AND NOT BUT

The And Not But activity helps us to

reflect on the simple words we use
to communicate, and how these can
impact a conversation. “But” is an
interesting word in communication. 10-15 minutes
It is a minimizing word that detracts
from, and qualifies, the statement
before it. By replacing the word “but”
with “and,” communication can have Minimum of 2
a more positive and powerful feel.
Our choice of words and responses
can frame a conversation and help us None
to communicate more effectively.
Source: Adapted from multiple sources

DEBRIEF (following the activity)

In both planning sessions you were using the word “yes.”
• How did it feel when you were planning your trip using “yes,
but?” Now, how did it feel when you were planning your trip
using “yes, and?”
• Did you feel the flow of the conversation change when you
used “and” instead of “but?” If yes, how did it change?
• How can we change our language and framing around issues
to communicate more effectively in health care?
• Where can you embed this change in your day-to-day work
or activities? What’s one thing you could try in the coming
week?
By replacing the word “but” with “and,” communication can have
a more positive and powerful feel. “But” often acts as a minimizing
word that detracts from, and qualifies, the statement before it.
WHAT TO DO

1. In partners, plan a vacation with one partner using only “yes,

but” after each statement.
2. One partner will start the conversation with a statement and
then the second partner will follow with a statement starting
with “yes, but.” For example:
Partner 1: We are going on a trip to Hawaii and we are
going to go to Maui.
Partner 2: Yes, but I can’t go next week as I have a work
meeting.
Partner 1: That’s okay – we can switch the time.
Partner 2: Yes, but I don’t like Hawaii.
3. After a few minutes of planning your trip using “yes, but,”
switch and repeat the exercise above using nothing but “yes,
and.”
4. One partner will start the conversation with a statement and
then the second partner will follow with a statement starting
only with “yes, and.” For example:
Partner 1: We are going on a trip to Hawaii and we are
going to go to Maui.
Partner 2: Yes, and we are going to go to the beach every
day.
Partner 1: Yes, and we are going to go snorkelling.
5. After a few minutes of planning your trip using “yes, and”,
debrief on the language used and how it felt using “and”
versus “but.”
BLINDFOLD
In this activity, blindfolded
participants must rely on their
partners to navigate an obstacle
course successfully. The activity
is designed to help improve
15-20 minutes
communication and listening skills,
and to build trust between partners.

10-50

• A large private room

• Enough blindfolds for
half of the participants
• Furniture and other
items to use as
obstacles
Source: Adapted from Mindtools

DEBRIEF (following the activity)

• How did participants have to communicate differently to
guide their partners?
• How did their listening skills change and adapt when they
were blindfolded?
• What did it feel like to give up control and trust your partner?
• How could you apply this learning/experience in your work?
WHAT TO DO

1. Scatter furniture and objects around the room before the

activity begins. Your course should be challenging, but still safe
to navigate.
2. Put team members into pairs and ask them to stand together
at one end of the room.
3. One person from each pair should put on a blindfold.
4. The sighted people must verbally guide their partners across
the room by giving them instructions to help them avoid the
obstacles and other people.
5. When each team reaches the other side of the room, partners
should switch roles and then repeat the exercise.
BUILDING BLOCKS
This activity develops descriptive
and instructional skills as well as
teamwork.

30-45 minutes

4-24

2 identical building
block sets for each
participating group

Source: Adapted from LiveStrong

DEBRIEF (following the activity)

Based on the role you had in the activity:
• What was the hardest part of this activity?
• What was the easiest part of this activity?
• As the observer in the activity, what suggestions would you
make?
• What did you learn as a team?
• What communication strategies could be embedded into this
activity to ensure greater success for the team?
• How was the activity different the second time around?
WHAT TO DO

