Facilitation Techniques and Workshop Activities | Library

Happiness exercise

teambuilding icebreaker warm up remote-friendly

This exercise is a simple application of the principles of Appreciative Inquiry.

Heard, Seen, Respected (HSR)

issue analysis empathy communication liberating structures remote-friendly values self-awareness

You can foster the empathetic capacity of participants to “walk in the shoes” of others. Many situations do not have immediate answers or clear resolutions. Recognizing these situations and responding with empathy can improve the “cultural climate” and build trust among group members. HSR helps individuals learn to respond in ways that do not overpromise or overcontrol. It helps members of a group notice unwanted patterns and work together on shifting to more productive interactions. Participants experience the practice of more compassion and the benefits it engenders.

Human objects

improv game energizer remote-friendly fun icebreaker

A quick, physical improv game that asks participants to embody an object as quickly as they can!

Hybrid Team Canvas

culture culture change culture design hybridteams teamwork remote-friendly vision

The Hybrid Team Canvas is a framework and tool to design a hybrid or remote-first team culture.

Icebreaker: Original

get-to-know remote-friendly icebreaker

Ask participants to create or come up with a ice-breaker question. The icebreaker question must not be a cliché question and or commonly used.

Icebreaker: The Group Map

get-to-know icebreaker remote-friendly

Ask people to place themselves on an imaginary map laid out in the room representing the country according to where they grew up. Ask them to share one internal value they got from that place, and why is that important for them. Encourage people to share a short story if they want

I Like | I Wish | I Wonder

innovation feedback hyperisland remote-friendly

Teams need to explore, test and try new things to innovate. Early efforts will be improved and progress when feedback is given and received. Feedback is a key part of any project development and crucial to the iterative process.

It's important to have a learning/growth mindset to see new possibilities and a framework in place to provide boundaries and a safe container for both the receiver and the giver of the feedback at hand.

A process such as I Like, I Wish, I Wonder can support teams (big and small) to collect feedback quickly. Can be run online or face-to-face. A Miro template is attached below.

Jenga Questions

icebreaker team get-to-know energiser

A fun and interactive icebreaker that uses a classic game of Jenga to spark meaningful conversations and strengthen team connections.

Journalists

vision big picture issue analysis remote-friendly

This is an exercise to use when the group gets stuck in details and struggles to see the big picture. Also good for defining a vision.

Learning Matrix

gamestorming agile retrospective

Iteration retrospective activities are tricky; it is often difficult to think of practical improvements, and reflecting on negative aspects of the project can leave your team feeling upset and unmotivated. A great way to prevent these from occurring is to play a game that focuses on the positives while also pointing out aspects that need to be changed. As described in Diana Larsen and Esther Derby’s Agile Retrospectives, Learning Matrix does just this.