Fly High – 60 Minutes
Activity Description
Participants are divided in to teams with each team given a chance to call out how many
balloons will they balance in 5 minutes time. These balloons are a representation of
customers in our life and how well do we balance them and how much effort does it require
in having them all afloat.
Activity Brief
(The brief is designed with an assumption of the class size being 50 students)
• MENTION participants that we will now practice all that has been learned till now.
• DIVIDE participants in 7 groups of 7 participants each. MARK one participant as the
umpire and score keeper.
• MOVE participants to an outdoor space if not enough space is available.
• ANNOUNCE the following rules for the game.
• EXPLAIN that they, in teams, have to ensure their balloons are flying up in the air
continuously for 5-minutes. No one can hold a balloon in their hand at any time. Each
balloon represents a customer and must be given best service to keep it flying high.
• Allow 7-minutes for teams to discuss how many balloons, i.e., customers; they plan to
manage. They will receive N+1 balloons, i.e., at least one more balloon than the number
of people in their team. ENCOURAGE them to take the challenge and plan to have more
balloons.
• Introduce the scorecard and how their performance will be measured. ANNOUCE the
person who shall be the umpire and be taking the score.
FLY HIGH
TEAM ESTIMATE ACTUAL FOUL
5
• DISTRIBUTE balloons to each team and note the number of balloons they have taken on
the scorecard under the heading ESTIMATE.
• ASK each team to select a supervisor who will supervise the next team – NOT THEIR
OWN TEAM
Twist
• ASK the supervisor to stand at a spot in a large empty hall. The team to be supervised is
to place their balloons at the feet of the supervisor and form a circle slightly away from the
supervisor.
Activity Execution
• BLOW the whistle and start the time. ASK the supervisor to throw one balloon at a time
into the circle until all balloons are given out. At this point, the circle can be broken.
• Each team member in their circle is to keep their balloons afloat for 5-minutes and prevent
them from falling on the floor. Anyone can help another team member keep up their
balloon/s.
• Make sure no one holds a balloon in their hand at any time.
• Umpire to note the number of fouls, i.e., number of times balloons fall on the floor. Only
the supervisor can pick up the balloon from the floor and hand it back to the group.
• If a balloon bursts, INFLATE another balloon and hand it to the supervisor to throw in the
circle again. Keep the number of balloons intact.
• KEEP a check on time. Blow the whistle as soon as the 5-minutes end. NOTIFY the
umpire to make a mental note of the balloons that are afloat and report this number to you
to write on the scorecard under ACTUAL along with the number of times the balloons fell
to the ground, during the 5-minutes, under FOUL.
• REPEAT the exercise for all teams.
• ANNOUNCE the winner in the end.
Winning Criteria: The team with the largest number of balloons afloat at the time the
exercise ends, i.e., maximum number of customers have been served; and the least
number of fouls.
• APPRECIATE all participants for their efforts and ASK them to be seated back.
Activity Debrief
• ASK following questions from participants and ENGAGE them in a discussion to
understand how each one of them was giving their best, regardless of the competition,
the environment, the tough challenge. We did not even promise a reward for the winning
team, yet they were at their best.
• CONNECT the conversation to make participants understand how they were completely
self-aware of their potential and had put it to use; were self-regulated (disciplined) to
ensure the rules are followed; were self-motivated, each one trying to achieve the target
individually and collectively; each one had empathy for the other and was seen lending
help wherever required. Participants clearly demonstrated all the social skills of
collaboration, cooperation etc. This is how they should continue to strive in their
professional lives too.
Debrief Questions:
• How did each team member adjust when some of their members were in trouble with
their balloon dropping on the floor?
• What changes did each team make to compensate when a member had to inflate a
new balloon in the middle of the 5-minutes?
• How did effective teamwork contribute to keeping all balloons in the air?
• How did teamwork enable its members to keep all functions of the operation working
(all balloons in the air)?
• How come you were working so hard in keeping the balloons afloat and not worried
about what others will say? If anyone had worked into the room, they would have been
surprised to see what you were doing.
• What made you want to out-perform yourself?
• CLOSE by mentioning when you do your job in this way, you are said to be high on EI
and this is 93% the cause of successful people.
