Thumballs for all team thumbs

How it works: Someone throws the ball, another catches it and responds to the prompt under their thumb.

Facilitation tip 1: Explain …

In order to achieve greatness, sometimes teams need to take a step back and reflect on their relationships, communication and their process of working together. Tailor your Thumball game to meet your needs:

Option 1: Have each player respond only to the prompt under their thumb, then toss the ball to another.

Option 2: After the first player has responded to their prompt, invite others to share their perspective or discuss ways they could work together more effectively.

Facilitation tip 2: Set ground rules

Explain that conversations about team dynamics can become emotionally charged. The goal of the Team Dynamics Thumball activity is to raise important issues and have necessary conversations in a positive environment. So that everyone can feel safe, have the group set up their own Ground Rules.

Here are some that you might want on the list:

  • Only one person speaks at a time.

  • Speak only for yourself: Use ‘I’ statements.

  • No personal attacks - critique ideas, not people.

  • Agree to disagree: disagree without being disagreeable.

  • Listen - make sure everyone feels heard and validated.

  • Be positive and non-judgemental; open to new ideas.

Facilitation tip 3: If conversation get sticky

Expert facilitators suggest these techniques to ease difficult or emotional situations:

  • Pause the conversation so you can review the ground rules with the group.

  • Redirect negative comments: ask ‘what can we do differently?’

  • Focus on changes that can positively affect the team.

  • If two parties disagree, suggest that they switch roles and make the counter argument.

  • Keep a flip chart of difficult topics that can be addressed later.

  • Be ready to share some of your own experiences.

  • Take a break. Stop for awhile and regroup.

  • Thank participants for sharing their personal stories.

 

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Be a Leader Thumball initiates conversations about what skills good leaders should possess and may possess. At the same time, leaders are given the opportunity to rethink their strengths and development potentials.

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€ 47.58  Excl. VAT
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The Building Bridges Thumball focuses on issues of trust. Discuss factors that contribute to the development of trust, and building trusting relationships in the process. Simply toss the ball and ask the recipient to share a reaction to whatever prompt lies under their thumb. Thumballs are soft-sided 6" stuffed balls. They look like a soccer ball but are soft and safe for indoor use.

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€ 47.58  Excl. VAT
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Generate valuable team conversations and inspire your participants to build new friendships and relationships. Explore 'common ground' experiences and interests that you share with others. Common Ground Thumball helps to uncover these commonalities.

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€ 47.58  Excl. VAT
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We live in a diverse world. Some differences are visible, like skin color, gender, height or weight, physical challenges and age. Others may not be visually apparent, but still affect how individuals feel or are treated. The Diversity Thumball tackles a difficult topic with smarts and sensitivity. Thumball™ is a soft 6" stuffed vinyl ball that looks like a cool soccer ball and has 32 panels pre-printed with questions suited for adults and teens. 

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€ 47.58  Excl. VAT
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The Energy Break Thumball is designed to give groups the break they need after sitting for a period of time. It's perfect to get the blood flowing, re-energize, and re-focus during long sessions! The Thumball provides 32 prompts to get mobile – stretching, dancing, balancing and moving about in playful ways.

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€ 47.58  Excl. VAT
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What we like says a lot about us! Get insight about each other's favorite people, favorite places, favorite things, favorite experiences, favorite preferences and much more. Talking about favorites is a great way to start conversations and build relationships. Let it all out with Favorites Thumball.

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€ 47.58  Excl. VAT
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The Get Happy at Work Thumball discussion prompts help create a more positive workplace by allowing colleagues to share goals, discuss challenges, and build relationships. Focusing on Positive Emotion, Engagement, Meaning, Accomplishments, and Relationships, the prompts help surface sources of happiness as they draw out individuals' personal qualities, work challenges, professional goals, and organizational dynamics.

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€ 47.58  Excl. VAT
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The Meeting Zest Thumball provides perfect questions for any meeting, which will build camaraderie, ease tension, foster development of collegial relationships and surface hot topics. On this Thumball, you'll find three types of questions - those that focus on "me," "we," and "me & we."

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€ 47.58  Excl. VAT
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The Session Openers Thumball offers somewhat deeper prompts that explore players' motivations, goals for the event or session that lies ahead. It also offers a handful of tips that let individuals share insight into what makes them tick.

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€ 47.58  Excl. VAT
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What we like says a lot about us. Favorits Thumball provides 32 questions, specially selected to help you and your group explore your favorite people, favorite places, favorite things, favorite experiences, favorite preferences. Talking about favorites is a great way to start conversations and build relationships.

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€ 47.58  Excl. VAT
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With the Stress Management Thumball, explore the causes of stress and various ways to manage its impact. Teams can discuss what affects their stress level, how they can help each other out, how they can better manage their own approach to stress, and more.

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€ 47.58  Excl. VAT
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Team Dynamics Thumball looks like a cool soccer ball with 32 panels pre-printed with convincing phrases suited for adults and teens. Use this Thumball to stimulate conversation, promote team spirit, and boost flagging energy. 

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€ 47.58  Excl. VAT
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Asking and answering questions helps build rapport, camaraderie, and understanding. Sharing information builds relationships and fosters trust. The What Makes You YOU? Thumball is loaded with 32 'what?' questions to help players learn more about the people around them and dig a little deeper than typical, superficial icebreakers questions.

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€ 47.58  Excl. VAT
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Which Are You Thumball requires participants to choose between two opposing characteristics or preferences. It is relatively easy to choose one extreme or the other. Whether it's easy or difficult, encourage your participants to explain where they stand on a scale and why.

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€ 47.58  Excl. VAT
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Try this Samplebox full of DIY leader-development tools. Play a game, share your experiences, talk structured about the topic, throw the meeting ball Thumball. Put words to development in many ways.

€ 278.09  Excl. VAT
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Thumball is one of the best icebreakers your team have tried, because the topics relate to their situation. The ball has 32 sentences with an infinite number of possible answers. The ball is infinite.

€ 50.26  Excl. VAT
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1 hour workshop about involving and activating your group: Try 4 tools in 60 minutes with your management team or with your own team. The focus will be on dialogue introducing the tools Thumball, picture cards, dialogue cards and The Team Coaching Carpet. Michael Meinhardt will lead and facilitate the workshop and guide you and your team through various methods. Everyone will be involved.

€ 666.75  Excl. VAT