Dynamics to animate groups (Part I)

Surely there are several occasions when you have surely had to carry out activities with a group of people in the framework of your studies, jobs or extra work. Everyone at some point, regardless of our profession, work or occupation, needs some strategy to animate a group and promote the success of a workshop , class , meeting , day or similar activity .

For these purposes there are countless well-known, popular and effective dynamics . However, in a moment of urgency or for a specific occasion, you may forget them or you may not be able to find the most appropriate one. In this series of posts we will introduce you to very useful dynamics that, with few resources but a lot of energy , you will be able to replicate in multiple scenarios and with different populations , infecting the participants with the best attitude to continue.

We have extracted them from a compilation of dozens of dynamics to animate groups prepared by the non-governmental organization (NGO) International Alliance against HIV/AIDS .

Three truths and a lie

Everyone writes their names and three true and one false things about themselves on a large piece of paper. For example, 'Alfonso likes to sing, he loves football, he has five wives and he loves opera'. Then the participants circulate with their sheets of paper. They get together in pairs, show their papers to each one and try to guess which information is a lie.

Ideal to animate a group of people who are getting to know each other and need to gain confidence , especially for the development of subsequent activities. You can adapt the dynamic in various ways: with one person at a time presenting to the large group, in alternating pairs, in small groups, as a poll or vote, etc. Evaluate the relevance of applying it well if the attendees are prone to having a lot of reservations about themselves.

Who I am?

Put the name of different famous people on the back of each participant, so that they cannot see it. Ask participants to walk around the room, asking each other questions about the identity of their famous person. The questions can only be answered with “yes” or “no”. The game continues until everyone has figured out who they are.

This dynamic will entertain the participants a lot, but you will need to have a previous idea of the famous people that are known to most of them. Use the referents closest to the immediate context . From the exercise, various elements of reflection can be extracted to address issues of identity and communication , among others.

group of statues

Ask the group to move around the room, moving and releasing their arms and relaxing their heads and necks. After a moment, say a word. The group must form statues that describe that word. For example, the facilitator says “peace”. All participants instantly and without speaking have to adopt positions that demonstrate what 'peace' means to them. Repeat the exercise several times.

Use this dynamic when you need movement . It will be very useful for activating people who have spent a lot of time in a passive role . You will be able to stimulate creativity and group spirit ; In addition, it will allow you to identify patterns of behavior and roles among those present.

find someone

Ask the participants to walk around relaxing, shaking their limbs and generally relaxing. After a short time, the facilitator calls out “Find someone wearing...” and says the name of the item of clothing. The participants have to hurry to stand next to the person described. Repeat this exercise several times using different types of clothing.

Another ideal dynamic for a group of people meeting for the first time . It's a good alternative if you don't want to speed up your confidence build as all you need to do is examine the appearance of your peers. Its main strength is that it enhances concentration on the here , now and us .

I'm going on a trip

Everyone sits in a circle. Start by saying “I'm going on a trip and I'm taking a hug” and hug the person to your right. Then that person has to say “I'm going on a trip and I'm taking a hug and a pat on the back” and gives the person to their right a hug and a pat on the back. Each person repeats what has been said and adds a new action to the list. Continue around the circle until everyone has had a turn.

It is an adaptation of the cumulative rounds to work memory and concentration . Use this dynamic if physical contact is not a problem for the participants . It adapts very well to various moments of the cycle crossed by groups that meet periodically. You can introduce variations that include the names of the people, alter the sequence and make other modifications as the exercise progresses by rounds.

Although there are already hundreds of dynamics to animate groups , the creativity of the leader is of the utmost importance, as it helps to perfect the techniques on each occasion and with each group. Remember that you know your audience , the context , the needs and the objectives that you pursue with the activities. Dare to rehearse , transform and combine these and the next dynamics that we will share with you throughout several blog posts.