
Susie
--
H. Susie Coddington, Ph.D., Coddington Learning Co.
410.992.9563
hsusie@erols.com LEARNING NEVER ENDS . . .
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From Sandy:
For the E/I- plan what you would do on a weekend if you could anything. I
put them in a circle from the highest E to the highest I and they share. You
can see the shift between the two occurring.
T/F- Describe what conflict means to you. T sees conflict when there is
emotion occurring while F sees it when someone is merely critiquing the
issues.
J/P- Planning a vacation.
The best one of I have been using, I picked up last year at OBTC conference.
I first have each person draw a metaphor for the MBTI. Then, based on the
different types I have in class, I put them the ST, SF, NT and NF together
in a group to draw a group picture.
We then look at the differences in the group picture and also the
differences in the process they took in developing the picture. The
most interesting one I ever did, I had to put an SF and NF together because
of the class make-up. They found a way to use both pictures but half of the
picture was full of details, while the other half was extremely abstract.
They did, however, work through it very well. I have saved all of the
pictures my students have drawn so I can see how it unfolds over a period of
time.
I would like to get a consolidation of other's exercises.
Sandy
**********************************************************************
Sandra King, Ph D
sandraking@mindspring.com
MBA Department Office phone: 301-687-4046
Frostburg State University Home phone: 301-729-1173
Frostburg, MD 20150 Fax: 301-687-4486
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From Cathy:
Andrea,
A friend of mine, who is a MBTI consultant suggested the following exercises
which I used recently in my Organizational Behavior class. They worked VERY
WELL. Here are my results:
N/S: Give each group an apple and ask them to describe it. If you give them
enough time the Sensors will have totally eaten the apple and perhaps
demolished the core, while the Intuitives will return the apple to you in the
same shape you gave it to them. Their descriptions also totally show the
differences.
T/F: Ask them to define conflict. The feelers have a hard time getting
started, but once they do they are in agreement, while the thinkers enjoy
arguing about it and never quite reach an agreement.
J/P: Ask them what they would do with $100 given to them. The Judgers pay
their bills, save some, and perhaps have a nice dinner. The Perceivers
gamble, make more, and then spend on vacations, gambling, new stereos, etc.
E/I: Ask them how they would spend a free day. The Extroverts tend to spend
it with others or out and about, while the Introverts enjoy reading a book,
watching TV, or generally spending the day with theirselves.
Hope these help.
Cathy
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From John:
Andrea: Here are a few alternative thoughts on the E/I and T/F
exercises:
for E/I: describe an ideal weekend .....have them flip chart
brainstormed comments from their group
for T/F: you have just been advised by your company's top management
that a layoff is required ..... you are in charge of planning the
downsizing and you must get it done in a short period of time. How would
you go about it ? Have them flip chart brainstormed comments from their
group.
for J/P: you've just inherited a large sum of money. what would you do
with it ?
I probably don't need to mention this, but when I use these types of
exercises, I don't tell people in advance what their type is. I cluster
them according to type and then have them report out their work and
notice the differences.
Also, clustering STJ's vs. NFP's , if you have a large enough population
is fun ..... using the 'layoff example' noted above is a good one for
these groups, especially if there is a large enough population of
'others' who can serve as observers of how both groups address the
situation ...... video this for playback to both groups, if possible.
Hope this helps.
JOHN SHORB
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From Joe:
Andrea -
Hello - picked up your request from ODnet today, and thought I'd send a
suggestion your way. I am working as an internal OD consultant in local
government now, but have used MBTI w/ many groups previously, and have had
a lot of success w/ an exercise that I feel quite effectively illuminates
the T/F difference:
1. Divide group into smaller groups w/ all Ts in one & all Fs in other (if
possible - could also mix them).
2. They all receive and read a business/employment scenario, then have to
reach consensus as a group re: what to do. Basically, the group is the
board for a large company, and face a critical deadline to deliver on a
product for a major client (client resp. for 40% of annual revenues).
Their production manager reports he/she cannot meet this deadline, even
though the client is firm and must have the product by then. A consultant
has promised to deliver the product by the deadline, but the board cannot
pay the consultant and the production mgr. both! The board must decide
what to do re: the production mgr. I throw in other "F" info to enliven
the discussion - ie. the production mgr is a loyal employee of 25 years, w/
solid work history & strongly respected in the co., but has been having
personal problems lately & has used a lot of leave, resulting in a drop in
performance, etc.
Having the groups report out their decision/recommendations leads to a nice
discussion of the contrasting decision-making preferences in action.
Often, the groups reach the same conclusions, but the Fs generally get
there by a far different route!
Hope this is helpful - it is the kind of way I try to get participants to
work w/ their results in the session.
Joe Haberman (e-mail:
habermanj@ci.portsmouth.va.us)
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From Diahn:
Hi from a fellow MBTI'er.
I use the following for my exercises:
E/I Describe an ideal weekend.
I find E's often talk about: food, sex, drink!!!
S/N Have the S's and N's look at an abstract painting
for a few seconds, take the painting away, then have
the separate groups describe the painting.
Another exercise it to dump a bag of contents out onto
a table for about 15 seconds, then scoop them back into
the bag and have the groups write down what they saw.
T/F Have the separate groups describe conflict.
Another is to describe war.
