Slides 25 – 28
Understanding Our Office, Getting Outside Our Office
Slide 26 – Understanding Our Office
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Short Answer Quiz – Have you asked these questions before?
Definitions of Reputation and Hearsay
Shipwrecked
WWIII
Stranded, Again
Poker Chips – Incentive
Slide 28 – Getting Outside Our Office
 Philosophy
 Bingo
 Bingo Again
Urban Dictionary
1. hearsay
assumptions & speculation revolved around anything or anyone; can be true or false
GUY1: i heard that kid over there eats his own feces for breakfast, true story.
GUY2: dude, that's most definitely hearsay...goof.
GUY1: honda is going to take a shot at the fast food industry, they're gonna push mcdonalds
off the radar.
GUY2: where do you get your info from idiot f%^&? stop falling for hearsay.
hearsay he said she said word of mouth speculation assumption
hear·say
noun \ˈhir-ˌsā\
Definition of HEARSAY
1
: RUMOR
2
: HEARSAY EVIDENCE
See hearsay defined for English-language learners »
See hearsay defined for kids »
Examples of HEARSAY
1. You can't judge them solely on the basis of hearsay.
2. They're supposedly getting married soon, but that's just hearsay.
First Known Use of HEARSAY
circa 1532
Related to HEARSAY
Synonyms: BUZZ, DISH, GOSSIP, RUMOR, NOISE, REPORT, SCUTTLEBUTT, TALK, TATTLE, WORD
rep·u·ta·tion
noun \ˌre-pyə-ˈtā-shən\
Definition of REPUTATION
1
a : overall quality or character as seen or judged by people in general
b : recognition by other people of some characteristic or ability <has the
reputation of being clever>
2
: a place in public esteem or regard : good name <trying to protect his
reputation>
— rep·u·ta·tion·al \-shnəl, -shə-nəl\ adjective
See reputation defined for English-language learners »
See reputation defined for kids »
Examples of REPUTATION
1. He has earned a reputation as a first-class
playwright.
2. a teacher with a reputation for patience
3. Poor customer service has ruined the
company's reputation.
Origin of REPUTATION
Middle English reputacion, from Anglo-French, from Latin reputation-,
reputatio consideration, from reputare
First Known Use: 14th century
Shipwrecked!
We wake up to discover that we’ve been stranded on a tropical island.
After you wipe the tears from your eyes you gaze into the distance and that’s when
you see it – a small ship slowly sinking into the ocean. You know that you and five
of your fellow island mates (only six of you are strong enough swimmers) could each
swim out and save one person. In the next ten minutes you need to decide which six
passengers will be saved and ultimately help you build your new island society.
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Dr. Nerstein – 60 year-old Nobel Prize winning physicist
Reverend Al B. Spiritual – 42 year-old nondenominational religious leader
Nancy Niceblood – 38 year-old nondenominational religious leader who will
not be separated from her kids:
Nora Niceblood – 7 year-old, blinded in an accident, daughter of Nancy
Nick Niceblood – 14 year-old, son of Nancy
Tort Lawless – 42 year-old lawyer
Clara Coed – 24 year-old medical student
Professor Reginald Recall – 79 year-old history professor
Shaquille O’Neal – 31 year-old professional basketball player
Mr. Greenjeans – 50 year-old farmer
Han DeMann – 24 year-old carpenter
Mary Learned – 36 year-old elementary school teacher
Leslie Fitter – 28 year-old triathlete
General Dirk Bicep – 48 year-old Navy Seal
Lauryn Hill – 27 year-old Emmy award winning singer
Mayor Sarah Smalltown – 49 year-old Mayor of Worcester, Massachusetts
Yvette L’Franc – 50 year-old portrait artist
Harry Hydraulics – 63 year-old civil engineer
World War III
You all are group members of a department in Washington DC that is in charge of
experimental stations in the far out posts of civilization. Suddenly, the Third World
War breaks out and bombs begin to fall. Places all across the globe are being
destroyed. People are heading for whatever fall-out shelters are available. You
receive a desperate phone call from one of your experimental stations asking for
help. It seems there are 14 people but there is only enough space, air, food and
water for 8 people for a period of three months, which is how long they safely
estimate people should stay in the shelter. They realize that if they have to decide
amongst themselves which 8 should go into the shelter, they are likely to become
irrational and begin fighting. So they have called you, their supervisors, and have
left the decision to you. They will abide by your decision. But, each of you has to
quickly get ready to head to your own fallout shelter. All you have time for is to get
superficial descriptions of the 14 people. It is entirely possible that the 8 you choose
to stay in the shelter might be the only 8 people left to start the human race over
again. The choice is, therefore, very important.
