If you are a group leader of any kind - teacher, boss, camp counselor, manager, group-facilitator – then the enclosed name games are for you.
What will you find in this ‘How To’ guide?
❂ Name games for sedentary professionals and name games for active and creative groups
❂ Intriguing topics for people to introduce each other to the group
❂ A whole series of name games that get people in motion
❂ ‘Teacher’s Tips’ for remembering names
❂ Icons and an icon guide to pick out exercises that will work for your particular group
❂ The raw material needed to come up with your own name games
Honoring people’s names is important for the foundation of how a group develops its bond. This can make the difference in how easily a group learns and works together.
What will it take to make learning names (nearly) effortless?
1. Bite size learning: Accept you won’t remember all of the names all at once; instead remember a few at a time.
2. Set the expectation (softly): Everyone will learn everyone else’s name.
3. Be repetitive: Keep returning the group’s focus to names.
4. See the person when you hear their name: Look at their face and body in detail.
5. Get people up and active: Moving people out of their chairs is a commitment to active learning. It also lets people associate the name with the face, body, and movement style of each individual.
6. Enjoy the peculiarity of names: If someone comes in with the name ‘Ivy Sprout’ or ‘Swift Current,’ they will be remembered quickly because they stand out. Invite the same kind of reaction to a foreign sounding name like Xenia Myznikova. See if you can enjoy the sound and remember it for its distinctiveness.
7. It’s not about rote memorization. It’s about seeing people and recognizing them by heart.
Etched in Your Brain Name Games gives you the tools to make it fun.
