The Power of "The Dash"

In this spirit of sharing, here is an experiential exercise that I recently found to be useful.

The president of a large nonprofit corporation came to me with a huge need. He described how several of the franchises had lost touch with their mission, and the local staff people were deep in doubt about their relevance to their member's lives. This became manifest in their disengagement from their respective communities, their members, and the larger network of franchises. The project he proposed was to create a brainstorming session for delivery to the local franchises that would focus on identity.

To me, the project seemed to take a slightly different approach of A) a major needs analysis on the individual level and B) practical application of the quantitative needs at the franchise level. I thought the local staff needed a minor paradigm shift in order to reconnect with the larger organization, and to pull that off, the session needed to start with high stakes. So I brought out David Lo's experiential exercise to start it off, modified it, and titled it “The Dash”. Here's how it works.

Ask trainees to lie down on the floor and turn out the lights.

Briefly discuss the poem about “the dash” between the dates of your birth and your death.

Ask them to close their eyes and take them on an experiential creative visualization, envisioning themselves in their casket at their own funeral. Ask the following questions for them to silently consider, and pause about 10 seconds after each:

1. It’s a sunny day. Birds are chirping, and a breeze is blowing through the trees. Six pallbearers pick up your casket from the back of the hearse. Look up at their faces. Who are those six people?
2. They carry you to your grave and lay you atop the grave before a crowd of people. How many people are in attendance?
3. Everyone is wearing black, which is beginning to get a little warm in the sun. Are they happy, sad or indifferent?
4. Why are they there?
5. The ceremony starts. Who steps up to the podium to preside?
6. What does he or she say about you? (Longer pause of 30 seconds)
7. How do people react to that testimonial?
8. The officiant introduces someone to give the eulogy. Who is that person?
9. What does he or she say about you? (Longer pause of 30 seconds)
10. Through their tears, this person thanks you for something. What is it? (Longer pause of 30 seconds)
11. How do people react to the eulogy?
12. The ceremony ends, and people begin to walk past your casket to quietly say goodbye to you for the last time. Who do you see? (Longer pause of 30 seconds)

Flip on the lights and ask everyone to return to their seats. Now the group should be ready to explore their commitment to the mission. But that's an exercise for another day.

Rock on!