Pass The Clap
OVERVIEW
Pass The Clap is a simple focus sharing improv exercise that asks players to collaborate on who has focus by passing that focus from player to player with a simultaneous clap. Often appears in workshops focused on:
Agility
Collaboration
Communication
Team Building
REQUIREMENTS
Number of Participants:
Minimum: 6 participants / Maximum: 20+ participants
Time Required:
Minimum: 10 minutes / Maximum: 20 minutes
Materials Needed:
None
EXERCISE INSTRUCTIONS
This exercise works well when you layer in new challenges after each rendition. I have designated those adjustments as rounds below.
Ask participants stand in a circle and pick one person to start the exercise for each ropund. Often that person is the instructor for the first few rounds.
Round 1: Explain that focus wull shift around the circle from the beginning player in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. The beginnning player should turn to their right, look the next person in the eyes and “pass” them a clap by clearly clapping at an anticipatable speed. The person on the right should clap at the exact same time. That person should then turn to their right and repeat the procedure. Continue until the clap has been passed around the entire circle.
Round 2 & 3: Repeat this process at least two additional times. If your participants do not clap “together”, have them repeat until they are in sync. Don't be too intense about it, if they clap at roughly the same time consider that a successful pass.
Round 4: Repeat the exercise again but this time tell people they can pass it to the right or left now. Let this go on for a while.
Round 5: Repeat the exercise and tell people they can pass a clap across the circle by making eye contact with another participant or pass a clap to the right or left.
Round 6: Finally have everyone break out of the circle and wander in a cloud like formation, passing a clap between themselves as they move. For this to work everyone in the circle will need to have their hands up and be ready to receive a clap.
Round 7 – 9: Conduct the activity 2-3 times with corrections in between until group is reasonably good. Facilitator should ask “can the group develop a rhythm between claps?”. “Is there group agreement about how you can support each other by being ready to receive focus?”
INSTRUCTOR DISCUSSION POINTS / LEARNING TAKEAWAYS
AGILITY
Focus agility notes on being ready to receive focus. In rounds when players are arranged in circles they will often fail to clap on time when focus is being passed to them. Is this because their hands were at their side instead of up and ready to clap? Or perhaps they weren't watching the focal point of the exercise as it approached them?
The ability to adjust to new information or surprising changes is severely depleted when we aren't paying attention or concentrating.
COLLABORATION
Ask the group what can you do to be better at clapping simultaneously with a partner? Going fast might be fun or take the focus off of you, but harmony is the goal, not speed.
Ask, “How can we stay focused on mutual success?”.
COMMUNICATION
Explain how clapping together is just like communication between two people. You either succeed together or you fail together. You cannot succeed or fail alone. You rise or fall with your partner; your fates are tied together.
Lamenting that they are difficult to work with won't help you, but it will hinder you!
Don't be scared to make very clear moves so people know who you are passing to. Can you sacrifice your cool factor in exchange for clarity which your teammates will appreciate?
Ask, “what happens when we rush through a communication?”.
SALES
Discuss how sales and teamwork is all about communication. Lamenting that a client or coworker is difficult won't help. Clear communication will. How can you bend toward your client/coworker and communicate with them as they need you to?
Ask “What happens when we get frustrated with a customer, vendor, or a teammate that we feel is not doing their part?”.