J/P Have the groups separate and have one go outside the
room. Take the first group, put them in a 'fishbowl' and
have the group discuss something fairly benign for your
group. I have used the environment, or the difference between
the east coast and west coast. Have the group write down on
a flipchart what they have discussed. Let the group tell you
when they are done.
Hint: be sure to look at the makeup of I/E in this
exercise if possible.
I also do some very fun exercises for Temperament.
1. Separate the group into temperament groups - this exercise works
best with large groups (21 or more). This exercise can be really wild
and fun!
Ask the group: "Using anything in your environment, create something."
2. The second exercise for temperament . . .
Separate the groups by temperament. Ask them to describe and write
on a flipchart the qualities of a good teacher.
Have fun!!!!!
Diahn Martins, ENFP
Product Development Manager, MCI
Colorado Springs, CO
719-535-7754
Diahn.Martins@MCI.com
DiahnMart@aol.com
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From Alan:
Otto Kroeger Associates has a new product out - a computer program that
supports MBTI practitioners, including a wide variety of exercises. Please
check out the features at the OKA web site:
www.typetalk.com/oka. Click on
the TypeWatching ToolKit icon and check us out!
Alan Klein
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*****************8*
From Susan:
For MBTI, I often use:
J/P What do you plan to do this weekend?
S/N I give them something and ask them to write the first things that come
to mind. Imight use valentine hearts (the ones with saying on them)
or candy canes, or candy corn or something that will elicit some
memories for Ns.
These are the most successful ones for me.
Susan
Dr. Susan A Holton
Coordinator, Bridgewater Institute
Professor, Department of Communication Studies and Theatre Arts
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From Linda:
MBTI EXERCISE--
A transition application between awareness and team dynamics exercises....
Time--Between 1-1.5 hours (I've never completed it in an hour).
One exercise I do that seems consistently extremely effective, and is an
adaptation from one commonly done during the MBTI qualification process.
Once the "awareness" exercises are complete (i.e., "like" groups together,
clarifying similar type behavior),
1) Move everyone to an open space in the room (or hallway, or outside).
Have everyone physically line up (from E-I), leaving as much space as needed
to really represent their strength of preference. I stand in the middle, and
represent "0". Careful instructions are needed! They can use their actual
scores, if they want, for guidance. ( I sometimes have them already charted.)
2) Ask them to comment on what they observe from the line-up. Light bulbs
start popping, and often they start saying--now I know why we/you/I
....xxxxxxx! Note that a thorough grounding, and the initial exercises, have
already built a foundation of understanding!
.
3) Ask them questions centered around their own group dynamics, their line-
up, and the particular type continuum being addressed. Usually, I focus on
their team meetings.
For example; for E/I--
"Who speaks up most frequently in meetings? Least?
"How does that affect the way information is shared, decisions are made,
people feel about the meeting?
" Is what you experience in meetings consistent with what you see in this
line-up? **
** It's fun to point out that even in this (E-I) discussion, the dynamics of
the group (level of participation, etc.) are usually consistent. Let it play
out for a while, then consciously note the impact. Ask the E's--,
"How much have you learned about the I's--and ask the "I_s--how much have the
I's learned about the E's? What can you do right now to alter this dynamic?"
"How do people on (E-side, then I-side) feel about the way this dynamic plays
into your meetings and discussions? What are some ways you might be
misunderstanding the intent of what is happening?"*** (Usually this is quite
an open, fun discussion).
" What are some positive and potentially negative impacts of these dynamics? "
What can you do as a team to ensure higher levels of involvement? " (Help
them think about time, e-mail, etc. as a valuable tool to leverage "I"
processing, etc.)
*** (Can also set the stage for future discussion of Argyris_ work on Ladder
of Influence, etc.).
4) Chart these suggestions for them, and help them to integrate into their
future meetings, etc. Have them be very behaviorally specific on their
suggestions. "What could you say?" "When in your meeting could you
incorporate these techniques to build consistency, good habits, etc.?"
5) Have them switch to the next two types, (S-N, T-F, J-P). I tailor each of
the questions and discussions to the particular type and relative team
impacts/dynamics. Note that they are standing (or wheeling), and re-aligning
each time. I find this keeps the conversation moving and everyone alert.
This is a great physical approach that incorporates more visual "kinesthetic"
learning and reinforcement of this model. Moving to a different physical
space also infuses the learning with focus and energy.
By the way, being an "N", I don't have the rest of these questions hammered
out--they just come to me as I facilitate. There are plenty of good
guidelines in the mutliple MBTI resources that are available.
Hope this helps! Keep in touch!
Linda
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From Dutch:
Andrea,
You might try having them give directions from the nearest mall,
grocery store, movie theater, etc. to their house. Then you can debreif
by having them discuss the communication styles associated with each type.
Watch for:
Use of landmarks (spatial).
Use of street names (verbal)
Use of North, South, East, and West along with mileage
(geographical)
A blend of the above
I am afraid that I cannot predict which type will give which type of
instruction, but you might have a couple who are heavily dependent on one
of these frames try to give their instructions again using another frame
of reference. It will be a good indicator for flexibility in interacting
with others.
______________________
Great Optimism,
Dutch Driver
Abilene, TX
Hm. Telephone: 915.698.7217
mailto:
ddriver@cs1.mcm.edu
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