Routledge The Development Games Manual: Improving Your Communication Skills

Peter Gerrickens’ The Development Game is the follow-up to his hugely successful The Feedback Game, which has sold over 20000 copies in 7 languages. Self-awareness is a prerequisite of any planned process of personal development. The good news is that most people leap at the chance to find out the answer to questions about themselves such as: 'How good am I at explaining what I want?', 'What do other people think of me when I talk to them?', or 'How successful am I as a teambuilder?'. The Development Game gives people a means of asking and answering these (and other) questions and of discovering whether they possess the skills they need to communicate and relate effectively to others. The Game helps you to: ¢ identify skills you think are important ¢ determine how far you have mastered these skills ¢ be aware of how others assess these skills ¢ realize your weaker skills which need better command. Overall, it provides you with a springboard for prioritizing and planning your own development. The Development Game consists of 140 four-coloured cards that portray social and communication skills. There are also four blank cards for any additional skills you wish to add. The list includes simple skills such as: ’ask relevant questions’ or ’summarize ideas’, as well as more complex skills such as: ’negotiate’ or ’encourage others’. There are three versions of the Game provided with the cards: ¢ The Meaning of Skills ¢ Skills Profile ¢ How Others View Your Skills. The Development Game, just like its predecessor The Feedback Game, is a simple but extraordinarily effective way of helping to bring people together to explore, reflect on and share their perceptions. The Feedback Game focused on personal qualities; this new Game focuses on skills. Review 'I took my copy of The Development Game away to try out at my consultancy network's recent bi-annual retreat ... Although initially rather swamped by the sheer number of cards (I should have followed Gerrickens' advice and narrowed down the range of cards we used) we found the process thought-provoking and valuable. We could all see ways in which we could use the cards for a range of different purposes. I have no hesitation in recommending the set of cards for The Development Game. They are very well-produced, adaptable and even relatively inexperienced facilitators would be able to devise a range of imaginative ways of using them. They will be finding a place in my toolkit and I can envisage using them for a number of different purposes in my consultancy and training work.' Bruce Britton, Framework Network, TrainingZONE website, 'Having tried a variety of management games in the past I found this game one of the best methods of encouraging discussion, either with an individual or in groups. It is also a useful and comfortable tool in confirming understanding and knowledge of management skills.' National Association for Staff Development (NASD), About the Author Peter Gerrickens is a consultant and communications trainer, specializing in human relations training. He originally self-published a Dutch edition of The Feedback Game, Kwaliteitenspel, when he was unable to find a publisher. Since its first publication, his ideas and Game which contains them, have become one of the most influential development tools inside every organization in the Netherlands.