TUESDAY

Stephanie: At 7:30 a.m. we are all in costume and the room is set up to represent the various divisions and distributors: Big Wigs, Couch Potatoes, Toys, Virtual, Entertainment, Wild Experiences, Cool Places…The conga music is cued and we’re ready to go. Peter is a sight to behold in his Jester costume. Oops. He is no longer Peter. He is ‘Oh Jester, My Jester’ and must be addressed as such. Down the hall, Ron has been transformed into Troub (Whom We) Adore, complete with guitar and oversized tam.

Ron: I don’t think it matters how many times, how many simulations, how many Maxxs I’ve delivered, it’s those few minutes immediately prior to the participants stepping into the sim that are most unnerving. My confidence returns as they come through that door and I begin to connect with them as my sim character.

Peter: By 7:30 a.m., we are costumed and in place in our classrooms; the participants mustn’t see us until the ‘curtain goes up’ when they come through our doors at 8:00 a.m. Time for one last check of our audio, our props and our docs! And then the doors fly open… will we be embraced or dismissed? We do not know!

Stephanie: The participants enter our room in a state that is wide-eyed and somewhat reluctant. It doesn’t take long though, to get a conga line going and their hesitancy is transformed into cautious acceptance. Over the next couple of hours, Oh Jester My Jester enthusiastically guides the group as they metamorphose from a diverse group of Alcan leaders into the executive team of Maxx Performance Entertainment Inc. And they are fabulous! Windows of opportunity are fulfilled…and crashed, as the team navigates its way through the challenges of being part of an ever-changing corporation.

Peter: Chaos reigns. People scramble to make sense of their environment and little work gets done...but still, a lot of learning is accomplished.

Ron: Like every other e! simulation I have had the pleasure to facilitate, once again I feel awed by the power of the design. From the ‘big picture’ right down to the little details, the Maxx world comes to life. Participants attempt to be successful with their roles and with doing the work of their sim company, all the while facing conditions of lots of information flowing in, lack of clarity regarding other parts of their company and little or no direction from above. It quickly feels very real and even the participants who may have felt initially skeptical are swept into the action. When we move into the debrief, it is wonderful to see how the parallels to ‘real life’ are quickly becoming apparent.

Peter: It is gratifying to me when the more self-aware participants can come forward in the debrief and identify where they personally blocked and enabled progress in their departments. I get to set a standard for self-exploration which becomes the benchmark for the rest of the experience. I get to create a learning affiliation among the learners which becomes the currency within the room.