(I – Individual choices first – then G – come together as a group and reach concensus)
1.
16-year old girl of questionable IQ, a high school dropout, pregnant
2.
30-year-old Catholic Priest
3.
Male biologist, homosexual
4.
Policeman with a gun who was thrown off the force for police brutality; refuses to be separated
from his gun
5.
52-year-old pianist; served 4 years jail time for pushing narcotics; has been out of jail for 6 months
6.
20-year-old militant, no special skills
7.
28-year-old male law student, Indian
8.
The law student’s wife; spent last 14 months in a mental hospital; still heavily sedated. They
refuse to be separated
9.
34-year-old former prostitute; “retired” for 2 years
10.
42-year-old male physician, member of the KKK
11.
65-year-old retired nurse, uses a wheel chair
12.
16-year-old male; alcohol and cocaine addict
13.
A blind male, can only speak Spanish
14.
35-year old female social worker, unable to have children
I
G
Stranded – Again!
You can use this type of exercise with various scenarios for teams/groups of between
3 and 15 people: desert island, jungle, etc. It's also great to use in group selections
for recruiting staff, when the interviewing panel observe the efforts, abilities and
attitudes of the participants.
Here's a mountain survival scenario exercise. It's a very flexible theme provided you
avoid the requirement to establish a definitive correct list of items - there's no
definitive 'right answer'; there are other reasons for this too. It's best not to have a
definitive list of items as recommended by experts - what's important is for the
group to see the benefit of group discussion and collective expertise, experience and
input, which produces a generally accepted better list of items than anyone's
individual list.
The risk in referring to a supposed definitive 'right answer' list is that:
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it focuses too much attention on the outcome rather than the process,
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it causes participants to guess what they think the facilitator thinks, as if it's a
trick question, and
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it can undermine the credibility of the exercise and the facilitator when inevitably
someone in the group, or worse still, the entire group disagrees with the 'right
answer', as is likely with any hypothetical scenario.
Position the exercise like this:
After your small light aircraft crashes, your group, wearing business/leisure
clothing, is stranded on a forested mountain in appalling winter weather (snow
covered, sub-freezing conditions), anything between 50 and 200 miles from
civilization (you are not sure of your whereabouts, and radio contact was lost one
hour before you crashed, so the search operation has no precise idea of your location
either). The plane is about to burst into flames and you have a few moments to
gather some items. Aside from the clothes you are wearing which does not include
coats, you have no other items. It is possible that you may be within mobile phone
signal range, but unlikely.
(Other than these facts, he session facilitator may clarify particular questions from
the group(s) as to details of the circumstances and the environment, and these
details remain constant for the duration of the exercise. Other details may simply
not be known - it's at the facilitator's discretion.)
Your (the group's) aim is to survive as a group until rescued. From the following list
choose just ten items that you would take from the plane, after which it and
everything inside is destroyed by fire. First you have five-ten minutes (flexible, this
is up to the facilitator) by yourself to consider and draw up your own individual list
of what the team should have, without consulting with other members of the group.
Retain this list after presenting it briefly to the group. Then you have 30-45
minutes (up to the facilitator) as a group to discuss and agree a list on behalf of the
group. Nominate a spokesperson and present this new list.
With the facilitator's help, the group(s) afterwards then reviews the benefits of
discussion, teamwork, collective expertise, group communication skills, etc., in the
team approach to compiling the list, compared to each individual working alone to
establish a list, and obviously why the team list is likely to be better than each of
the individual lists.
