{"id":2354,"date":"2016-07-13T09:22:42","date_gmt":"2016-07-13T15:22:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wholeperson.com\/blog\/?p=2354"},"modified":"2023-04-27T10:47:51","modified_gmt":"2023-04-27T16:47:51","slug":"but-i-dont-want-to-embarrass-myself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wholeperson.com\/blog\/but-i-dont-want-to-embarrass-myself","title":{"rendered":"But I Don’t Want to Embarrass Myself! Or I Won’t Play That Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pushing People Past
\n<\/strong>Their Comfort Zone to Play Games<\/strong>
\n Without Pushing Their Buttons<\/strong><\/p>\n

Excerpted from Are You Playing with Me?<\/em><\/a>
\nBy Leigh Ann Jasheway<\/a><\/p>\n

In an earlier blog, \u00a0we talked about how reluctant some people can be in being playful. It may not be their nature. Or a light heart may be something that is frowned upon in their department or their profession. If someone asked me to sit quietly without cracking a smile for an hour, I\u2019d feel very uncomfortable (actually, I\u2019d probably \ufb01nd it impossible), so every time I ask someone to step outside their usual boundaries, I try to conjure up a picture of myself sitting in a chair silently. And then I try not to laugh at the idea.<\/p>\n

When it comes to playful activities, there are four types of people. People who:<\/p>\n

1. Are not done being a child and need no encouragement to be silly and childlike;
\n2. Can be coaxed into playfulness fairly easily if everyone else is doing it;
\n3. May have forgotten how to play and will need a lot of convincing; and
\n4. Never feel comfortable showing or even admitting they have a playful side. You may be able to get them to sit at the table, but they\u2019ll probably stare at you or have an \u201cemergency phone call\u201d they have to take.<\/p>\n

You can coax or cajole the \ufb01rst three types into participating, but with the resisters, all you can do is hope they eventually feel compelled to join in due to peer pressure. Here are my favorite ways to get audiences involved in activities that may be outside their usual comfort zone:<\/p>\n