MINT Workshop: Integrating Adventure Education to Spice Up Training Sessions and Augment Change Talk
(MI Related Topic)
Compiled by Richard Rutschman ( or )
INDEX
Tips for Trainers from Experiential and Neuroscience
1. Finger Catch (Ice-breaker, energizer, right/left brain concept)
2. Challenge By Choice (Autonomy)
3. Zones (Self-Determination/Self Efficacy)
4. Brain Simulation (Environment, mind and change process)
5. Webbing Circle Activities (Challenges, Relying on Others for Support)
6. Finger Trust Walk (Trust & rapport building for therapeutic alliance)
7. Traps (Impactful way to present communication traps to avoid)
8. Chiji Cards (Practice with Affirmations and Reflective Listening)
9. Meeting Eyes & Screaming Toes (Energize, Non-verbal communication)
10. Whose Leading? (Nonverbal communication, attunement, synchronicity)
11. Who’s got my Money? (Energizer, Non-verbal communication)
12. Space Counting (reflective listening, collaborative communication)
13. Lean Walk (Collaborative Communication, Guiding)
14. All My Friends (Review Activity)
15. Face Off (Review Activity)
Appendix 1: Smith Circles Review (can be used as an introduction activity)
Appendix 2: All My Friends Review Questions (add and put on cards):
Appedix 3: Trials Activity
Appendix 3: Cards for use with the Brain Simulation Activity
Resources for Adventure Education
Resources for Neuroscience:
Tips for Trainers from Experiential and Neuroscience
- Begin and end with oomph—When remembering back to a workshop, trainees remember best the first and last thing that went on. Make them memorable (fun, unpredictable, meaningful, inspiring, emotion-laden).
- Experience before label—To understand a concept, it is best to relate the concept to a prior experience. Experiencing what something feels like is not only better understood, but understood quicker. This is why I start my workshops with the Trials Activity (Barriers vs. Taste of MI; appencix 3)
1. Finger Catch(Ice-breaker, energizer, right/left brain concept)
In a circle have everyone put their left palm up toward the sky. Next they put their right index finger on the palm of the person to their right. Tell the group that when the facilitator says "go" they must try to catch a finger with their palm while pulling up on their index finger so they don't get caught!
Variation: Every time that the group hears a certain word (ex. "play) they try to catch the other person's finger. The facilitator can then make up a story with the word play in it a lot, and tell it to the group.
Topic: Brain Hemispheres involved in multi-tasking
2. Challenge By Choice (Autonomy)
This provides the opportunity to make it clear that participants’ are autonomous in their level of challenge and participation that they choose and that there will not be overt coercion; although some encouraging social pressure may be felt. The request is for everyone to give their best effort and what that effort means is up to them. (see Project Adventure at for more about CBC).
3. Zones (Self-Determination/Self Efficacy)
Explain that everything we do is “challenge by choice” and we get more out of it if we are willing to challenge ourselves.
On the ground with the group standing in a circle have two circles of rope/webbing; a large circle (if webbing tied with a water knot or if rope tied with a figure-8 or bowline in a bite, see appendix or look up: and a smaller one in the middle (like a bulls-eye). Ask how many circles everyone sees. Proceed by explaining that the inner circle represents our confort zone (“where no learning happens”); the large center zone is the challenge zone (“where learning happens”) and the panic or danger zone (“where no learning happens because the brain is focusing on the threat)”. Ask the group if they are willing to stay in the Challenge/Learning Zone if they will shake hands with the people on each side of them and say “I will give my best effort.”
4. Brain Simulation (Environment, mind and change process)
Materials: Fleece balls or any other small props (= to1/3 to 1/2 of the number of participants), balloons (= to 1/3 or more of the number of participants), timer.
Tell the group that we will pretend to be neurons. Remind them how a neuron looks, a body with two appendages (axons and dendrites). Our arms will then become an axon and a dendrite, that reach out and connect with other neurons. Learning pathways require that neurons pass on messages from one axon to a dendrite to and then make a synaptic connections between them. Learning is about helping to hard wire those passages.
