Library of facilitation techniques

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Featured Author – Gamestorming

Gamestorming is a set of co-creation tools used by innovators around the world. Explore this collection of 66 methods and bring the power of structured play to your next session.

Gamestorming
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Methods (1503)

Liberating Structures

Mad Tea

Mad Tea quickly provokes a deeper set of reflections and strategic insights among group members. The questions focus attention and produce a fresh understanding of strategic options and next steps. Participants form two circles, one inside the other.

Each person faces one other person and completes an open-ended sentence in less than 30 seconds. When time is up, participants are invited to move to their right so that they are in front of someone else to complete the next sentence, and so on. In a seriously fun way, the unfinished sentences focus attention on every individual and the group answering tough questions together (e.g., If we do nothing, the worst thing that can happen for us is…).

Liberating Structures

Positive Gossip

Creating a climate of appreciative personal feedback can dramatically boost performance for individuals and groups. It is possible to begin turning a vicious self-reinforcing cycle of negative gossip—that stifles risk-taking and innovation—into a virtuous self-reinforcing cycle of positive feedback. Positive Gossip is an antidote to a strongly felt discontent and indifference that spreads informally from person to person (a form of acute proliferative dysphoria). A generalized malaise in which “things will not get better, only worse.” A robust pattern of positive feedback can eliminate the need for extrinsic rewards and incentive programs (e.g. free coffee coupons, stickers, awards ceremonies).
Liberating Structures

Future-Present

Notice threads in the present that if tugged on might unravel a more attractive future. Identify how the hints of a more ideal future are present, just not widely distributed yet. Participants can notice small changes, support structures, and local success patterns that have the potential to be scaled up to a global transformation. This includes surfacing strategies to overcome resistance and methods to spread early successes. Future~Present does not produce a plan to be implemented but rather builds momentum, imagination, social proof, and confidence in subtle or incremental signals. This builds capacity to actively shape next steps and pounce on opportunities.

Liberating Structures

Mind Meld

Create a shared visual map of what a group observes, discovers, and plans to act on together. Participants begin by capturing individual observations and patterns related to a question or challenge, then combine (“meld”) these into a collective map that makes insights and action ideas visible to everyone. By moving through stages of noticing what’s present, interpreting why it matters, and identifying next steps, MindMeld helps groups surface rich, shared understanding and align on concrete actions before moving forward.

Liberating Structures

Talking with Pixies

Uncover and challenge the hidden beliefs, assumptions, and internal voices that are limiting progress toward an important goal. In small groups, one person shares a personal or professional challenge while two others play contrasting “pixie” roles – one advocating for change and possibility and the other representing resistance and caution. Through this playful exchange, participants surface unconscious assumptions, explore opposing perspectives on risks and opportunities, and gain clarity on how to move forward. This structure helps reveal internal barriers, generate new insights, and support more informed action planning in individual and group settings.

Mirna Smidt  from Trainers Toolbox

Signature Strengths

A positive psychology exercise that helps participants discover and apply their core character strengths in new and meaningful ways. Based on research by Seligman and colleagues, this activity boosts long-term well-being and reduces depressive symptoms by encouraging daily strength-based action.
Participants complete the VIA strengths questionnaire, reflect on their top strengths, and develop practical ways to apply one of them in new contexts during the coming week.

Ideal for personal development, coaching, and strengths-based workshops, this exercise promotes increased motivation, happiness, and a more conscious relationship with oneself.

Erica Marx

Truth holding

A collective witnessing practice where participants anonymously name truths they are carrying and then the group then takes turns physically and verbally “holding” one another’s truths, building shared understanding, acceptance, empathy, and surfacing patterns in the group.