Chapter 24. Blivet: A Communication Experience

Ken Myers, Rajesh Tandon, and Howard Bowens, Jr.

Goals

  • To demonstrate and experience one-way and two-way verbal communication.

  • To demonstrate and experience barriers and aids to verbal communication.

  • To explore how different status positions affect interpersonal communication.

Group Size

Nine to thirty participants, in numbers divisible by three.

Time Required

Approximately one and one-half hours.

Materials

  • A copy of the Blivet Manager Briefing Sheet for each manager.

  • A copy of the Blivet Assistant Manager Briefing Sheet and a copy of the Blivet Assembly Sheet for each assistant manager.

  • A copy of the Blivet Manager Briefing Sheet, a copy of the Blivet Assistant Manager Briefing Sheet, a copy of the Blivet Observer Guide, and a pencil for each observer.

  • One unassembled Blivet for each manager.

  • One assembled Blivet (See Directions for Manufacturing Blivets) for each assistant manager.

  • One table blind for each trio (see Directions for Assembling a Blivet Table Blind).

  • Newsprint and a felt-tipped marker.

Physical Setting

A room large enough to accommodate one table and two chairs for each trio, with space between the groupings. Additional rooms for initial briefings are desirable. The physical arrangement may be laid out in a variety of ways as room availability, size, and general convenience dictate. Four criteria are important:

  • Some minimal separation of participating trios is necessary.

  • Spatial relationships of trios must be such that participants with ...

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