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What's On The Other Side?
I'm not sure why this anecdote came to mind today, but while it's here, I guess I'll write it up. See, some time ago I was asked to give a short icebreaker of some kind at a large staff meeting. It started out as a half-hour intro, got cut to fifteen minutes, then squeezed down to a five-minute quickie. And I think what I ended up doing probably was better than a half-hour would have been! So this is what happened . . .
Jerry sounded nervous on the phone. Probably because what he was offering was almost an insult.
"I know we promised you that you could have 15 minutes at the upcoming IS Staff meeting . . . "
Mike wrinkled his nose and looked at the phone. "Jerry, you asked me to do something. An icebreaker, maybe something about communications, right? First you wanted a half-hour, then it was fifteen minutes. What now?"
"Uh, yeah. Well, we've got a lot of stuff, you know, real work to do, so . . . "
Mike shook his head. "Can you give me five minutes?"
There was a moment of silence. "Five minutes? Just barely. But . . . what can you do with five minutes?"
"You'll see."
"Okay. Five minutes right after we start the meeting. But no more than five minutes, I'll have to cut you off if it goes any longer."
"No problem."
###
When people started to collect, the room got noisy. It was one of the older rooms, wood paneled, with plenty of pictures hanging around, the faces of those who had contributed to the institute over the years.
Jerry looked around, glanced at his watch, then stepped up to the microphone. "Hello, everyone. Let's quiet down, we have a lot to do today. And before we get started, Mike's going to give us a very short lesson about communications."
He stepped back. As Mike walked forward, Jerry muttered, "Five minutes, no more."
Mike smiled. Then he looked around the group. "I think you'll enjoy this. We're going to do a very quick roleplaying game. But just like a magician, I need a volunteer from the audience."
He paused, and people looked at each other then raised their hands. Mike pointed to Dave, a big, friendly team leader from the computer center. "Dave, come on up. Now, this is going to be easy. Just stand right there."
Mike had Dave stand in front of him, with the IS staff sitting behind. Then Mike raised his left hand, with a sheet of paper in it. He held the sheet between Dave and himself. On Mike's side, the sheet had a red triangle.
"Okay. Dave, just describe what you see on the paper."
Dave shrugged. "It has four sides."
Mike took a step forward and looked angry. "What? Is something wrong with your eyes? I see three sides. Come on, what do you really see?"
Dave licked his lips. "It's black."
Mike shook his head. "No way. It's obviously red. Now tell me what's on the paper, and get it right."
Dave paused, then reached out and gently but firmly turned Mike's hand so that the sheet twisted. And there was a black square on his side.
Mike laughed. "There, that's a good way to show someone what you are seeing -- bring them around to your side. But the point is, always think about what the other person is seeing -- when they are on the other side of the sheet, they may not see the same thing you do. Got it?"
As he looked around at the quiet group, he put the sheet away, and got a stack of business card sized pieces of paper out. "Now, just to help you remember this, you can all have a business card to put in your wallet. And whenever you find it again, just remember -- what's on the other side of the sheet?"
He handed Dave a stack, and waved him to start passing them out. They had stars, circles, blocks, triangles, and other shapes -- but the fronts and backs were all different.
Jerry stepped toward the microphone, and looked at Mike. He nodded. "Go ahead. That's it."
Mike handed the business cards out to people on the other side, and sat down.
###
Several years later, in a management meeting where tempers were running high over the budget, Dave laughed and pulled a small card out of his wallet. Several people turned toward him and snarled.
"Okay, folks, I know most of you won't remember it, but . . . I think it's time to think about what's on the other side of the sheet."
The person leading the meeting nodded. "Go ahead and tell it, Dave."
Dave spent a few minutes recounting the story of Mike's communications roleplaying game. And showed them his card.
Then they spent a few minutes trying to look at the problem from both sides of the sheet. The meeting went much smoother after that.
The End
I still have a card in my wallet, and I know that several other people who were at that meeting still carry their cards. And more than once, I've thought that five minute lesson might very well be one of the best I've ever given.
What's on the other side of the sheet?
Jerry sounded nervous on the phone. Probably because what he was offering was almost an insult.
"I know we promised you that you could have 15 minutes at the upcoming IS Staff meeting . . . "
Mike wrinkled his nose and looked at the phone. "Jerry, you asked me to do something. An icebreaker, maybe something about communications, right? First you wanted a half-hour, then it was fifteen minutes. What now?"
"Uh, yeah. Well, we've got a lot of stuff, you know, real work to do, so . . . "
Mike shook his head. "Can you give me five minutes?"
There was a moment of silence. "Five minutes? Just barely. But . . . what can you do with five minutes?"
"You'll see."
"Okay. Five minutes right after we start the meeting. But no more than five minutes, I'll have to cut you off if it goes any longer."
"No problem."
###
When people started to collect, the room got noisy. It was one of the older rooms, wood paneled, with plenty of pictures hanging around, the faces of those who had contributed to the institute over the years.
Jerry looked around, glanced at his watch, then stepped up to the microphone. "Hello, everyone. Let's quiet down, we have a lot to do today. And before we get started, Mike's going to give us a very short lesson about communications."
He stepped back. As Mike walked forward, Jerry muttered, "Five minutes, no more."
Mike smiled. Then he looked around the group. "I think you'll enjoy this. We're going to do a very quick roleplaying game. But just like a magician, I need a volunteer from the audience."
He paused, and people looked at each other then raised their hands. Mike pointed to Dave, a big, friendly team leader from the computer center. "Dave, come on up. Now, this is going to be easy. Just stand right there."
Mike had Dave stand in front of him, with the IS staff sitting behind. Then Mike raised his left hand, with a sheet of paper in it. He held the sheet between Dave and himself. On Mike's side, the sheet had a red triangle.
"Okay. Dave, just describe what you see on the paper."
Dave shrugged. "It has four sides."
Mike took a step forward and looked angry. "What? Is something wrong with your eyes? I see three sides. Come on, what do you really see?"
Dave licked his lips. "It's black."
Mike shook his head. "No way. It's obviously red. Now tell me what's on the paper, and get it right."
Dave paused, then reached out and gently but firmly turned Mike's hand so that the sheet twisted. And there was a black square on his side.
Mike laughed. "There, that's a good way to show someone what you are seeing -- bring them around to your side. But the point is, always think about what the other person is seeing -- when they are on the other side of the sheet, they may not see the same thing you do. Got it?"
As he looked around at the quiet group, he put the sheet away, and got a stack of business card sized pieces of paper out. "Now, just to help you remember this, you can all have a business card to put in your wallet. And whenever you find it again, just remember -- what's on the other side of the sheet?"
He handed Dave a stack, and waved him to start passing them out. They had stars, circles, blocks, triangles, and other shapes -- but the fronts and backs were all different.
Jerry stepped toward the microphone, and looked at Mike. He nodded. "Go ahead. That's it."
Mike handed the business cards out to people on the other side, and sat down.
###
Several years later, in a management meeting where tempers were running high over the budget, Dave laughed and pulled a small card out of his wallet. Several people turned toward him and snarled.
"Okay, folks, I know most of you won't remember it, but . . . I think it's time to think about what's on the other side of the sheet."
The person leading the meeting nodded. "Go ahead and tell it, Dave."
Dave spent a few minutes recounting the story of Mike's communications roleplaying game. And showed them his card.
Then they spent a few minutes trying to look at the problem from both sides of the sheet. The meeting went much smoother after that.
The End
I still have a card in my wallet, and I know that several other people who were at that meeting still carry their cards. And more than once, I've thought that five minute lesson might very well be one of the best I've ever given.
What's on the other side of the sheet?
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