1. Organize attendees into groups of four.

2. Each group member will choose one of the following four
roles: the director, the runner, the builder, or the observer.
3. The director and builder will be located on opposite sides of
the room with their backs to each other, each with their own
set of building blocks.
4. The facilitator will ask the directors to build something with
their blocks.
5. The director must then give instructions to the runner, who
must relay those instructions to the builder in an attempt to
have the builder create an exact replica of the director’s blocks.
6. The observer should observe the activities of the builder,
runner and director without commenting aloud.
7. The activity is limited to ten minutes.
8. Once the builders have completed their structures, have the
rest of the group come over to the builders’ side of the room
for debriefing.
9. Following the debrief, run the activity a second time, using
the same method and team members in the same roles.
Once the builders have completed their second structures,
have the team come over to the builders’ side of the room for
debriefing.
BUILDING TOGETHER
The Building Together activity
encourages teams to work together
to design and develop a structure
using collaboration and teamwork.
The goal is for the team to build the 30 minutes
tallest freestanding tower with the
limited materials provided. Take risks,
be creative, and try new things! Maximum of 40, plus 1-2
judges

Each team of 4 requires:

• 20 pieces of spaghetti
• 1 large marshmallow
• 1 metre of string
• 1 metre of tape
• 1 small brown paper
bag
Source: Unknown

DEBRIEF (following the activity)

This activity encourages critical thinking by asking team members
to work together in a short period of time while using limited
supplies. Teams must demonstrate quick decision-making,
execute a plan, and show resilience in the face of challenges and
frustrations. This has a strong parallel to teams in health care
who must also work together and show resilience in the face of
challenges.

After the winning team is announced, ask participants these

questions:

• What was the hardest part of this activity?

• What was the easiest part of this activity?
• What did you learn?
• What would you do differently if you had a chance to rebuild
the tower?
• What lessons from this activity can we apply to our work?
WHAT TO DO

1. In groups of four, each team will be asked to build a structure

using basic materials (see resources list).
2. You have 15 minutes to build the tallest freestanding structure
with only the materials provided.
3. Once 15 minutes have elapsed, all teams must not touch their
structures. The facilitator will measure each tower and record
the highest height.
4. The winner of the activity is whichever team has the tallest
freestanding structure at the point of final measurement.
CAMPFIRE
Much of what we learn is through
storytelling. Campfire is an informal
exercise that helps participants
develop diplomacy and teamwork
skills through trial and error, and by 30-60 minutes
sharing successes and failures. The
purpose of the activity is to reveal
commonalities through shared
experiences. 4-8

• Post-it notes
• Markers

Source: Adapted from Gamestorming

DEBRIEF (following the activity)

As the facilitator for Campfire, your role is to encourage
storytelling and experience sharing. The point of the activity is for
participants to hear each other’s stories, encourage sharing and
help to highlight similarities in experience.

• What did you have in common with your team?

• Are there any themes that arose from each story?
• What did you not have in common?
• What did you learn about your team members?
WHAT TO DO

1. Before the meeting, come up with ten words that can be

used as trigger words to start the storytelling. Try to keep the
words positive or neutral: happy, work travel, ideas, work,
opportunity, etc.
2. Write each word on its own post-it note.
3. Post the sticky notes together in a visible spot on a wall.
4. Provide participants with pens and their own blank post-it
notes.
5. Show participants the “wall of words” and ask them to take a
few minutes to look over the words and recall a work story
associated with one of the words.
6. To demonstrate how the activity works and help the group
warm up, start the storytelling session yourself by removing
one of the words and posting it somewhere nearby on the
“story wall” as you share a story associated with that word.
7. Now, ask a participant to select a word from the “wall of
words,” post that word on the “story wall,” and share their
story. As that person is talking, ask the others to jot down new
words that come to mind based on that story.
8. When the story is finished, ask for a new volunteer to use one
of their own words or select a word from the “wall of words”
and post it to the “story wall” while sharing their story. Repeat
this process to create a “story wall” which will act like an
archive of the campfire conversation.
9. Before you “put out” the fire, ask the players if there are any
lessons learned they want to add.
INTERACTIVE TRIZ
TRIZ is an acronym that stands for a
Russian phrase: “Teoriya Resheniya
Izobretatelskikh Zadatch.” In English,
this translates into “Inventive Theory
of Problem Solving.” The basic idea
30-45 minutes
behind a TRIZ is to put a critical lens
on thinking about how to create a
system or process that is designed Groups of 5-12 (can have
to fail. An Interactive TRIZ is acting multiple groups)
out all of the ways a system or
process can possibly fail due to
individual or team behaviours and A safe space to act
communication. without disrupting
others
Source: Adapted from Liberating Structures

