Change Candy
By: Duke Rohe drohe@att.net
Overview: It is important for group members to understand that change occurs at different rates for different people.
Purpose:
- The exercise help folks to understand the elements of change.
- Provide demonstrated examples of how to transition people through change
Participants: Everyone in the room.
Material: Multi-flavor package or get a combination of packages of change candy.
Time: 5 minutes
Procedure:
- Get the multi-flavor package or get a combination of packages.
- Instruct everyone to take one, but don’t open it.
- Explain that this is change candy – just like most change, it is very bitter from the familiar
- Anyone who has the blue candy, pray for them – their change more difficult than others. Not all change is the same.
- The candy will get sweeter in about twenty seconds if you hang in there. The end will be better because of the change.
- Tell them to raise their hand once it begins to taste sweeter (to encourage the ones lagging behind to stay with it)
- Warn them not to back off from the change or let it just sit in their mouth, but lean into it (suck the candy and the bitterness is shorter)
- Everyone unwrap you candy – Go!
- Coach them, encourage them, tell them they can pound on the table but not on the person next to them.
- After about 10 seconds, the first hand pops up, then another and then the rest do.
- Don’t stop the coaching until all the hands are up (no one is left behind)
Debrief:
- Ask participants to share what they learned.
