Birkman Interests Exercise

Key points to remember when working with Interests:

• Interests do not equal skill, they measure the degree of Interest you have in a certain area
• A low score = little or no interest
• High scores are important. Engage in them, make sure they are a part of your life

This is a great exercise for bringing the team together and shedding some Birkman light on the participants. You will find out which aspects of work each team member enjoys. You may find out that the team’s Interests are varied and across the board, or you may find that they are similarly aligned in terms of their Interests. Either way, it will provide you and the team with an excellent overview.

Goal or Takeaway Value:

• An appreciation of varied Interests 
• An appreciation of diversity in objectives & priorities 
• To learn more about group members in a non- threatening way by mixing a “little fun” and a “little business” 
• To give participants a resource to seek out the next time they’re working on a particular project

Facilitator's Role:

• On a flip chart, make a table chart for the group with the ten Birkman Interests across the top of table and the names of the participants down the left side of table (see Example 1 below).
• Describe the Birkman Interest scale to the participants. 
• If possible, write the names of the Birkman in the associated color (blue, green, red, yellow). 
• Provide each participant with a copy of his/her own report. 

Exercise:
Invite participants to mark their two highest scores on the chart in one color. After they fill in their Interests, ask them to discuss the following questions:

• Where do you see these Interests show up in your life? 
• In your professional world? 
• What about in your personal life? 
• What activities do you do to meet these needs? 
• If your needs are not met at work, what activities do you engage in outside of work to meet those needs? 

Allow time for each participant to share and discuss the above questions.
Next, invite participants to mark their two lowest scores on the chart in a different color and discuss the following items:

• Are these things your work requires of you? 
• How do you organize your life so that you can try to avoid these activities?

Debrief:
Finally, discuss the following:

• As a group, what do we like to do? 
• As a group, what don't we like to do?