Folding Paper

Folding Paper
-(Improve Listening and Observation, Facilitation Technique, Communications)-

This is a game that we can use to demonstrate that it easy for even simple instructions to be misinterpreted by the recipient, especially if ambigous words are used, or the recipient does not (or cannot) ask for clarification.

My friend Abdul Waheed Jamali from Pakistan used this method in a training held by ANGOC a year ago. My friend from Indonesia also used this method a couple years ago, so I think it is a universal game that has been played everywhere.

Needs
Several square / rectangle paper sheets

Method
- Give paper to all participants.
- Tell participants to obey these two rules: 1. each person must close their eyes during activity, and 2. they may not ask any questions
- Instruct them to fold their paper:

a. Fold in half and tear off the bottom right corner of the paper.
b. Fold the paper in half again, tear off the upper right hand corner.
c. Fold the paper in half again, tear off lower left hand corner.
d. Fold the paper in half again, tear off in the middle of paper.

- Instruct them to open their eyes and display the unfolded paper to each other and all the audience.

Discussion
There is a great probability that they will not all be the same. Use the following questions to start teh debriefing:
- What words in the instructions could be interpreted in different ways?
- How could the directions have been clearer to reduce the ambiguity?
- How can we encourage people ask for clarification when they do not understand something?
- Also relate this exercises with posibility that sometimes it is not instructor fault, but also depend with participants (community) ability to interprete instructions. Local knowledge, language barrier, experience also affect their action.

And hey, don't forget to clean all the paper after finish doin all this thing ^_^

Source : Participatory Learning and Action, A Trainer's Guide by Jules N Pretty, Irene Guijt, John Thompson, Ian Scoones - modified by Indra N Hatasura