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Rounds and dyads are excellent techniques for support and counseling groups, and they may also be effectively used in other types of groups. Describe one specific example of a round and one specific example of a dyad exercise that you could implement in a meeting with a task group, project group, or team to enhance the motivation, decision-making process, performance, and/or productivity of the group. In your replies, offer helpful recommendations on how to refine or adapt these exercises and feel free to share relevant experiences from group/team meetings in your personal or professional context

Sample Solution

Round Exercise: Strengths and Weaknesses

Purpose: To identify the group’s strengths and weaknesses, and to brainstorm ways to leverage the strengths and address the weaknesses.

Instructions:

  1. Ask group members to stand in a circle.
  2. Choose a topic, such as “strengths of our group” or “weaknesses of our group.”
  3. Invite each group member to share one thought on the topic.
  4. Go around the circle, giving each group member a chance to speak.
  5. Once everyone has had a chance to speak, ask the group to brainstorm ways to leverage the strengths and address the weaknesses.
  6. Write down the group’s ideas on a whiteboard or flipchart.
  7. Discuss the ideas and develop a plan for how to implement them.

Example:

You are the leader of a task group that is responsible for developing a new product. You are having a meeting to discuss the group’s progress and to identify any potential roadblocks. You decide to use a round exercise to identify the group’s strengths and weaknesses.

You ask the group members to stand in a circle and to choose the topic “strengths of our group.” You go around the circle, giving each group member a chance to share one thought on the topic.

The group members share the following strengths:

  • We have a lot of experience in product development.
  • We are a creative and innovative team.
  • We are able to work well together and to resolve conflict effectively.

You then ask the group members to choose the topic “weaknesses of our group.” You go around the circle, giving each group member a chance to share one thought on the topic.

The group members share the following weaknesses:

  • We have a tight deadline.
  • We are working on a complex project.
  • We have limited resources.

Once everyone has had a chance to speak, you ask the group to brainstorm ways to leverage the strengths and address the weaknesses. The group comes up with the following ideas:

  • To leverage our experience, we can pair up more experienced group members with less experienced group members.
  • To leverage our creativity, we can hold regular brainstorming sessions.
  • To leverage our ability to work well together, we can develop a clear communication plan and we can meet regularly to discuss our progress and to resolve any conflict.
  • To address our tight deadline, we can break down the project into smaller tasks and we can set realistic deadlines for each task.
  • To address the complexity of the project, we can conduct thorough research and we can develop a detailed project plan.
  • To address our limited resources, we can identify ways to reduce costs and we can seek out additional resources if needed.

You write down the group’s ideas on a whiteboard or flipchart. You then discuss the ideas and you develop a plan for how to implement them.

Dyad Exercise: Brainstorming Solutions

Purpose: To brainstorm solutions to a specific problem or challenge.

Instructions:

  1. Divide the group into pairs.
  2. Ask each pair to choose a specific problem or challenge that the group is facing.
  3. Give each pair 5-10 minutes to brainstorm solutions to the problem or challenge.
  4. Once each pair has had a chance to brainstorm, ask each pair to share their ideas with the group.
  5. Discuss the ideas and develop a plan for how to implement the most promising solutions.

Example:

You are the leader of a project group that is responsible for developing a new marketing campaign for a product. You are having a meeting to discuss the group’s progress and to identify any potential roadblocks. You decide to use a dyad exercise to brainstorm solutions to a specific problem: “How can we increase brand awareness for our product?”

You divide the group into pairs and you give each pair 5-10 minutes to brainstorm solutions.

Once each pair has had a chance to brainstorm, you ask each pair to share their ideas with the group. The group comes up with the following ideas:

  • Create social media campaigns.
  • Run ads on TV and radio.
  • Give free samples of the product to potential customers.
  • Partner with other businesses to cross-promote products.

You discuss the ideas and you develop a plan for how to implement the most promising solutions.

Recommendations on How to Refine or Adapt These Exercises

  • Rounds:
    • You can adapt the round exercise to focus on any topic that is relevant to the group.

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