There are dozens of ways to use cards in teamwork or coaching. The simplest of them is a team warm-up.
Before getting to the cards, many people will surely ask themselves: “Why does a team need warming up and what does it involve?” Athletes warm up properly before a competition or training session. Why? Above all, so as not to injure themselves and to prepare all the important muscle groups for the effort. In teams, we usually forget the warm-up. All participants arrive at a meeting with their own thoughts and feelings – for example, worries at home, topics from the previous meeting or a conflict with a colleague. In this situation, at the start of the meeting, participants are focused neither on the meeting’s topics nor on listening to each other. So it often happens that in the middle of the meeting someone explodes, raises their voice, or people argue at length and pointlessly because they won’t bother to listen to each other. How can cards help here? Very simply!
1. Take a deck of picture cards
2. Ask each participant to take one card that, for them:
– symbolises how today has gone so far
– conveys their current mood
– depicts the emotion of their weekend
It is important here that each person chooses the card based on their own thoughts and feelings, rather than looking for cards that they think depict themselves.
3. Everyone can briefly explain their card – why did they choose this particular card?
– the group leader or meeting chair starts
– no one comments on each other’s stories or cards – we all see in the pictures what matters to us.
– everything shared stays within the walls of the meeting room and is not repeated or commented on.
All this takes 5–7 minutes (depending on the size of the team). Its effect on the rest of the meeting, however, can be very positive. I have used cards in this way for years, and so far not a single person has refused to take a card or share it. As people, we want to be heard, and this short exercise with cards gives everyone the chance to be heard at the start of the meeting.
You can now find both teamwork cards and other aids for expressing thoughts and feelings in the Sunergos e-shop. Take a look: the Sunergos e-shop
