Time:
This game can be played in about 90 minutes. In total, allowing for discussion and evaluation, we recommend allowing 150 minutes.

Aims:
• Show participants the importance of effective communication when working together under pressure.
• Test participants’ abilities to:
  - Quickly assimilate and share information effectively.
  - Prioritise and manage changing priorities.
• Raise awareness of how critical effective project management and planning skills are when dealing with fast-changing situations.
• Highlight the need for a clear process when making decisions quickly.
• Understand the importance of building credibility through concise, clear, accurate communication that has the recipient in mind.
• Allow participants to practise or demonstrate their leadership skills, managing a project, delegating responsibility and encouraging and motivating fellow participants.

Skills and Behaviours Tested:
Team skills, planning and project management skills, writing skills, attention to detail, leadership and time management.

Group Size:
This exercise works best when you have at least 2 teams competing to produce the best front page. Each team should have a minimum of 3 and, ideally, a maximum of 6 participants.

Useful For:
Supervisors and managers or anyone involved in project work.

You'll Need:
• Each team will need a separate area in which to work.
• Each participant will need access to a computer/laptop (with MS Word or equivalent installed) and a printer (one printer can be shared by all teams).
• Each team will need access to a phone. If there is a telephone in the room that they are working in, use this. Otherwise, you could ask one member of each team to keep their mobile phone on – as long as you’re sure they won’t get real work calls.
• Teams will need access to pens, notepaper, scissors and glue.
• Each team will need one sheet of flipchart paper. (Keep some spare sheets handy in case of need.)
• Each team will need a team brief and copies of previous issues of the Fumberland News (downloaded from Trainers’ Library).
• Each team will need one complete set of ‘stories’ (downloaded from Trainers’ Library).
• You will need the ‘Breaking News’ script (found at the end of these trainer’s notes.)

Notes:
Hold the Front Page! can be used to asses and develop a whole range of skills including team skills, planning and project management skills, writing skills, attention to detail, leadership and time management.

We think that four in a team for this exercise is better than six, so if you have twelve participants, we’d recommend creating three teams of four. If you have teams of three, you may wish to allow participants an extra 15 minutes to complete the exercise, as time will be particularly tight.

Remote/Virtual Delivery:
There is a Remote Delivery version of this module available in Trainers’ Library called Hold the Front Page! - Teamwork Under Pressure.