Name game

I learned the name game from Barrie Hopson and Mike Scally when they ran some counselling skills courses at ICI. Thank you both.

Use the exercise at the start of a course, workshop, or meeting when people are new to each other.

Have the group sit in a circle so they can all see each other. This exercise works best with groups of ten to twenty people.

Say to people, “This is a light-hearted exercise that will help us all remember each other’s names”.

You say to the person next to you, “I would like you to say your name to the group and then mine.” She says, “I am Mary, and this is Nick.”

Then the next person says, “I am Bill, and this is Mary, and this is Nick.”

Repeat until you get to the end of the group: “I am Xavier, and this is Yolanda ….and this is Bill, and this is Mary, and this is Nick.”

Before you get this far, the people at the end of the line will be panicking, so reassure everyone that it is Okay to help if anyone gets stuck.

You can expect lots of laughter, which relieves tension about the exercise and the course.

Most people will have no difficulty as there is enough repetition to remember. If someone gets stuck, that person may be having a hard time being present for some reason and might need your attention.

It’s a great exercise, and it’s so easy.