Jerry Puts Gimmicks into Gear Jerry was leading a group for the first time. Not knowing exactly what to do to get the group moving, he used a warm-up exercise initially. It worked like a charm. Group...

Jerry Puts Gimmicks into Gear

Jerry was leading a group for the first time. Not knowing exactly what to do to get the group moving, he used a warm-up exercise initially. It worked like a charm. Group members quickly started talking to one another, and Jerry noted that the group went well.

Because he was leading a psychotherapy group, Jerry believed it would be good to start each group with an exercise. He quickly learned the meaning of the term diminishing returns, as each week the activities he brought in seemed to be less powerful than the week before. Group members did not seem particularly interested in beginning the group that way, especially if they had unfinished business from the week before.

Questions

What would you tell Jerry to do at this point?

What are other positive and negative aspects of beginning a group with an activity or gimmick?