group dynamics

Upgrades
Note the in-flight magazines, a mainstay of domestic flights 10-years ago

When traveling as a group, how do you treat the opportunity to upgrade? It may be a bus seat with more legroom, a cafe table by the window, or an aircraft class of service upgrade. Do you take the upgrade, give the upgrade to somebody in your party who may not have experienced the opportunity, or decline the opportunity unless the entire group can advance together? What does your group suggest if one person is provided a better way of traveling? Does the quality of the upgrade matter to your group’s decision-making process?

When upgrades are offered, they are a good test of our values and priorities. There is no right or wrong, but it represents a chance for actions and beliefs to align or bifurcate.

What have been your experiences in real-time?

Half-Full or Half-Empty

Icebreaker exercise: Ask participants if they are half-full or half-empty about a specific prompt. For example, half-full or half-empty about buying candy from a vending machine on your hotel floor at 11 PM? You can prompt meeting attendees to sort into five groups by physically moving to a location: Empty, half-empty, half-full, full, or no opinion. Ask ten to twelve questions and the people in the room are almost certain to find themselves mixing and matching with other participants.