RESOURCES
team exercises
i was, i am, i will be
PREPARATION:
Men need to have paper and pen.
This is a great way to find out a lot about the other men in a short time. It's especially good if the men have been doing Men's work for a while.
The goals of the exercise are:
1. Men realize and appreciate the progress they have already made. Hopefully, giving them confidence to continue to make progress and reach the next level.
2. Men realize that many men face the same challenges and hopefully they no longer feel they are fighting the battle alone.
3. Men get an understanding of the issues the other men have been fighting.
4. Men understand where each man wants to go in the next phase of their lives.
The leader informs the men that they will have 3 minutes to:
1. Write down the kind of man they used to be. i.e. I was...
2. Write down the kind of man they are now. i.e. I am...
3. Write down the kind of man they want to be. i.e. I will be...
The leader tells them that they should spend about 1 minute for each piece.
The leader tells them that at the end of 3 minutes each man will get up and read every item on his list.
For his "I was" items, he should start each one with "I was..."
Then in the same fashion, he should read his "I am" and finally his "I will be"
Every man reads all his items.
There are no questions or discussion until the last man has finished.
NOTES
I like to have the man who is going to read 'go to the front of the class' and do it. During I was.... Most things men come up with will be negative. Examples of what men have written down are:
Angry
A lousy husband
A bad father
Shy
Not Dependable
During the I am you tend get a mixture of positives and negatives
During the I will be is where men tell you where they want to go. It's very important that you listen to what men say. There will be lots of opportunity for analysis here.
Author: Roger Ogden
