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Description

This activity explores the different personality types 'motivator', 'team builder', 'team player' and 'organiser' and is the equivalent of the Hogwarts sorting hat - Scouts answer 16 questions to help sort them into 4 personality types. After a discussion about the results, Scouts divide into teams and take part in a team building exercise to explore whether it's better to have a team of all the same personality types or a mix.

Resources

Set of 16 questions fixed to walls of hall [available to download]
Answer sheets [available to download] and pencils (enough for one each)
4 different personality types print-outs - one for each corner [available to download]
Multiple sets of wooden blocks (or Lego or similar) so each team can take part in the block building exercise
'What type of Scout do you have?' handout for them to take home [available to download]

Instructions

Setup

Ensure you have enough answer sheets printed and pencils.
Put up the questions on your walls - sixteen questions spread out to allow easy viewing.
Questions can be answered in any order but have been grouped to help prevent those cunning Scouts gaming it! It doesn’t really matter if the Scouts see them as they come in but the exercise is designed to be individually done so best if peer pressure is avoided!
Build the block model (or whatever you decide to use) ready for the second part of the evening - maybe in a low cupboard or an adjacent room - needs to have a mechanism to hide the model except for the 10 second reveal.

The Plan

Introduction (5 mins)

* Concept of different personalities - and different does not mean better
* Concept of defining characteristics traits - and how we all have all of these, but we all have stronger biases
* Ask the Scouts to name some characteristics - perhaps ask them to describe a familiar Leader (if you're feeling brave)!

Part 1 - finding your type (30 mins)

Goal: Understanding what type each Scout is, and what other Scouts are

Exercise: Find out what your type is - then come together to see what we've found out: - support the Scouts as they answer the questions. Once answered, total up the columns - highest total is their colour. If two columns have the same total, get the Scout to pick their favourite colour. Early finishers should be engaged with questions of how they chose their answers.

When everyone has finished, put up the 'personality type' signs in each corner and send them to the corner with their colour.

* Discussion (with everyone now in their ’type’ corner) - groups of individuals!
* Explore why some groups have more people in than others
* Explore if people are surprised by who else they are next to
* Explore how some people are ‘very like the type’ but others feel they are a mix of two (or more) types
* Discussion - getting the best from others (and not getting the worst)
* Explore how ’this trait type’ can get the best from ’this other trait type'
* Explore how ’this trait type’ would get the worst from ’this other trait type'
* Discussion leading into next exercise - are teams of ’same types’ is better then teams of ‘different types'

Part 2 - which type is best? (25 mins)

Exercise: Which type is best for building? Divide the Scouts into equally sized teams - ideally with 4 teams of one personality type and 2 mixed teams (if numbers of Scouts and resources allow). One Scout from each team is to go to the ‘revealing room’ where they will briefly see a model they need to reproduce. Upon returning, they can not touch the blocks - only describe what they saw to their team. After two minutes, they become a builder as the next person goes to view.

* Intro - (5 mins to sort teams, introduce activity and give out blocks)
* First round - individual comes into ’the room’ - 10s view, 2m build
* 6 rounds total (15 mins)
* Final discussion (5 mins)
* key points
* different is not better
* think of what type you are, when you are trying to get the best out of someone (and not wind them up!) - what is their type and the best approach
* successful teams are usually due to the right blend of types for the job

Take aways: sheet on personality tests, doing them with your family to understand your family and help them understand you - ensure everyone has a sheet to take home.

Tags

• personal development
• team building

Badge Links

• Teamwork - Team-building