To have a proficient and well-balanced team, harmony and communication are key factors that must be cultivated. This back-to-back drawing game is a great tool for just that. It heavily relies on the participants to adequately get information across from one another and it provides the means and practice to remove misunderstandings in a working environment.
“Back to Back Drawing” Game Objective
The goal of the game is for one player to understand and competently draw the image or object that is being clearly described, without being able to see it in the first place.
What is Needed to Play “Back to Back Drawing”
The tools required for this activity are the following: pictures ( in a physical or a digital format ) of the things that will be verbally described, as well as some pens and paper that the players will use in order to draw. If the first item is difficult to acquire, one can simply pick up an existing object for the player to convey.
“Back to Back Drawing” Game Setup
The organizer of this team building activity must prepare all the items listed above, establish a time limit under which the game will be played and find the target group of participants. It can be either played with one group of people, which will be later divided into pairs, or with more teams that will follow the same procedure.
How to Play “Back to Back Drawing”
Step 1.
Each group will be divided into pairs that will sit with their backs turned from one another. One person will be the one that explains the object or picture that is shown to them ( member A ) and the other will be the one that will draw it, according to the description ( member B ).
Step 2.
The members of each pair will be given the instruments for completing their assigned task. Member A will be instructed not to show the image they received to their partner. Member B will be instructed not to peek at their partner’s image. If one of the two rules mentioned above is broken, the team is instantly disqualified.
Step 3.
After the timer is set, member A will begin to describe the object they’re seeing without revealing its actual name. Member B will attempt to understand what they’re being told, guess the object, and draw it on a piece of paper.
Step 4.
When the time is up, the pair will showcase their results and see how the information has traveled from one player to the other. If member B has successfully drawn the right object, the team to which the pair belongs gains one point.
How to Win at “Back to Back Drawing”
Communication is crucial for winning this type of activity. Not only that, but the pair must learn to rely on one another for success. The speaker needs to become fully aware of how they need to clearly describe the object to the listener. They need to approach a certain pattern of expression that is familiar to the listener’s way of understanding things. Moreover, the listener needs to be assertive and open to asking more questions in the hopes of elucidating the task at hand. Simply stated, in order to win there needs to be a heavy flow of questions and answers from both parties. Teamwork will be the deciding factor in whether the members will be going towards victory or failure.
The Benefits of Playing “Back to Back Drawing”
This game advertises communication as a much-needed tool in the workplace. It underlines, on the one hand, the importance of being able to promptly express what you need from somebody ( let’s say an employee ). As a speaker, you need to make sure your ideas are clearly stated so that no information can escape the conversation due to poor verbal delivery. On the other hand, the game highlights the importance of patience, the ability to listen well to what others have to say, and how one may be able to overcome a blockage in a flowing dialogue. And, as a plus, this game will definitely fill the room with laughter.