Maria Lopez

LEI4724
Activity: The Um Game
Source: CTRS, C. C. (n.d.). Activities for Individuals to Improve Communication Skills.
Retrieved March 22, 2017, from http://www.recreationtherapy.com/tx/communicate.htm
Equipment Needed: Bag of small, random familiar items and a timer.

Activity Description:
1. Have participants stand in a circle.
2. Give one participant the bag of items.
3. The participant must choose an item.
4. The participant has one minute (use the timer) to describe the item without pausing for
more than 5 seconds and without using the words Ah, Um, Like, or You Know.
5. The participant passes the bag to the person next to them.
6. If the participant pauses or uses any of the words they must sit down.
7. Continue passing the bag until theres only one participant left standing.

Leadership Considerations:
1. This activity helps participants with concentration, listening skills, and their use of
vocabulary. The facilitator can join the activity as well but someone must keep track of
the timer. It is also okay for the participants to call out another participant for their 5
second pause or use of the words.
2. For an individual with social anxiety it might be a good idea to shorten the length of time.
So maybe we could do 30 seconds instead of a minute. We could also have a practice run
to break the ice a little.
3. For individuals with Oppositional Defiant Disorder we could have more rounds in the
game just so that everyone has more than once chance to go. To encourage the
participants, there could also be a reward for whoever wins.