Domino Dialog – Online Version
EnTeam Physical Game
Purpose
To strengthen collaborative communication and active listening skills. Players are pitted against the clock and their greatest foes, their own ego, communicative inhibitions, and other blockers to simple communication.
Requirements
- Time: 35-45 minutes per match
- Number of Players: 2 or more
- Age range: old enough to explain what you see — and ask what others see
- Space: Online
- Equipment: cutout of printed dominoes, video setup with internet access and webcam, 2nd electronic device with camera, EnTeam score sheet (optional)
- Prerequisites: None
How to Play with 2 players on a team
- Form teams with 2 players per team.
- Each player needs matching dominoes, an internet device and camera.
- Pick one player to be Sender and the other to be the Receiver.
- Sender creates a design using all 4 dominos.
- Receiver cannot see Sender’s dominoes.
- When the clock starts, Sender tells Receiver how to match the design.
- Receiver and Sender can talk together to match dominos.
- No one else may communicate with them.
- When they are ready to score*, they take pictures of their dominoes.
- If there is more time, Sender can create a new pattern and play again.
- When 2 minutes are up, players report their score and debrief together.
- Switch roles and try improving the score in the next round.
- Players win if they improve each time they play.
How to Play with 3 or more players on a team
- Form teams with 3 or more players.
- Each player needs: matching dominoes, an internet device and camera.
- Pick one player to be the first Sender. The others are Receivers.
- Sender creates a design using all 4 dominos.
- Receivers cannot see Sender’s dominoes.
- When the clock starts, Sender tells Receivers how to match the design.
- Receivers and Sender can talk together to match dominos.
- No one else may communicate with them.
- When they are ready to score*, they take pictures of their dominoes.
- If there is more time, Sender can create a new pattern and play again.
- When 3 minutes are up, the teams report their scores and debrief together.
- Select new Sender and play again.
- Players win if they improve each time they play.
Rules
- All four dominos must be used and dots must be visible (face up).
- Observers may not talk or give signals during the game.
- Do not look at each other’s dominos until you are ready to score.
- If players finish before time is up, they score the first pattern and the same sender creates a new pattern. If they create a new pattern, all dominos must change their configuration.
- Each pattern of dominoes must have a different shape and configuration.
Scoring
- Score one point for each domino that the Receiver has in the same position and configuration as the Sender.
- All points belong to the partners because they are working together.
- If a rule is broken, the score for that pattern is zero.
- If the score improves each time they play, they win together. If the score does not improve they lose together.
Debrief Questions
The purpose of debriefing is to develop strategies that will improve your performance and to recognize how these lessons apply to everyday life. To facilitate a successful debrief, facilitators must observe participants and ask engaging questions that spark thoughtful reflection. If we don’t debrief, we don’t learn!
What happened?
What did you see? What did you hear? What was the score?
What worked? What didn’t work?
How did people feel? What issue(s) came up? What issue(s) remain?
So what?
What did we learn?
How does this experience relate to other experiences?
Why are we doing this? How is it relevant to us?
Now what?
How could we improve our score in this activity?
How can we work together better?
How could we apply lessons learned outside of the game?
Digging Deeper
- Did anyone feel reluctant to share strategies?
- Why? Are you still in a win-lose mindset?
- If we are trying to improve collective achievement, who are you benefitting when you withhold strategies from other teams?
Debrief Chart (PDF)
Pictures from the game