Choose ten from the following - splitting or only taking part of items is not
permitted (again the list and number of permitted items is flexible to suit the
facilitators and situation requirements. This is a long list and will provoke an
enormous amount of debate. To run a quicker exercise definitely reduce the list or
delegates will feel rushed.)
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Pack of 6 boxes x 50 matches.
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Roll of polythene sheeting 3m x 2m
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1 crate of beer (12 liters in total)
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1 bottle of brandy
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1 crate of bottled spring water (twelve liters in total)
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Small toolbox containing hammer, screwdriver set, adjustable wrench, hacksaw
and large pen-knife.
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Box of distress signal flares.
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Small basic first-aid kit containing plasters, bandages, antiseptic ointment, small
pair of scissors and pain-killer tablets.
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Tri-band mobile phone with infrared port and battery half-charged.
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Clockwork transistor radio.
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Gallon container full of fresh water.
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Box of 36 x 50gm chocolate bars.
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Shovel.
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Short hand-held axe.
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Hand-gun with magazine of 20 rounds.
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20m of 200kg nylon rope.
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Box of 24 x 20gm bags of peanuts.
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Bag of 10 mixed daily newspapers.
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Box of tissues.
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Bag of 20 fresh apples.
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Electronic calculator.
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Laptop computer with infrared port, modem, unknown software and data, and
unknown battery life.
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Inflatable 4-person life-raft.
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Compass.
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Large full Aerosol can of insect killer spray.
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Small half-full aerosol can of air freshener spray.
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Notebook and pencil.
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Box of size 8 women's promotional pink 'Barbie' branded fleece-lined track-suits
(quantity is half of each team/group size).
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Gift hamper containing half-bottle champagne, large tin of luxury biscuits, box of
6 mince pies, 50gm tin of caviar without a ring-pull, a 300gm tin of ham without
a ring-pull, and a 500gm Christmas pudding.
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Travelling games compendium containing chess, backgammon and draughts.
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Sewing kit.
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Whistle.
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Flashlight with a set of spare batteries.
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Box of 50 night-light 6hr candles.
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Bag of 6 large blankets.
Stranded – Again!
Item
Pack of 6 Boxes, 50 matches per box
Roll of polythene sheeting 3m x 2m
1 crate of beer (12 liters in total)
1 bottle of brandy
1 crate of bottled spring water (twelve
liters in total)
Small toolbox containing a hammer,
screwdriver set, adjustable wrench,
hacksaw and large pen-knife
Box of distress signal flares
Small basic first-aid kit containing
plasters, bandages, antiseptic ointment,
small pair of scissors and ibuprofen
Tri-band mobile phone with infrared port
and battery half-charged
Clockwork transistor radio
Gallon container of fresh water
Box of 36 x 50 gm chocolate bars
Shovel
Short hand-held axe
Hand-gun with magazine of 20 rounds
20 m of 200 kg nylon rope
Box of 24 x 20 gm bags of peanuts
Box of 10 mixed daily newspapers
Box of tissues
Box of 20 fresh apples
Electronic calculator
Laptop computer with infrared port,
modem, unknown software and data, and
unknown battery life
Inflatable 4-person life-raft
Compass
Large full aerosol can of insect killer
spray
Small half-full aerosol can of air
freshener spray
Notebook and pencil
Box of six 4 women’s promotional pink
“Barbie” branded fleece-lined track-suits
Your Choices
Group Choices
Consensus
Gift hamper containing half-bottle
champagne, large tin of luxury biscuits,
box of 6 mince pies, 50gm tin of caviar
without a ring-pull, a 300 gm tin of ham
without a ring-pull, and a 500gm
Christmas pudding
Travelling games containing chess,
backgammon, cards
Sewing kit
Whistle
Flashlight with a set of spare batteries
3 large blankets
The Poker Chip Incentive Plan
Congratulations!
You’ve won a poker chip.