DEBRIEF (following the activity)

Debriefing (100% unwanted behaviors):
• Are we actually currently doing any of the unwanted things,
even if only in a minor way or a small percentage of the time?
• Is there anything that we never EVER do?
• What actions can we commit to avoiding altogether?
• What can we commit to doing?

Debriefing (100% desired behaviors):

• Are there one or two ideas that emerged from this exercise
that we can really focus on as a team?
• What will we do to avoid unwanted behaviour and role model
desired actions and behaviours?
• What strategies and support can we use as a team to embed
the desired actions in our day-to-day work?
WHAT TO DO

1. Divide participants into groups.

2. In each group, decide on a topic you would like to act out.
Remember that your TRIZ is about how to get unwanted
results. For example, a TRIZ question could be: How will
we ensure a patient and/or their family members feel as
unwelcome as possible coming into our unit?
3. Divide your group in two and decide which half will be actors,
and which half will be observers.
4. Define which acting role each actor will have (e.g. patient,
nurse, doctor, unit clerk, family member, etc.)
5. Before starting, reflect on some actions, behaviours, or traits
that will ensure an unwanted result.
6. Act out all of the things each assigned role can do to achieve
the unwanted result. Be creative! Be extreme! Make yourself
laugh!
7. Debrief as a team (sample questions on back of card). Allow
observers to provide feedback and provide an opportunity to
suggest things that could ensure even more unwanted results.
8. Switch positions, and allow the observers to now become
actors. However, this time the group will ensure 100% of the
time that they get the desired result! They will paint a picture
of the ideal, reliable, and safe system.
9. Again, debrief as a team (sample questions on back of card).
Allow the observers to provide feedback and create the
opportunity for them to suggest things, phrases, or behaviours
that could ensure desired results are achieved more often.
JUST LISTEN
This activity encourages participants
to communicate how they think and
feel about a subject. It is intended to
strengthen team members’ listening
skills.
25-30 minutes

Minimum of 2

8 index cards per

pair; each card lists 1
discussion topic
Source: Adapted from MindTools

DEBRIEF (following the activity)

• How did speakers feel about their partners’ ability to listen
with an open mind?
• Did their partners’ body language communicate how they felt
about what was being said?
• How did listeners feel about not being able to speak their own
views on the topic? How well were they able to keep an open
mind? How well did they listen?
• How well did the listening partner summarize the speakers’
opinions? Did they get better as the exercise progressed?
• How can we use the lessons from this activity in our day-to-
day work?

Listening is an incredibly important part of good communication;

however, it is a skill that people often ignore in team activities.
This exercise can show team members how to listen with an open
mind.
WHAT TO DO

1. In advance of the session, prepare enough index cards for

each team of two to have its own set of eight cards. Each card
will have a different discussion topic listed on it (e.g. the role of
culture in health care, trust in our work, patient safety, etc.).
2. Ask everyone present to pair off.
3. Provide each pair with their own set of eight index cards.
4. One partner blindly chooses a card and then speaks for three
minutes on how they think and feel about that topic. Their
partner cannot speak during this time – their primary goal is to
listen.
5. After three minutes, the listener has one minute to recap what
their partner said. They cannot debate, agree, or disagree –
only summarize.
6. Next, the roles switch and teams begin the process again.
MAKE A TEAM WITH…
In this activity, team members must
act quickly to form small teams
based on instructions that you
shout out. The aim is to strengthen
communication and help teach
15-20 minutes
participants to “think on their
feet” when needing to make quick
decisions.
Minimum of 10

