Constellations
Individuals express their response to a statement or idea by standing closer or further from a central object. Used with teams to reveal system, hidden patterns, perspectives.
Library of facilitation techniques
Opening Workshop Activities
Tools and techniques activities to effectively kick-off a meeting, workshop or training session.
69 results
Opening Questions / Activities
* weather check-in
* photo card
* one word
* one song
* draw a symbol
* lego tower
* roller coaster drawing
* 1-2-3 with sound & motion replacement
Common Threads
A fast get-to-know game that can be tailored according to the participants age/profession/etc.
Diversity welcome
The intention of the diversity welcome is inclusion. It can be long or short. The common element is to inclusively name a range of possibilities with a genuine “Welcome!”
Word at a Time / Sentence at a Time
Story is told one word or one sentence at a time
The North Wind Blows...
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.
Common Experiences
A funny way to get to know each other especially in groups of children or teenagers.
Open your retrospective visually using pictures
The purpose of a retrospective is to reflect on the process of the team’s collaboration, rather than on the content of work itself. This opening icebreaker helps participants to get in a reflective mood and share their thoughts and feelings.
The Sketch Game
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.
Photo introduction
Have people take out their phone
Select the 10th photo
Share with your partner/table
Altitude
Sometimes it can be difficult to keep a meeting on track when people have a hard time staying focused at the right level. People can find themselves “down in the weeds” or operational details when the meeting is supposed to be strategic, or, conversely, they can find themselves being too abstract and strategic when operational detail is exactly what’s needed.
"When I feel..."
People take turns sharing how they feel and stating what they do when they feel the way someone else is feeling.