“Alphabet Game’: An Experiential Activity to Teach Listening and Communicating” is the title of the session by Ranjan George, Associate Professor of Business at Fresno Pacific University. George aimed to share a fun and interactive activity they developed. They explained that the game they developed is important because it connects the students and activities to “create an awareness of engagement, listening, and communication.” One of the objectives of the alphabet game is to “appreciate how students value experiential learning as an alternative to reading and rote learning of the concepts of listening and communication.” The game takes 20-30 minutes and can be implemented online or in person. Ideally, students should have their cameras on and be unmuted, according to George. There is a number for each member of the class, and a max of 24 students can participate because of the number of letters in the alphabet. Next, George played a video of the game with students. Participants are assigned numbers and then in that order provide a word based on the letter of the alphabet. For example, a sequence could be: amazing, boy, Corvette… and students help each other out and take notes. They have to pay attention and engage. After they get to “Z” George does a debrief and mentions that they always pass on a game to the next generation… and this game is free. The game helps to emphasize teamwork and accountability. Collaboration and attitude were also mentioned by participants as lessons learned. George spoke about listening and how critical it was for this activity. Everyone also had to listen, follow and had a chance to be a leader. George summarized the key lessons as:
- The value of listening
- The value of communicating
- The value of leadership
- The value of followership
- The importance of experiential learning – not rote learning since everything is learned through experience
- The significance of fun in the participation
- The ease of the game – very little to no resources needed.
- The value of replication (including making roles and adding emphasis)
This session was not at all what I expected from the title, yet it shared a simple and powerful activity to help teams come together. This could be a great activity to do before discussing teamwork and assignment details.
