Indoor Frisbee and other ways of filling dead spots

For those times we've all experienced: The program didn't show up or is running late; the program is bombing; the program didn't take as long as we thought, have an unusual activity or game always on the ready.

How to do the surprise:

Keep a list of easy to do games in mind or on paper. I try to always have a list of some old favorite and some new games on my agenda. For special events, I will have a number of Koosh balls stashed in various places ready to pull out and put to use. Another item I keep handy (I even keep one in my backpack while I am at meetings and conventions) is a rubber "spot" used for indoor games. These make, among other things, great indoor Frisbees. I can just pull it out and sail it across the circle to someone and the game is on.

What to Avoid:

• Resorting to the games too quickly. There is a difference between a pause or a slow start to a program and a program that is falling flat.
• Using the same activity too many times in a row

Variations:

On Retreats, etc. I always have my Retreat box available, as described on the Documents page which have a variety of handy props.