Make Me A Sandwich!!!!! Clear Communication Is Key To Team Building!

I did this thing while a member at The Tradewinds Clubhouse in Sturbridge Massachusetts and it was just too funny,,

This game is about listening, clarity and developing potential strategies when we communicate. 

In communicating expectations, needs, and more, it helps to clarify and create common ground. This can show what happens when we don’t…

For this activity, you’ll need two people. You have the two sit back-to-back with everything needed to make a peanut butter sandwich available. 

A loaf of bread, knife, jelly and a plate.

 One member takes on the role of a speaker, and the other plays the part of the sandwich maker.

Over five to ten minutes, the speaker describes how to make a peanut butter sandwich, and the listener tries to turn this description into a peanut butter sandwich.

Easy right?

Try it and find out how many people do not start with giving the instruction – “Go to the kitchen and locate a loaf of bread.”

I mean,, Think of all the actions we take for granted in making something as easy as a peanut butter sandwich!!!

Bring the loaf of bread to the counter with the paper plate on it that is in the kitchen.

Remove the tie that is holding the bread bag closed.

Place one hand into the bag while holding the bag with your other hand and grab only two slices of bread, leaving the “heal” behind and removing them from the bag.

Place the two pieces of bread on the paper plate.

Use the tie that you removed from the bag that is holding the rest of the bread and seal the bag.

I mean,, Just how well do you communicate, when you think about it.

Not an easy task and it was touch and go with the peanut butter,, I forgot to tell him to use a knife to spread it,, Of course, hair net and gloves were in place and it WAAAS Pre-Coronavirus.

We talked about the experience, using several of the following example questions:

Speaker Questions

• What steps did you take to ensure your instructions were clear? How could these be applied in real-life interactions?
• Our intended messages aren’t always interpreted as we mean them to be. While speaking, what could you do to decrease the chance of miscommunication in real-life dialogue?

Listener Questions

• What was constructive about your partner’s instructions?
• In what ways might your peanut butter sandwich have turned out differently if you could have communicated with your partner?