None

Source: Adapted from Mindtools

DEBRIEF (following the activity)

• How did you communicate during this activity?
• What communication strategies worked well?
• What communication strategies did not work well?
• What communication strategies could we embed into our
day-to-day environments to help make communication more
effective?
• Were you surprised by what you had in common in the room?
• Were you surprised by differences in the room?
WHAT TO DO

1. Explain to participants that they will have to form a team based

on the instructions that you shout out. For example, some
instructions could include getting into a team with people who
have the same number of children as you, or getting into a
team with people who are born in the same month as you.
2. As the facilitator, shout out the instructions for the team
request. Encourage participants to work as quickly as possible.
3. Once a team is complete (i.e. all the people in the room with
two children have come together), participants can shout out
or sit down to signal that their team is finished.
4. Repeat the exercise as many times as you want.
TELEPHONE
When we communicate with others,
we cannot know if they have heard us
as intended unless they tell us what
they have heard. Communication
strategies like closed-loop
15-30 minutes
communication can ensure the
message was transferred as intended.
Telephone is an easy way to Groups of 5-10 (can have
experience the differences between multiple groups)
one-way (open-loop) and two-way
(closed-loop) communication.
2 pre-prepared
messages (approximately
3 sentences long)
Source: Unknown

DEBRIEF (following the activity)

In both rounds you were receiving and conveying a message.

• What were the differences between Round 1 and Round 2?

• What was the difference in the accuracy of the message
conveyed?
• Did you feel the flow of the message change depending on
one-way verses two-way communication?
• Was there a clarifying question that was helpful?
• How can we embed closed-loop communication in our day-
to-day work?
WHAT TO DO

This is a familiar activity that requires virtually no set up and is

easy to pull together quickly. Two rounds of telephone will be
played with two different examples. In the first round, one-way
communication will be used. The second round will involve
closed-loop communication (two-way).
1. Once in groups, identify who the first message sender will
be for both rounds. Provide that person with a pre-prepared
message that is about three sentences in length.
2. In the first round, the message sender must whisper the
message exactly as written to the person sitting next to them.
They can only say it once (no repeating). The receiver listens to
the message once and cannot ask questions or write anything
down.
3. The receiver then becomes the new sender and conveys the
statement quietly to the next receiver in line.
4. Continue through the entire group.
5. The last receiver will share the message they heard aloud with
the group. The first sender then reads the original message
aloud.
6. Debrief with the group (see debriefing questions back of card).
7. Now, repeat this activity a second time with a new message.
This time, the message sender says the message once and the
receiver listening to the message repeats what they heard back
to the sender. They can also ask one clarifying question. The
sender repeats the message or clarifies discrepancies. This can
only happen once per pair.
8. The receiver becomes the new sender and conveys the
statement to the next receiver with the new rules.
9. Continue through the entire group.
10. The last receiver will share the message they heard with the
group. See how this compares to the original message written
down by the initial sender.
11. Debrief with the group a second time .
TENT POLE
This activity is a powerful exercise for
learning how to work together and
communicate to small and medium-
sized groups.
25-30 minutes

Groups of 8-12 (can have

multiple groups)

1 thin, lightweight tent

pole per group
Source: Unknown

DEBRIEF (following the activity)

• What was your initial reaction to this exercise?
• How did your group cope with the challenge?
• What skills did it take for your group to be successful?
• What would an outside observer say were the strengths and
weaknesses of your group?
• What other situations can work like this?
WHAT TO DO

1. Lay tent poles flat on the ground throughout the room – you’ll
need one tent pole for each group.
2. Divide participants into multiple groups of 8-12 (depending on
the number of participants).
3. Have group members line up on either side of the tent pole,
lift up the tent pole to shoulder height and balance it on their
index fingers. Note: no pinching or grabbing of the pole is
allowed.
4. The object of the activity is to lower the tent pole to the
ground from shoulder height. Easy, right? Wait, there are a few
additional steps:
a. The team must work together to lower the tent pole to
the ground from the starting position of shoulder height.
b. If at any time a team member’s finger loses contact with
the pole, the team must go back to the start and begin
again.
5. As the facilitator, if a group is struggling you can offer
suggestions to the group to help them out. If a group is
moving too quickly remind them if a team member’s finger
loses contact they must start over again.
6. Finish when at least one team has gotten their tent pole to the
ground.
TOSS ME SOME FEEDBACK
This activity brings a team together
to explore the importance of giving
and receiving feedback and support
in order to achieve successful
outcomes.
10-15 minutes

