Library of facilitation techniques

Individuals or groups prepare a collage of photos, icons, or quick art that reviews the concepts and skills previously learned in the program. Others interpret what the art and images mean based on their own learning.

The most common causes of dysfunctional meetings can be eliminated: unclear purpose or lack of a common one, time wasters, restrictive participation, absent voices, groupthink, and frustrated participants. The process of designing a storyboard draws out a purpose that becomes clearer as it is matched with congruent microstructures. It reveals who needs to be included for successful implementation. Storyboards invite design participants to carefully define all the micro-organizing elements needed to achieve their purpose: a structuring invitation, space, materials, participation, group configurations, and facilitation and time allocations. Storyboards prevent people from starting and running meetings without an explicit design. Good designs yield better-than-expected results by uncovering tacit and latent sources of innovation.

Purpose: Participants both individually reflect on their lived experience and share with others to connect with their own stories in a different way and connect more deeply with each other.

Activity Overview: Participants individually create a "life map" that represents the people, places, and experiences that have led them to where they are today. Life maps can be drawn however someone chooses - there is no right way to depict a person's individual journey. After individual work time, in small groups participants take turns sharing some components of their life maps with each other, with a focus on active and open listening. The facilitator wraps up with a group check-in/debrief on how they felt about the activity and what they learned from it.

• Who traveled the farthest to get here today?
• Our journeys are more than just literally how we got here in this room today - they include all the places where we've spent time, the people we've known or been influenced by, and the experiences we've had.
• Now is our chance to each create our own "life map" - a visual that shares your journey to where you are today. There's no "right way" to do this, so you might want to make a map, or a timeline, or a completely different visual way to represent it, but the idea is to include the things that have contributed to who and where you are now.
• We know this could include some negative experiences as well, and we'll also each be sharing our maps with the group, so if there's anything you don't feel comfortable putting on your map for others to see, it's ok to leave it off.
• Your first step will be to grab a piece of paper for your map and add your sticky notes to it. The aim is to include those sticky notes in some way in your map. You can literally leave them on the paper, or you can take them off and add the words or draw something to depict them -- any of those is ok.
• (Check in at the 5, 10, 15-minute marks -- when folks are "done enough" transition them to sitting in a circle with their maps, away from the tables, so they can all see each other.)
• Everyone will now have (3) minutes to share some aspects of your life map out loud with the group. You don't need to share everything, but please tell us some key pieces that you think have helped make you who you are today. (Adjust sharing time as needed)
• While someone is sharing, the rest of us will practice our active listening skills - part of showing up for each other is really listening when someone else is talking, especially when they're sharing something personal.
• (After everyone shares, conduct debrief discussion - start with everyone sharing responses with a partner first before sharing with full group to get them warmed up if needed)

Seeds begin to shape what emerges during a time of silence and reflection. Seeds are small personal notations, but they hold the potential for deep change. This practice is especially useful after a process of Guided Journaling as a way of identifying what resonated most strongly from the “field of the future.”

Facilitate a team conversation about personal strengths:

• Ask participants to pick from a set of strength card, e.g. one strength each for everyone in the group (or more for small groups)

• People take turns to “give” a strength to another team member, share how/when they have seen the strength in the other person and say thank you

• Everyone will end up with a set of strengths provided by other team members and feel belonging and appreciation

🔍 A Journey of Self-Discovery and Team Togetherness

The "Getting to Know YOU" icebreaker is a dynamic resource designed to unravel the layers of team dynamics and individual roles within an organisation. It's a unique blend of personal reflection and collective exploration, powered by the BIG PICTURE framework. This tool uses simple yet powerful symbols – Team, Customer, Technology, Measure, Money, Process, Challenge, Opportunity – to facilitate a dialogue that's both fun and thought-provoking. The essence of BIG PICTURE here is not in its comprehensive business modeling but in how these symbols help team members express and understand their roles and perceptions within the broader organisational context.

Participants engage with these Symbols, reflecting on which ones resonate with their personal and professional identities. This process of reflection and sharing is designed to foster a deeper understanding of not only individual roles but also how these roles interweave to form the fabric of the organisation. It's an exercise that brings to light the diverse perspectives and strengths within a team, encouraging a culture of openness and shared insight.

The 'Getting to Know YOU' Resource transforms standard icebreakers into dynamic sessions rich in personal connection, team cohesion, and a deeper understanding of each symbol's role in business, fostering both individual insight and collective accountability.

Ho'oponopono is a Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness that involves expressing remorse, asking for forgiveness, expressing gratitude, and expressing love in order to heal and transform relationships. It aims to bring about healing, understanding, and connection within oneself and with others.

This step-by-step method is intended to facilitate the co-creation of actual measures and steps towards change within a team or an organisation. All participants are involved and develop all the ideas together. You have idea owners but the content is created through a process where everyone is involved in all ideas.

Teams of 3. (See strategy section for discussion of different team sizes.) No limit to the number of teams other than what the organizer wants.