Library of facilitation techniques

Energizers and Ice Breaker Games

Energizers, energizer games, and ice breaker activities to bring energy into the room. Get people moving, have fun, and ensure your group's energy level is up and everyone is ready to have a productive workshop or meeting with great energizer activities.

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71 results
Tina Puc

Holloway

Holloway is a cooperative maze that only opens for a team that talks. Your group steps into a shifting labyrinth to find glowing sigils, none of which will lift for a single pair of hands — so you split up, call to each other across the walls, and describe what you see. Roughly once a minute the house rearranges itself, wiping the map in your head, and the only way anyone leaves is together.

James Smart

Make it Rhyme!

Even with established teams, it’s important to get people into the holiday mood and encourage creativity and collaboration.

Assign people into pairs or triads and each pair/triad needs to write one pair of rhyme for the music of a popular song. In this holiday-themed version, we'll ask participants to create a version of Jingle bells.

Whatever the occasion or song, it's a nice twist if they incorporate something in the lyrics that is related to your own company and culture.

Judy Rees

Revealing Metaphors: Quickly Reveal the Hidden, Unique Essence of Each Person’s Approach to an Activity (aka Jediplication; Speed Clean)

Help people to share their individual way of navigating an activity - such as doing their work, or attending an event - by combining the revealing power of metaphor with a series of simple interactions.

When people are hesitant to engage with each other, for example at the beginning of an event, you can help them to actively feel heard, and create a space where discovering and sharing rarely-noticed personal talents and insights becomes straightforward.

Once participants feel heard and have begun to share, they will be more inclined to trust, to work together, and to take interpersonal risks. And each person will have created an enduring personal image to carry with them and to share with others.

I've been using this for years as a Clean Language introduction, and recently submitted it as a candidate Liberating Structure because I'd love to see loads of other people trying it out.

Works in person or online, with six to 600+ people.

Nick Heap

Spoons - A lateral thinking game

I use this brief exercise if the group's energy is a bit low or if we have been doing intense work and a bit of light relief would help. It may also help a group that is working mechanically to be more creative. It will work best in groups of six to twelve people.
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Thiagi Group

Stress Balls

Understanding the importance of communication and teamwork is an important requirement for high performance teams of knowledge workers. This exercise is an effective energizer that requires communication and teamwork. Ask participants to form a circle and throw a ball around to simulate the movement of a message. Change different variables such as speed, quantity, and complexity to create a mess.
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Tina Puc

Sync Squad

Sync Squad is a cooperative puzzle that only rewards a group that talks. Each player drives one colour-coded robot through a shared chamber, and the exit opens only when every robot stands on its matching goal at the same moment. The catch: each hazard is keyed to a colour, and the thing that's lethal to your teammate is completely harmless to you — so you can never just play your own robot.

Understanding YOUR CHALLENGE

🔍The Canvas of Collaboration and Clarity

BIG PICTURE is more than just a facilitation tool; it's a gateway to enhanced team collaboration and a deeper understanding of your business environment. Envisioned as a dynamic canvas, it encompasses essential business areas like Purpose, Marketing, Sales, Operations, Customer Care, Suppliers, and Partners, all interwoven with the intricate journey of your Customers. Through this innovative platform, Teams use Symbols—Team, Customer, Technology, Measure, Money, Process, Challenge, Opportunity—to visually express ideas, identify challenges, and share insights.

A Narrative of Business Ecosystem

In the landscape of complex business dynamics, BIG PICTURE stands as a unifying force. It's not just about symbol placement; it's about storytelling and connection. As team members engage with this tool, they unravel the interconnected nature of their roles and the broader business context. It's an exploration that reveals hidden connections, spurs creative solutions to challenges, and shines a light on new opportunities. BIG PICTURE is the catalyst for developing a shared language that transcends departmental boundaries, fostering a more cohesive and strategic team dialogue.

Integrating BIG PICTURE into your facilitation approach transforms session planning into a dynamic and interactive experience, enriching your toolkit with a visual dimension that simplifies complex concepts and enhances participant engagement.

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