Ted Talks

Last week, leading on from our discussions regarding employability and key skills, we took part in a group activity which aimed to engage us all in collaboration, prototyping and facilitation.

The activity is called the marshmallow challenge, and the objective was to plan and sketch a prototype structure, made from spaghetti sticks, which would be able to hold a marshmallow at the very top. The tallest, free-standing structure was the winner. The planning and erection of the structure was all to be done against the clock.

This was a good exercise to gain experience of teamwork in a pressurised scenario for the people who perhaps haven't experienced pressure in a workplace. Depending on the job, a person will for the majority of time be working to either meet or exceed targets on or before a deadline. However, even for the people with experience of pressure in a workplace, such as myself, it was still very challenging, and was certainly a help to brush up on my collaborative skills. 

The video below is taken from Ted Talks, where the challenge aims are explained in more detail.