Poker chips can be used to extend a lunch, come in late, leave early or take an extra
break when needed. Poker chips can be combined up to 30 minutes.*
Poker chips will be awarded for a job well done, performance above and beyond, to
recognize a good deed, a great attitude or a fantastic accomplishment!
Poker chips cannot be traded, used for real poker games or exchanged for cash.
Poker chips are not edible. Do not attempt to juggle poker chips. Don’t talk to your
poker chips.
Attach your poker chip here:
White – 15 Minutes
Red – 30 Minutes
Be sure to label with name
and reason.
*Using your poker chips must be approved by your manager. Please be sure that
front desk shifts are covered when poker chips are in use. Do not attempt to lift
heavy objects when using a poker chip. Not responsible for damage to or theft of
poker chips. Please turn used poker chips in to your supervisor. Do not attempt to
turn your supervisor into a poker chip.
The One question asked, Three answered Philosophy
Fully understanding the question asked and the possible questions that could follow
will significantly change the number of emails that we receive. Better customer
service relies on:
 Our being more knowledgeable then our customers
 Anticipating their needs
 Understanding their circumstances
Basic “Rules”
 Fully read all emails – sometimes additional questions are embedded in text
that might seem unnecessary.
 Fully respond to all inquiries
 Thank you for your email
 Please let us know if you have any additional questions (or just questions)
 Name
 Search for ID #s (If it is reasonable) – including looking within the email
 In the future, please include your NU ID # so that we can better assist you
 COMMENT those accounts, please (with time constraint and judgment)
Question: Why did I get this ebill? Are you stalking me?
Possiblities:
 Why we send ebills (Answer 1)
o You have a credit (Answer 2)
 What to do with that credit (Answer 3)
 If you used a credit card… (Answer 4)
o You have activity (Answer 1)
 What that activity is (Answer 2)
 What you might have to do now (Answer 3)
o You owe us $ (Answer 1)
 Pay us or else (Answer 2)
 Payment Methods (Answer 3)
 What is your ID #? (Answer 1)
o In general – this is why you might have received the ebill (Answer 2)
 Want to stop getting them? View the Bill (Answer 3)
Question: Did you receive my payment?
Possibilities:
 Yes (Answer 1)
o You still owe… (Answer 2)
 Methods of Payment (Answer 3)
o You have a zero balance (Answer 2)
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 You will see this on the next Ebill (Answer 3)
o Thanks! (Always)
No (Answer 1)
o You currently owe… (Answer 2)
 Methods of payment (Answer 3)
o You may be placed on hold/get a late fee (Answer 2)
 Hold means (Answer 3)
 Late fees are… (Answer 3 or 4)
o How did you pay? (Answer 2)
 If you sent a wire we may need information (all answer 3)
 If you sent a check we need copy of front and back
 If you paid in person – do you have a receipt?
Student Financial Services
BINGO
I have a tattoo
I speak
French
I like to
snowboard
I’ve been on
the radio
I was in my
high school or
college band
or choir
I have a large
family
I lived, worked
or visited a
farm
I’m a vegan
I’m color blind
I love reality
television
shows
My favorite
color is purple
I was born
outside of the
US
I went to
school in the
south
I’ve coached
youth sports
I have a pet
that is not a
cat or a dog
I went to an
Ivy league
school
I’ve been to
the Rocky
Mountains
My favorite
holiday is
Thanksgiving
I’ve met
someone
famous
I’ve been to
more than 20
different
states
I’ve performed
on stage
I’ve taken a
trip by train
(not including
commuting)
I have a 2nd job
I was born in
March
I grew up west
of the
Mississippi
Completed two ways:
First – in the office: (remember – we moved from an office of 7 to an
office of over 50 – can easily work for unit or department)
For the staff meeting – each person said who they got as a response –
we went around the table being surprised about different answers and
delighted in who revealed what – then…
…I had everyone turn their papers over and we reviewed what they can
remember (recalling Attention to Detail activities, importance of
hearing, paying attention…)
Second – getting the staff out of the office:
 Awards for who went the farthest
 Awards for who met the most new people
 Awards for who worked the most with their liaison office