Groups of 4-7 (can have

multiple groups)

• Balls, bean bags or

similar tossing items
• Blindfolds
• Stopwatch/timer
• Masking tape
• Boxes (empty paper
boxes are great)

Source: Adapted from Team Building Toolkit

DEBRIEF (following the activity)

• Tossers: What was challenging for you in Round 1 when you
were receiving no feedback? How did you overcome the lack
of support? Team: During Round 1, how did it feel to simply
watch?
• Tossers: What was challenging for you in Round 2 when you
received minimal feedback? Team: Your experience during
Round 2?
• Tossers & Team: How was Round 3 different? How did it feel
to be able to provide feedback? How did it feel to receive it?
• In the workplace, do we sometimes simply watch, or do we
offer to help each other and accept help from others?
• When we do offer and accept help, what makes this process
effective? What would make it more effective?
• What kind of feedback is most effective for you and why?
WHAT TO DO

1. Each team needs one blindfold, one ball or bean bag, and one
box.
2. Tape a start line for each team on the floor.
3. Place a box at least ten feet away from each start line.
4. Each team needs to assign a tosser, a retriever, a scorekeeper,
and an assistant.
5. The tosser is blindfolded, stands behind the start line, and will
throw the ball.
6. The retriever picks up the ball and throws it back to the
assistant.
7. The assistant gives the ball back to the tosser.
8. The scorekeeper adds up the successful tosses for each round.
9. The remaining team members observe and/or cheer as per
round instructions (see below).
10. One point is scored for every ball the tosser gets into the box.
Note: the ball can bounce out; as long as it bounces into the
goal box first, it counts as a point.
11. Play each round (1 minute per round). The goal is for the tosser
to score as many points as possible in that minute.
Round 1:
1. No talking.
2. The tosser attempts to score as many points as possible
with no input or coaching from their team.
Round 2:
1. The team can coach their tosser by saying either “yeah” or
“boo,” but nothing else.
2. The tosser attempts to score as many points as possible
with this limited feedback from their team.
Round 3:
1. The team can coach their tosser by providing any helpful
information.
2. The tosser attempts to score as many points as possible
with extensive feedback from their team.
TRADE
In this activity, team members
trade pieces of playing cards to put
together complete cards. This activity
is useful for showing team members
others’ perspectives, building
15-20 minutes
communication and negotiation
skills, and helping individuals to
develop empathy.
Minimum of 9

• Playing cards (enough

for 4-6 cards per
team), cut into 4
triangular pieces
• Envelopes
• Private room

Source: Adapted from Mindtools

DEBRIEF (following the activity)

• Which negotiation strategies worked? Which didn’t?
• What could you have done better?
• What other communication and teamwork skills could have
made this activity more successful?
WHAT TO DO

1. Cut each playing card in half diagonally, then in half diagonally

again, so you have four triangular pieces for each card.
2. Mix all of the pieces together and put equal numbers of cards
into as many envelopes as you have teams.
3. Divide people up into teams of three or four – you need at
least three teams. Give each team an envelope of playing card
pieces.
4. Each team has three minutes to sort its pieces, determine
which ones it needs to make complete cards, and develop a
bargaining strategy. This strategy can be anything you like, but
you might want to consider the best approach to get the cards
you need – think bartering!
5. After three minutes, allow the teams to start bartering for
pieces. People can barter on their own or collectively with
their team. Give the teams eight minutes to barter.
6. When the time is up, count each team's completed cards.
Whichever team has the most complete cards wins the round.