Hi colleagues

I'm leading a half-day session on change leadership, looking for short experiential exercises that will work for a large group of people (35) who must influence others.

My change exercises are all about experiencing change - I'm hoping to also find something (10-20 minutes) that deals with inspiring, influencing, overcoming resistance, etc.

Any thoughts?

Sue,

This particular exercise, probably isn't what you are after. However, I like it because it creates the opportunity for everyone to acknowledge the challenges, the resistance, and begin the process of of translating that energy into something positive.
Signing Up for Change

Two other related pieces (previously posted on other topics) you might want to check out...maybe just for use as handout or discussion starters for your session:
The Politics of Change
Leadership and the New Science

I know several good consultants with experience in designing and conducting something like that who would probably be very happy for the business. Let me know if you'd like their contact information.

Absolute best one...can be found in "accountability...a noun or a verb?" (find it on amazon.com. Here is what you do...have everyone partner up...so you have a bunch of sets of two people. Give them a few minutes to observe each other...clothes, jewelry, hair style, etc. Then, make them turn back to back. Rules are - no talking to each other or looking at each other. Each person must change 5 things (take off a watch, etc.). Then, partners face each other and tell each other the 5 things changed by the other person...always funny stuff happens (breaking the ice, showing some vulnerability, etc.). Now - tell them NOT to change the 5 things back, but turn back to back once again and change TEN more things...you hear some complaints ("no way", etc.), same rules as before applies, repeat the turn back around and tell the other person what thye have changed, etc. Once again - do not let them change anything back. Now tell them to change 15 MORE things...let them complain and give up, etc. Before they get into the 15 more things, ask them if they want to quit, they will say yes. Now - the learnings (your observations). Ask them what they learned - it will all be funny or frustrating stuff...just like the changes we all go through every day. Now - what did you as facilitator observe? Two key things (and they happen every time). One - throughout the process of changing things, 99% of them across the partners will involve "losing" something...like removing a ring or a shoe, etc. You never see something take the watch that someone else took off and put it on. In other words, when facing change, we always like about what we stand to lose vs. what we could potentially gain. Two - no one will ever talk to someone else once you say "do not talk to your partner" when standing back to back. You never said you cannot talk to anyone and brainstorm ideas. Thus, when facing change, we always think we are in it along. Bottom line - two good morals of the story here and funny stuff in the actual changes that take place. Lots of good laughs and "ah-has" at the end. More detail is provided in the above referenced book.

http://www.amazon.com/Accountability-Noun-Verb-Richard-.../102-5124221-9046565

A half day session in Change? No matter what you do ask for more time.

Nero