Phrase Ball Activity

The objective of the Phrase Ball is to practice being able to speak in public, adapt to changes and know how to improvise. The coordinator only needs to have a small ball that people can pass from hand to hand, for example a tennis ball.

The facilitator should place the participants in a circle and tell them that they will now discover how many talents they have for speaking on the spur of the moment. The group should form a large closed circle, people should remain standing, not sitting.

People will pass the ball to each other, hand to hand or toss it gently, while saying a simple, descriptive phrase. It is important to clarify that there are no incorrect phrases, so you should not worry about what they say.

Have the group take turns pitching and speaking until everyone has helped and feels confident in their ability to say a sentence. When you feel this has happened, congratulate everyone on their verbal virtuosity and tell them that they have advanced to the advanced level with amazing speed.

Tell them that they will now play the game again, this time with only one rule: their sentences must relate to the previous sentence. That is, a person will say a phrase and throw the ball, and the person who catches it will add content related to that phrase.

Do this until, once again, everyone is comfortable with the ability to speak off the cuff.

Moment of Reflection

• What were the thoughts or feelings when they received the ball? Did these change as the game progressed?
• How comfortable are you thinking of something to say?
• Have your contributions been censored or evaluated?
• Which round was easier, the first or the second?
• How does all of this apply to making presentations?
• Does being spontaneous mean you shouldn’t prepare carefully?

The topics of this publication: self, interactions, active listening, improvise, adaptation