#7: Presidential Pursuits

Introduction to Concept:

On exhibit at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library are notes written in the President’s hand, reflecting his interest in skill-building activities of the cerebral type. These brainbusters challenge and entertain us, develop our concentrative abilities, and sharpen our wits.

Procedure:

1. Use the following set of directions for the three warm-up activities.

Today we are going to work on one brainbuster the way President Kennedy used to do. To prepare ourselves for the Presidential pastime, we will first do a few warm-ups. I’m going to set the timer now for three minutes. During that time, you and the other members of your table group will make as long a list as possible of words that are spelled with three letters only—words that refer to our physical essence. The words cannot end in “s” and you should know that there are more than 30 of them, such as “arm” or “eye.” [After three minutes…]

Next, I’m going to give you another three minutes. This time, you will create as long a list as possible of words with four letters that refer to our physical essence. The words cannot end in “s” and you should know that there are more than 30 of them, such as “face” or “neck.” [After three minutes…]

Now, I’m going to set the timer for another three minutes. You will work in your group to list as many words as you can referring to our physical essence. The words must be nouns and must be spelled with five letters, such as “elbow” or “femur.” As you may have guessed, the words cannot end in “s.”

Repeat the process two additional times. In the fourth round, the words must have six letters, such as “muscle” or “tendon.” In the fifth round, the words must have seven, such as “eardrum” or “stomach.”

2. After completing the warm-up activities (and determining each time which group had the longest lists), go over their answers.

Extending the Activity:

1. Use transparency 7-1 to make up a matrix related to the topic of the course. Using any combination of letters across the top, write in the vertical column words pertinent to the course. If it is a course in supervision, for example, the words in the left column might be People, Processes, Profits, Quality, Customers, and Communications. Taking the first word, People, across the horizontal columns, you might have Productivity, Development, Filing, Authority, and Motivation.

2. Call upon individuals or teams periodically throughout the training program to complete challenges like the following within a specified period of time:

a. List ten ways to motivate employees without spending more than ten dollars.

b. List ten ways empowerment benefits individuals, teams, and/or the organization.

c. List fifteen ways of managing stress in the workplace.

3. There are also more than 30 words with eight letters, such as “clavicle,” should you choose to assign the task of listing them.

Procedure:

1. Encourage participants to put idle moments to work by keeping matrixes like this by the phone (for use whenever they are “on hold”). As soon as one has been completed, they can begin the next. The matrixes, again, can be any combination of letters and any combination of categories: Geographic Locations, Musical Instruments, or Pieces of Equipment, for example.

2. Speak with the editor of the company newsletter about holding a monthly contest with organization-specific categories for the matrix.

Questions for Further Consideration:

1. Can you think of a time when your ability to think and/or act quickly proved to be critically important?

2. As you think about your own profession, what trends do you see emerging?

3. What percentage of your reading is totally unrelated to the work you do? (Experts tell us it should be 35%.)

4. What connections can you make between what you do in your life outside work and what you do when you are at work?

5. How do you use spare moments productively?

6. Who is the most efficient/busiest person you know? How does he or she manage to get so much done?

Supervision