Time three blocks of time of 20-30 seconds each (be consistent for all three times) and between each explain how the brain is working:
Trail One Explanation: “Lets practice how the neuron pathways work. Lets pass on messages between each other and each time we shake hands with someone else that is one message. You will want to count how many synaptic connections (handshakes) you will make during the next 20 (or 30) seconds; ready, go.” Once that time has passed ask: “How many people had over 20? Over 15, 10, etc.? Can you remember everyone you shook hands with?” [Optional: Explain that neurological studies show that mood transfer happens when ever there is eye to eye contact by means of the Limbic Regulatory System, so our moods rub off on each other! Does that mean that we are all in the same mood now, well…]
Trail Two Explanation: “The brain is bombarded with constant messages, but learning happens based on the depth (multi-modal and strength of messages) of the experience: our emotions, our various senses, and prior experience help to determine how we make meaning from what is being learned and our readiness to learn. The brain is bathed by multiple chemicals: neurotransmitters and hormones that make learning either easier or harder. These chemicals can enhance learning and determine the mood that we are in and how alert we are, how focused and interested we are in what is going on around us, or these chemicals can do the opposite. These chemicals include serotonin, melatonin, noradrenaline, dopamine endorphins, and others. These chemicals must be in the correct balance to make it optimal for learning to happen. These balls (or props) will represent a well balanced mixture of these chemicals and when you have them in your hand you, a neuron, will be very engaged, energized and happy to learn. Hold these between your hand and the other person’s as you shake hands and pass them on with each hand shake. Keep count of the handshakes you had with these energized balls between your hands. Remember, any learning that happens with these chemicals will be long lasting. Ready, go. (20 seconds or other amount of time). How many people got over 20? Over 10, or 5? Can you remember the items that you received or the people that passed them on to you? Was this more fund and engaging than without the items?”
Trail Three Explanation: “The brain can also be bathed with an overabundance of stress chemicals, called cortinoids, noradrenalin, glutamate and vasopressin that if in overabundance can cause the brain to be preoccupied and limit or prevent the learning pathways. This oversupply of stress chemicals will be represented by balloons. During the next 20 seconds (30 or same time amount as before) that you are continuing to shake hands/making synaptic connections and passing on the balls representing the regular chemicals; as a group you are going to have to keep these balloons in the air. You must not allow any of them to touch the ground and definitely not stay on the ground. It is imperative that you do not allow them to drop. Ready, go. (30 seconds or other amount of time).” After that period: “How many people got over 20? Over 15, 10, 5?”
Processing (model the use of reflective listening after each response):
What was that like? Were you able to effectively shake hands when you were dealing with the balloons? What are some of the stresses in your (or your students/clients) lives? What are social stresses do students/clients experience? How do these stresses differ related to body appearance, gender, class, ability, etc.? What does that teach us about creating an ideal learning/counseling environment?
Optional: Hand out the readings on Neurotransmitters and have those holding those definitions read them to the group or better yet give out enough for everyone (duplicates OK) and walk around and share them with others (below).
5. Webbing Circle Activities (Challenges, Relying on Others for Support)
Using the webbing or rope circles with the proper knots as described in Challenge Zones (VERY IMPORTANT FOR SAFETY), have everyone pick it up and at the count of 3 lean back at a 45 degree angle. Challenges can include:
Perfect balance test (no shifting of anyone’s feet)
Observing one person’s influence on the whole group who tries to unbalance the group (good metaphor to talk about).
Go down without having anyone sit on the ground
Sit holding the rope and everyone pulls up at the same time to stand.
One volunteer willing to stand on the rope (spotter in back) and clap once.
One volunteer guide and one brave volunteer willing to walk holding the guide’s hand in the circle as they walk around the circle of the rope (rope holders place their hands next to their neighbors to make space of the walker’s feet (walker places feet x on the rope not on top of parallel to the rope). A second guide for the other hand is sometimes advisable. Process experience as describe below.
6. Finger Trust Walk(Trust rapport building for therapeutic alliance)
This is a good activity to build trust in the group and does not take much time. Have everyone partner-up with someone that they do not know well. Have them connect their index fingers (just lightly touching the finger-print part, no hooking together). Tell them that they will be taking turns closing their eyes and having the other person lead them with only that finger connection (can be done in quiet or not). Have the tallest person (or vise-versa) close his/her eyes first. Remind them that they must make sure that they lead their person carefully so that nobody runs into anyone or any thing. After about a minute or so, call out for them to reverse rolls.
Debrief (see questions below) trying to get them to transfer the importance of trust and why they can do that with the group they are with.
7. Traps (Impactful way to present communication traps to avoid)
Materials: Mouse traps (old fashioned cheese type), small pieces of card paper with the phrases (to attach to cheese side of trap): Expert, Too many questions, Taking the side of change, Labeling folks, focusing too early (on “your” topic”, arguing for blame/pushing for excepting responsibility, attachment to specific outcomes. Using a pliers and glue make the traps with the phrases look like they are set, but make them unable to go off.
