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Learning Activity: Matching Gifts

Solving problems


Purpose:
Open up new possibilities in solving problems and achieving your goals. Identify opportunities to apply your gifts and the gifts of your team to problems and opportunities.

Materials:
Blank Index cards.

Preparation:
Create two decks of cards. One set of cards contains personal gifts and strengths, such as courage, creativity, clarity, compassion, centeredness, influence, charisma, passion, etc. The other set of cards contains current problems or opportunities that could be addressed using your strengths.

Process:
  1. Each person draws a card from each of the two decks and explores whether the gift and opportunity match for them, or whether they match someone else in the room. Describe how whoever has that gift might help meet that opportunity or solve that problem by effectively using that gift.
  2. Other participants award points: 1 point for a reasonable explanation, 2 points for a creative and effective explanation, 10 points for an explanation and commitment to apply that gift on to that problem or opportunity.
  3. When everyone has had a turn to claim a gift and opportunity, gather in affinity groups (those who share the same or similar opportunities) and create action plans for applying your strengths to those opportunities.
Time:
15 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the group and how many cards you create.

Variations:
Another way to arrange the cards is in the form of the old quiz show Concentration - like a display board. Put numbers on one side and the information on the unseen side. Each player selects two numbers and then flips the cards to reveal what's behind. If they get two strengths or two problems instead of a problem and a strength, then their turn is over until the next time around.



-- doug smith




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