Galactic Activity 8

The speaker will be given two unrelated nouns and their task is to give a speech which connects the two, for example: ‘grass’ and ‘nurse’, or ‘truck’ and ‘planet’. See the detail for variations on this activity

Activity 8 – What’s the connection?

Duration: 2-4 mins
Applicable Streams: Personal Challenge, Workplace Skills, Humour, Comedy

Aim

In this activity you are aiming to:

To entertain your audience. This can be delivered as a comedy skit.

Objectives

To do this, you will need to keep the following objectives in mind:

  1. Provide an explanation as to why two apparently unrelated objects are related
  2. Explain clearly and concisely what the relationship is and why it’s important

The Why…

In a workplace, study or other situation you may be required to generate innovative ideas or problem-solve; for example, for different ways of using available resources, current circumstances, or approaching situations. As part of your job role you also may need to present to clients or colleagues how two things are related, linked or important to each other; it’s important to be able to do this in a way that is clear, concise and easy to understand for those who are not familiar with your field or area of expertise.

This activity builds the skills of:

  • thinking creatively, or outside of the box,
  • being able to connect two apparently unrelated ideas in a meaningful way, and
  • finding creative solutions via investigative research.

Where do I start?

If a prepared speech, try an Internet search (word 1 + word 2) and see what comes up, to get ideas. You could also try adding the word ‘news’ to the search to see if there are any popular news items containing the two words.

Take either

  • a ‘relationship’ approach: what do they have in common, or how are they related? This could involve a number of different factors, reasons or news items; or
  • a ‘situation’ approach: tell a story involving both the items.

Be as creative or nonsensical as your imagination will allow you to be – the more intriguing your rationale or story, the better the engagement should be with your audience!

The How

Specific guidelines on how to tackle this activity.

You are given two unrelated nouns and your task is to give a speech which connects the two, for example: ‘grass’ and ‘nurse’.

Your speech can be structured in two ways:

  1. Give a number of ways (e.g. occasions, reasons) in which the two are related, or
  2. Create a story around the relationship between the two items.

Variations: Impromptu or prepared

Tips and traps

TIPS:

  • If taking a ‘relationship’ approach, ask rhetorical questions to pre-empt the next point you’re going to make so as to involve the audience as much as possible.
  • Try to include the two nouns often in the speech to remind listeners of the connection.

TRAPS:

  • Avoid talking about the two words at the beginning (before you commence your speech, properly).
  • Staying away from the point of the activity, i.e. linking the two nouns. Stay on track!

Guidelines for Program Director:

Provide suggested pairs that don’t have an apparent connection.