Timing
<5 minutes
Purpose/Objectives - Quick Description
Using 4 markers or objects, instantly highlight the importance of group memory, idea retention and more.
Process
- Hold 4 markers in your hands
- Ask the audience “What happens if you lose one?” For dramatic effect, literally drop the marker
- Accept the range of answers. And then share how with just “one less color, one less option, you lose 75% of your choice”
- Then ask “what happens when you take away one more?” Accept answer. Another 65% of your options disappear
- Debrief why this is important
- Ask what happens when a leader/executive lectures a group. (hint: think of executives as markers… and you are just holding one marker!)
- Discuss the impact of “group think” and its negative ramifications
- Share research around “brainstorming” and make comparisons to the effect and numerical failure by night highlighting each individual person/each individual color!
- Discuss the importance of keeping options open
- Discuss the importance of diversity
- Discuss the importance of using color and not black and white, practically and metaphorically
If you really need to explain the math: 4x3x2x1=24 So by taking away 1 color, you lose 75% of your color combination options. Similarly, 3x2x1=6 And then you lose another 65% of your options
Logistics
Have 4 different colored markers on hand
Cool Possibilities/Options
- Use in conjunction with brainstorming and other groupthink exercises
- Use the Jeff Bezos Amazon 2 pizza rule instead of 4 markers: http://blog.idonethis.com/two-pizza-team Check out the image part way through!
- Use Wolfram Alpha to compute other interesting statistics for markers or team sizes. Did you know that 50 people produce 3.5kW of heat! http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=50+people+combinations
People Science Data Capture:
Not recommended
Tags
<5 minutes, choice, color, diversity, front of the room, markers, odds, options, probability
Source:
Unknown
Commonly used for a long time at ihhp.com