How to Change Activity Rules Mid-Game (without Pushback)

How to Change Activity Rules Mid-Game without Resistance

the Lazy Facilitator Episode 15

Here’s what people hate – being interrupted, like in the middle of an activity.

And here’s what they hate even more – being told the rules of an activity they have already started are about to change.

It breaks their focus, it feels unfair, and suddenly you’re the bad guy, even if you’re changing the rules to improve the activity.

So what do you do when you need to change the rules mid-game?

Here’s what I do…

Frame the activity from the beginning so it leaves open the possibility that something might change.

Let me show you what I mean.

An Illustration

Create a story that makes changes to the rules feel natural.

For example, it could sound like, “… Your group started with 20 minutes to complete this task, but because of all the over-talking, your imaginary oxygen tanks are now depleted, so you’ve only got 15 minutes left.”

Or, “…Due to climate change and its impact on rising ocean levels, the island that you’re working on is getting smaller…”, and then you literally shrink the space they’re working in.

See what happened? The rule change isn’t you being arbitrary or unprofessional; it’s part of the experience, the evolving story.

And groups accept that because it makes sense within the context you created. So frame it right from the start, and you can change anything mid-game without too much pushback.