Remote Workshop Activities

A process for understanding a complex problem situation

This is a simple drama game in which participants take turns asking each other “What are you doing?” and acting out the various responses. Though simple, it engages the imagination and gently challenges participants out of their comfort zone by having them mime a range of different actions.

Whether your group has already established its dynamics or is working together for the first time, creating a group contract enables people to mindfully ground their behaviours in inclusivity and respect, and promote psychological safety. These dynamics encourage trust, confidence, and inspiration–which in turn build engagement, encourage creativity, and result in wellbeing and success for all.

By using the metaphor of a sailboat, teams can articulate what is working well and also, what is holding the organization back. Individually think about and note down:

What is moving us forward and What is Holding us back in as an organization or team.

Moving us forward: what's working for us, what's really good.

Holding us back: what challenges are we facing?

A Focused Conversation to begin to process traumatic situations for use with colleagues, friends and family, and how to respond to them productively. Often traumatic events become undiscussable and this enables persons to talk about them

For use with a team, organization or any peer group forum.

Can be done in person or virtual

This is designed to create a conversation that brings Core Values alive. This is great for a team that knows what values they stand for. Through this exercise they will celebrate their values in action and therefore be energized to magnify them further.

It will also help bring along anyone that is new so they can understand that the group really walks the talk

Easy and fun way to review content or atmosphere at the end of a group activity (or in between) in 1 minute.

The Stinky Fish Canvas is a visual way to address the problems teams carry around: the longer we void the conversation, the stinkier our issues get.

Blind Drawing is an icebreaker game where one person describes an object the other person must then draw with only verbal instructions as a guide.

As a virtual game in Zoom, have people narrow their screen so they only see 3 people in a row. Each person will simultaneously try to have one person sitting, one standing , and one out of the frame in their row.

People compare something (e.g. themselves, their company, their team) to an object.  

A great tool to kick-off ANY workshop! The hot air balloon is a metaphorical method that aims to identify strengths, weaknesses, external forces, stakeholders and goals all in a simple and well-structured process.

The charm is that you’re not relying on another dull matrix but actually going through an imaginary journey that engages us to think outside of our typical thought patterns. Just gather all participants and collect their input step-by-step in the process.