Playing With a Full Deck – 52 Team Activities Using a Deck of Cards by Michelle Cummings

I met Michelle Cummings, the author of this book, at a NASAGA Conference recently. I've been a fan of her Spokesperson E-Newsletter for several years, so meeting her was one of my Conference goals.

I'm sure glad I did.

Michelle is a master at designing and facilitating learning events that are engaging and fun. We share many common experiences and philosophies, and I learned so much during the session she led at the Conference.

Playing With a Full Deck is her book of 52 (of course!) activities that require only a deck of cards and people. The activities are categorized by use - including problem solving, energizers and diversity. Each exercise is simply described and often includes pictures. When I read through this book again this morning, I found a new exercise I will use with a group next week.

Beyond all of that, the book includes a number of interesting facts about playing cards, their history, etc. It's almost worth the cost of the book just for these trivia tidbits!

If you are a trainer or facilitator, this book needs to be on your shelf. If you are a leader looking for ways to engage your team in meetings and retreats, this book will be invaluable to you. I even plan to use some of the exercises at parties - because they aren't just learning exercises, they're fun too.

The best news of all is that if you subscribe to Michelle's free newsletter you'll get a sneak preview - you receive nine of the activities from the book as a special gift for subscribing.

You can buy this book directly from Michelle's company or at Amazon.com. Your choice.