Try it Out: Training Game
Information Connection
Purpose: To illustrate the difficulty of communicating
information when there is noise in the process.
Goal: To encourage customer service representatives to ask
questions to confirm information.
Materials Needed: Pen and paper for each participant.
Directions: This game is similar to the old telephone message
game. Have the group stand in a circle. Start with a message written
down on a card. Show the card to the person to your left (person
one). He or she must then whisper that message into the ear of the
person to his or her left. After doing so, person one should write
down what was said. The process continues until the message makes its way
around the room. When the last person writes down what was said, compare
that text to your original message. Chances are the message was altered in some
way. Sample Message: I need bananas, seafood, glue, a clock, netting, a laptop,
fishing line, and a helmet in my suitcase for my trip to Central
Asia. I also need a new passport photo from the mall and ten
dollars.
Debrief: This game allows you to make several
points. First, it is important to verify information. Second, it is
hard to keep track of a lot of details in your head, which is why it is a good
idea to take advantage of any tools provided in the workplace to improve
accuracy. It would have been much easier to keep the message straight if
the original card were passed to each person to read. Third, the more familiar
we are with a subject, the easier it is to keep information straight. The
items on the list do not have an obvious connection. Once you have made your
points, have the group describe how they currently confirm information they
hear from their customers. What could they do better? Where do they
most often see communication breakdowns?
Test Your Understanding: Optional Case Studies
Social Media Serves up Crème Brulee Case Study
- To test your knowledge of the course thus far, please click this link and review the case study before answering questions 1 and 2 below. This case study can be done individually or in groups.
Questions
How does connecting with the community work as a marketing strategy?
What are three marketing features that were essential to the success of the business
The Observer Case Study
- To test your knowledge of the course thus far, please click this link and review the case study before answering questions 1 and 2 below. This case study can be done individually or in groups.
Questions
-
What were the kind of customers or consumers these students were trying to market to?
From a marketing point of view, what made the student’s newspaper not succeed? Where did it succeed?