Els, do you have something that allows us to experience how to make decisions differently at meetings?
Then I have to think about which game, an uncontrived game, that can truly be played. Where the original person, the real person, plays, forgets all that has been learned, and shows their authenticity.
I had figured out that I needed to have three goals at different heights. Crisscross placed with pleasant spacing. After all, it was about making decisions.
One hurdle, a smaller goal and a self made goal of 2 pylons and a stick. The only rule was: if you scored, a buddy of yours had to be on the other side of that goal. On that goal that was scored on, you cannot score for the second time.
The first game was played with one challenger. This one could hinder. Interesting to see that this challenger made people more alert and resourceful. All of a sudden you are doing things together.
The space was a bit too small, but to my surprise it made the game better.
Quality of play
There was fantastic play. They paid attention to each other, looked at each other, knew how to find each other, granted each other a lot, above all did it together. They did not need to consult to understand each other.
Later, I introduced two challengers. That made their game even better. Even sharper, because she kept putting them on a different footing. They favor each other a lot, it did involve decision-making. You do it together. They did not realize how good they are.
I said:
‘You grumble in a meeting about what can’t be done. You don’t see how good you are. You guys can do it! You grant each other everything and in a meeting you grant each other nothing!
game rules
Suddenly, to my surprise, suddenly one of the players shouted, “you can’t dribble the ball. Every time I am surprised that the assumptions are just there. Taken in an unconscious way, from another moment or experience. Then the game stops. Starts a discussion that suddenly isn’t about the game, but about the person who was going to dribble. I said, ‘I never said anything about dribbling, about running with the ball.’ Where did those assumptions come from?’ When they realized that much more could be done I got to see another fantastic game. Totally different from those other two games.
How to take this into their own mode of decision-making, they wondered. And with the answers, they have come to insights. Through the game, they became aware about themselves and what they could do differently during their meetings. Just one rule introduced, and several possibilities emerged to reach a decision differently. That they were so good and granted each other so much in the game, and thus in decision making, took some getting used to, and then to take it into a situation where you are sitting still. Apparently play and movement makes more insightful what is possible than sitting still?
