In this activity, each team member will assess each other’s personality using the Johari Window. Through this activity, each individual will learn more about how others’ perceive them. The activity can facilitate a discussion on each team member’s strengths and how the team can better work together to achieve their goals.
Resources:
The Johari Window assessment can be found at http://kevan.org/johari
Computer and internet access so that participants can complete the assessment
Space Required: Small. Outdoors or indoors.
Group Size: 4 – 12 participants.
Total Time: 30 – 45 minutes
- 10 minutes to brief and setup
- 10 – 20 minutes for the activity (the larger the group, the more time needed to complete the activity)
- 10 – 15 minutes to review and debrief
Set-Up
- To speed up the process, assign a username for each participant. Compile them into a list to be shared with everyone. Include the following link in the document: http://kevan.org/jh/username
Running the Activity
- Explain the activity: The Johari Window is a tool to map personality awareness. Use the provided link to access the assessment. Once the page loads, select the best 5 or 6 adjectives from the list provided that you would use to describe yourself. Then fill in your assigned username at the bottom and click ‘save’. Once you’ve completed your own self-assessment, go on to assess your team members by using their username to access their Johari Window.
- Share the links and list of usernames with them. Once ready, they can begin their self-assessment and assessment of their peers.
- Once all assessments are complete, instruct each individual to review their own Johari Window. The facilitator can then start the debrief.
Suggested Learning Outcomes
- Communication
- Trust
Activity Guidance and Notes
This activity is useful for cultivating trust between team members and increasing each individual’s personality awareness. Often, there are overlaps and differences between one’s self-perception and what others perceive — the Johari Window is an excellent tool to bring these to our attention.
The Johari Window consists of 4 quadrants:
Arena: these qualities are known to you and others
Blind Spot: these qualities are evident to others, but not to you
Facade: these qualities are evident to you, but not others
Unknown: these qualities are unknown both to you and others
This activity will yield different results based on how long team members have known each other and the existing level of trust in the group.
Review
Suggested questions to ask:
- How easy or difficult was it to select the adjectives to describe yourself?
- How easy or difficult was it to select the adjectives to describe your team members? Why?
- After reviewing your complete Johari Window, what were you surprised by?
- What can you do to reduce your Blind Spot and/or Facade, and move those traits into your Arena instead?
- How can you apply what you learned about your personality and your teammates’ personalities into your everyday work?
