Developing Collaborative Perspective (1.2)

As the facilitator, bring a puzzle with large pieces (preferably under 50 pieces).

Organize participants into small groups (5-6 ppl).

Begin by introducing the learning goals of this activity.

In small groups (5-6 ppl), a puzzle piece will be given to each participant. Use pieces from a puzzle with a recognizable image but large enough that any one piece will only have a fraction of the total image.

Instruct participants to not show the puzzle piece to anyone else.

Invite participants to reflect on their piece. Prompt:

• Look at your individual puzzle pieces and write down what you think the image may be.

Members of each group will describe and discuss their puzzle pieces, but without showing them to one another. Invite participants to be descriptive. Participants can ask questions about others’ puzzle pieces. The group will start to identify what the puzzle image might be based only on descriptions.

Facilitator Tip: This activity can be altered by adding a twist. At the beginning of the discussion, secretly assign one participant to offer misleading or inaccurate information. The purpose of this role is to later encourage participants to reflect upon and address issues of intentional misinformation and/or deception in group communication.

Next, invite participants to show pieces to others in their small group and look at them all together. Discuss what they can now see and as a small group.

Invite each group to put forth guesses of what the overall image might be.

Hold up or show the image of the completed puzzle. Discuss:

• How did descriptions of other people’s puzzle pieces alter your initial views of what the picture might be?

• Could you understand what each person was describing or did you have to ask clarifying questions?

• How did your perspective change when you saw others’ puzzle pieces?

• After being shown the full image, what were you not able to see that would have helped you identify the image?

• Twist: How does this puzzle activity relate to situations that you experience at work, class, or you see nationally where people intentionally use misinformation?

• Twist: What happens to the power of the group when one person is deliberately trying to mislead others?

POST-SESSION ACTIVITIES

Reflection Journal

• Think about an issue that you care about. From your perspective, what is at the core of this issue? How would you address it?

• Now, try to imagine how someone with very different lived experiences from you might think about this issue. What might they ask you? How would you respond?

• Bring in a third person to your imagined conversation. Perhaps a person who holds very different values. Ask this person how they would frame and solve this issue. What do they say?

• Playful twist: try writing up this reflection as a conversation, play, or short story.

Practice Journal

This week, before you share your opinion about an event or situation (maybe an issue at work, home, or a public concern), pause and ask at least 2 other people their opinions about the topic. You might ask: How do you understand this issue? From your perspective, what is the core issue or concern? Then reflect upon how your opinion may or may not have changed based on the perspectives of others.