A couple of years ago, Paul Barrett introduced a lego game in a session that he conducted in Raleigh, NC. This is a game that he created. Since that day, I have included this game in my agile and Scrum training sessions. It is one of the best game that I can think of that illustrate the importance of face to face communication and more.
To play this game you would need to have 3-in-1 lego sets. One set for 2 people. They come in small boxes and cost around $10-$15 and they are known as ‘3-in-1 Lego Creator Building Kits’. Here are some of the ones that I have:
This is how I play the game. Ask everyone to pair up. At each pair have one person play the role of the instructor and one person play the role of the builder. The total time for this game is around 35 to 40 minutes. There are 3 rounds to this game. We will debrief at the end of the third rounds. Pick a new model to build in each round. After each round, you will need to take apart the lego bricks so that you can build the next one.
Round 1 – The instructor is to guide the builder on how to build. Time allocated is 8 minutes. The instructor is not allowed to share or show the instruction book to the builder. The instructor is not allowed to see what the builder is building. The easiest way to do this is to have their backs to each other.
Round 2 – Switch the roles up. The time allocated is 6 minutes. In this round the builder has the same rule as before. Builder is not allowed to see the instruction book. The instructor is still not allowed to share or show the instruction book to the builder. But, in this round the instructor is allowed to see what the builder is doing. Instructor is to guide the builder on how to build.
Round 3 – This time around, there are no roles. The time allocated is 4 minutes. There are no restrictions. Each pairs must work together to build the model.
At then end of this do a debrief. Here are some of the questions (Q) that I asked (in no particular order), and what the participants learn (L).
- Q: Are there anyone that this is their first time playing legos? L: We jump into assumptions that everyone has the same level of knowledge.
- Q: Which round is the easiest and why? L: Visual feedback increases the effectiveness of communication.
- Q: In the first round, did any pair discuss how to identify the lego blocks? i.e. 2 by 2 or 1 by 2. L: Sharing common terminologies is one key factor to working together.
- Q: Did anyone notice the noise level for each rounds and which one is the loudest and which one is the quietest? L: The noise level shows how much more we have to communicate in order to overcome the lack of visual feedback.
- Q: Do you do this in your work today? L: Highlight the similarity in the work place when we rely on audio for communication.
- Q: Did anyone explain what they are trying to build for the first 2 round? L: Providing the outcome helps the builder to know what they are building.
This is one of the game that participants tell me that they learn a lot from. The next time you have an opportunity to play this game, try it out. And, share your experiences and outcomes with me and Paul.
Have fun! š
Richard Khor 