Facilitation Techniques and Workshop Activities | Library

Systems Thinking

All behaviour is connected (no behaviour is isolated).
All behaviour is created jointly (and is in fact circular).
You cannot not behave.
All behaviour provokes feedback.
A change in one part of a system results in a change in another part.

Fist to five

decision making vote empowerment practice

Fist to Five is quality voting. It has the elements of consensus built in and can prepare groups to transition into consensus if they wish. Most people are accustomed to the simplicity of “yes” and “no” voting rather than the complex and more community-oriented consensus method of decision making. Fist to Five introduces the element of the quality of the “yes.” A fist is a “no” and any number of fingers is a “yes,” with an indication of how good a “yes” it is. This moves a group away from quantity voting to quality voting, which is considerably more informative. Fist to Five can also be used during consensus decision making as a way to check the “sense of the group,” or to check the quality of the consensus.

1/2/3 - Snap/Clap/Stomp

listening and awareness cooperation connection collaboration teambuilding energizer energiser applied improv

In pairs count to 3. Then replace 1 with snap, 2 with clap, 3 with stomp

Workers and Watchers

thiagi debriefing energiser closing

Blindfold half of the participants and ask them to lay a rope on the floor in the form of a circle. Conduct a quick debriefing involving the blindfolded workers and the watchers. Blindfold the other half and give them the task of laying the rope on the floor in the form of a triangle. Continue with the debriefing discussion.

Jigsaw Puzzle

team icebreaker get-to-know teampedia

This game is useful as a side-activity during breaks, as it encourages starting conversations between random people.

The North Wind Blows...

teampedia team opening icebreaker action

The game enables participants to get to know each other and have fun at the same time. Also since it takes a lot of moving it can be used as an energiser too.

One, Two and More

thiagi structured sharing issue analysis problem solving

One, Two, And More is a flexible structured sharing activity for exploring different topics using different sets of questions. A unique feature of this activity is answering each question in three different modes: individual, pairs, and in teams.

Group Development Stage Directions

group development team dynamics structured sharing thiagi issue analysis teamwork

Different teams receive envelopes labeled with the names of different stages in the development of a team. Participants brainstorm guidelines for facilitating a team at a specific stage, record the guidelines on a card, and place the card inside the appropriate envelope. Teams rotate the envelopes and generate guideline cards for other stages in the life cycle of a team. During the evaluation round, team members comparatively score the guideline cards generated by other teams.

Cause and Effect Charting

problem solving online facilitation

A quick analysis to identify cause and effect of a problem

The Sketch Game

hyperisland diversity inclusion opening culture team culture change

A drawing exercise that shows us how we can have different perspectives on various subjects and/or objects - demonstrating cultural diversities. It can help us unlock some of our unconscious assumptions and biases. The task is fairly simple to execute and doesn’t require more than 6 A4 pages/or post-its and a pen for each participant, or a Miro/Mural or virtual whiteboard.