Carefully set a trap (without the phrase) and hold it always on the non-cheese side. Ask the group if anyone would be willing to have you place the trap in their hand and you will put your hand on top of the trap. Demonstrate with the brave volunteer that it is possible with a flat open hand (let go quickly) to disarm the trap without any problem. Then recruit volunteers to hold the traps with phrases, once they are all placed in open hands let them know they are not really able to go off. Go around eliciting ideas about what each trap means.
8. Chiji Cards(Practice with Affirmations and Reflective Listening)
These cards make integrating adventure into workshops or group sessions easy (for decks: and for the book Chiji Guidebook on 25 ways to use them from The activities used:
- That Person Over There
- Affirmations
9. Meeting Eyes & Screaming Toes(Energizer, Non-verbal communication)
Have participants wander around and if they meet eyes with someone they should immediately either chose to tip-toe or crouch down with the goal being doing the same. After doing that for a minute have them stay focused on each others eyes for 4 seconds and try to communicate (no words) and obtain the best movement.
Optional (Screaming Toes): Then ask them to form a circle and ask everyone to look at the ceiling and when told to look into the eyes of one person in the circle (no shifting). If they are meeting eyes ask them to do one of several things: a) change places, raise their hands and scream, stomp their feet, leave the circle (then have them pair up for another activity if you need dyads).
10. Whose Leading? (Nonverbal communication, attunement & synchronicity)
Have participants walk randomly in an area and then have them stop and pick someone across the room they will be attuned to. Have them stand and relax and move only for two reasons: to make the same movements that they see the person they are attuned to make or to make themselves feel more comfortable themselves (scratch, sneeze, shift weight, straighten).
11. Who’s got my Money?(Energizer, Non-verbal communication)
In a circle of chairs (or spots if standing), have one person volunteer to ask the question: “Who’s got my Money?” and go to anyone, they reply by pointing in either direction of the circle and answering: “Go ask my neighbor.”. The questioning/replies continue with others. While that is going on, the group members are communicating nonverbally to decide to change places. The goal for the middle person is to get in one of the chairs/spots, leaving another person to ask the question.
12. Space Counting (reflective listening, collaborative communication)
Have everyone pair up and have them face each other. Tell them when you say go they should use their index finger to write in the air numbers 1-20 between themselves. After everyone was done you can ask them what kind of interaction they had with their partners. Tell them you want them to now have one person do the same (write the numbers) and the other person follow the person as if they were facing a mirror. Discuss how the interaction was and if it relates to this statement: “Empathy provides the attunement to help a person organize their mind (Daniel Seigel, The Developing Mind).
13. Lean Walk (Collaborative Communication, Guiding)
In pairs have them decide who is person 1 and person 2. Have person 1 decide on a “better place. Person 2, the guide, will then lead person 1 to get there, but they have to do it by leaning shoulder to shoulder (like an inverted V). Leaning means that their weight must counter balance.
14. All My Friends(Review Activity)
Materials: Chairs or place maker: spots, small mat: base dot, paper plate, carpet square, piece of masking tape, etc. (one less than the number of participants)
Group forms a circle, and everyone has a chair or place marker. The person without a chair or place marker (preferably the facilitator at the beginning) moves to the middle of the group. Makes a statement that starts with “all my friends that… and then s/he says something true about herself. Example: “All my friends who like to travel?,” Those in the group to whom that is true, must move to another chair or place marker. Whoever remains without a place marker becomes the new person in middle andmust pick up and answer a review question card before making their statement and then quickly get into a chair/placement marker.
15. Face Off(Review Activity)
Standing or sitting in a circle go around and have everyone say their names to begin to learn the names of everyone. Have everyone learn the name of the two people just on the other side of both the people next to you. Demonstrate how the activity works by calling out one person’s name and having that person step back and then telling the two person on each side of that person to face eachother as they quickly say the name of the person they are facing. The one who is last must pick up and answer a review question card before calling out a name and this process is repeated. Have everyone clap for the one who is next to answer the question (the loser).
Appendix 1: Smith Circles Review(can be used as an introduction activity)
“Go around and introduce yourselves then explain …”
Groups of 3: What does the Spirit of MI mean?
Groups of 4: What does OARS stand for?
Groups of 5: What does DARN-CAT stand for?
Groups of 2: When do we use Elicit-Provide-Elicit with a client?
Appendix 2: All My Friends Review Questions(add to these and put on cards):
Define Ambivalence
What is it called when after listening for a while, one either collects, links or transitions what has been said (or maybe implied)?