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Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Speed Dating, Relief Society Style

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m responsible for all the activities for the women in my ward (that’s Mormon talk for a church congregation).  I’ve been doing this for almost two years now, and we have some awesome activities, if I do say so myself.

But don’t think I’m really patting myself on the back here. See, I think I’ve come up with  exactly . . . ZERO of the ideas.  The internet ROCKS for great activity ideas (ok, my committee is a huge help too!).  But even with the ideas I’ve found, we usually find a way to improve on them.

And since I get so many things from the great web, I thought maybe it was time I give a little back.  So I’ll be posting our fabulous activities here once and a while.  First up: Friendship Speed Dating.

I first got the idea on Pintrest, of course, when I saw this pin:

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(ok, this is my picture from that night, not hers!)

 

What an awesome idea!  Everyone knows that what women really want is to just chat, and the idea of getting to know the sisters better was an awesome one.  Biggest problem with her post is that she doesn’t really explain the format too great, and there aren’t any questions at all!  So here’s how we did it.

First, we had a potato bar dinner (we’ve got several gluten free in our ward, so this is an awesome option to include them.)  My amazing crafty person decorated the tables . . . um forgot a picture of that!  But we did a polka dot theme – super easy. She did each table a different color of scrapbook papers in different sizes of circles, and then had little nut cups full of color coordinated jelly beans (yes, she admits she’s slightly OCD).  We also had the list of questions at each seat so people could look them over as they ate.

I didn’t want the questions to be the usual. I wanted to actually get to know something about people, not just where they were born or how many kids they had.  We had a great brainstorming session, and came up with this list.

I’ve got it in color:

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Or in black and white for you to use!

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So here was our format.  One side of the table didn’t move – yes that means you don’t get to talk to everyone. But it also means the activity doesn’t last 4 hours.  This was also great for some of the older women that don’t move very well.  We had a time for 5 minutes each spot.  When it was time to switch, my timer friend flipped the lights.  And then usually yelled out.  And then sometimes did jumping jacks to get people to stop talking and move to the next spot.  It took about an hour to get through the line. 

It was one of the biggest hits we’ve ever had. Now, I also have to admit, we fielded more questions on this activity than any other before (Do I bring my husband because we’re dating? Is this actually ok to do because I’m married? What on earth is speed dating anyway?) But stick with it – it’s great!

(if you’d like to follow my rs idea’s board, you can find it here:  Yes, I know it’s called Craft Day, but just go with it!)

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting all this information. I'm running with this for this month's activity, so HUGE thanks!

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  2. Hi Laree, it's Stacy Bladen (Bleazard now) from Hyde Park. I just googled speed friendshipping for a RS meeting I'm in charge of this month and your blog post came up first. It is exactly what I was looking for, but I was even more excited to find that it was your blog! It is so great to see your cute family and all the fun things you are keeping busy with. I love your writing style too. Hope you are doing well and thanks for the great ideas!

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  3. Did each lady just ask one question off the sheet and hear her "dates" response? Did you end up rotating enough times that some people ended up answering the same question twice, but just to another person? We are trying this activity but it doesn't seem like enough questions, or that people are going to be repeatedly answering the same question. How did that work for you? Advice wanted, please!!

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    Replies
    1. I would like to know the answers to Diana's questions. I would like to try this.

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  4. I know this post is old! I love this idea! The only question I have is, what does the sister that is at the end of the very last line do? does she go to be the first? and sit in the first chair of the first table? or does she go and do something else? Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. Hi! When it's time to switch, the sister at the end of the line walks back to the first and sits there.

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