Screamer

Learning Objective: Stress Management

Activity Category: Icebreaker

Time Available: 10 minutes

Space: classroom approx. 45 students

Explanatory Notes: This is for approx 45 students already divided into groups of 8. This begins the class exercises for the day, which is followed by a lecture on this topic.

Problem: Icebreaker, topic stress

Solution: Icebreaker, with stress!

Activity Instructions:

1. Preparation: make sure the folks in the rooms on either side of you (and the principal, if you're doing this in a school) know that they will be hearing some loud yells / screams in a minute, that it will only last for about two-three minutes, and that everything is OK.

2. Have the entire group "line up in a circle" - you know what I mean ... Important: everyone needs to be able to see the eyes of everyone else.

3. Explain that you will be saying two sets of instructions repeatedly, "heads down" and "heads up." When you say "heads down," everyone looks down. Whey you say "heads up," everyone looks up, STRAIGHT INTO THE EYES of anyone else in the room. Two possible consequences:
   1. if they are looking at someone who is looking at someone else, nothing happens;
   2. if they are looking at someone who is looking right back at them, they are both to point in a very exaggerated manner at the other person and let out a SCREAM OR YELL. They are then "out" and take their places together outside of the circle to observe.

4. Once the "screamers" have left the circle, the circle closes in and you repeat step two, followed by step three, until you are down to two people. Yes, they have to do it one more time, even though the outcome is a foregone conclusion.

5. Processing questions: what made this "fun?" [btw: I've never seen this be anything but an absolute hoot for all.] The short answer to the first question is the stress involved. You can then ask them to think about what the actual stress factors in the exercise are (will my scream sound silly? Will I embarrass myself?) and when did the stress seem to lessen or intensify?