If you do nothing else with a marshmallow the rest of your life, at least do the marshmallow challenge. I recently ran the challenge for a group of 44 techies, entrepreneurs, lawyers and college professors. If you are looking for a team-building, design-inspiring or outright humiliating way to entertain a group, give this a try.
As a member of the Dixie Technical Association’s Steering Committee, I suggested the activity as a way to mascarade a networking event at our monthly meeting. In place of listening to a guest speaker, attendees were randomly placed into teams of four. Each group was given a packet containing 20 pieces of dry spaghetti, one yard of masking tape, one yard of string and a jumbo marshmallow. The rules were simple: in 18 minutes, build the tallest tower possible where the entire marshmallow is sitting on top.
Of the 11 teams participating, only three had a self-standing tower at the end of 18 minutes! The winning tower was 31.5 inches off the table, with the loosing tower drooping down a depressing 14 inches off the side of the table. Here is the clip from The Spectrum, which covered the event.
Networking over noodles
Members of technology community collaborate on design project
By Scott Kerbs
skerbs@thespectrum.com
ST. GEORGE — Representatives from Washington County’s technology sector said they are working together in an effort to strengthen their industry by gathering for monthly networking meetings in St. George.
Sponsored by USTAR and SEED Dixie, the monthly Dixie Technical Association, or Dixie Techs, events were created about three years ago to provide local technology companies with access to new ideas, connections and information, said Jill Elliss, USTAR’s southern region technology outreach director.
“What we’re trying to really do is engage the technology community for collaboration, connections and opportunities,” said Elliss, who also serves as the director of SEED Dixie. “It’s very important to be able to share ideas, especially within the technology community.”
Adrian Meyer, an unemployed computer programmer who recently moved to St. George, said he attended his first Dix ie Techs meeting Friday in an effort to meet potential employers. “It’s a good way to network,” Meyer said Friday after participating in an unorthodox team-building and design exercise.
While most monthly meetings include presentations from featured speakers, event coordinators decided to change the formula for Friday’s meeting, said Jeff Poulton, a member of the Dixie Techs Steering Committee.
TOP: Seth Baker, Jonathan Walker and Ben Abrams, from left, work on constructing a tower out of spaghetti, tape, string and a marshmallow during the Dixie Technical Association’s monthly networking meeting on the campus of Dixie State College. BOTTOM: Jamie Lords, Curtis Larsen and Bret Berger, from left, work on the exercise. PHOTOS BY JUD BURKETT / THE SPECTRUM
Rather than presenting a speaker, Friday’s event tasked attendees with creating towers from uncooked spaghetti, string, tape and a marshmallow.
Participants were split into small groups and asked to collaborate while attempting to build the largest tower within 18 minutes, promoting networking while underscoring the importance of developing a product through prototypes, Poulton said.
“First and foremost, we’re forcing them to work and interact with people who they may not work with ordinarily,” he said.
He said the exercise also teaches participants about design strategies, as many teams spend too much time thinking about their strategy rather th an testing the strength of their structures.
“This will be the most fascinating thing you’ll do with a marshmallow this year,” Poulton said to participants shortly before the activity began.
As participants began to construct their pasta towers, Joshua Aikens, a founding member of Dixie Techs and chairman of the group’s steering committee, said the monthly networking meetings were designed to foster growth within the industry by providing a venue for members of the technology community to connect with one another.
“Our goal is to lift the tech industry in St. George,” he said.
Justin Steele, owner and general manager of InfoSiftr, a St. Georgebased company dedicated to information management, said networking often plays a vital role in the development of growing technology companies.
“There is so much you can get from networking and being involved,” he said. “This is how Silicon Valley got started.”
First and foremost, I am a husband to the most incredible woman alive, a father of four amazing children and in general, I love being alive.
2 Responses to Most Interesting Thing You’ll Do With a Marshmallow All Year
Jeff, you are a genius to have suggested this marshmallow challenge at your monthly Dixie Tech meeting!! Congrats on successfully teaching how bigger teams and higher incentives are no substitute for having the right skills and the right process in place. I am glad the newspaper caught light of this challenge:-)
Jeff, this was a great post. I am so happy to hear the activity went so well. Your level of creativity always teaches groups to work better with each other and sheds new light on how they should approach life challenges in a new light. Keep the blog posts coming!