Word at a Time / Sentence at a Time

In a circle, each person adds one word. Punctuation counts as a word (period, exclamation point). Can also do in pairs or small groups. Establish the order people contribute to minimize hesitation. You may want to start with people telling a known story to practice the mechanism. 

Starting ideas

• Happily married couple remembering their best vacation
• Loving grandparents, remembering when they saw their first grandchild
• Best friends in college, on graduation day, remembering the first day of school
• Advice. e.g. Worst advice for preparing for a hurricane
• Write a complaint letter to [Santa] Then write the response (also one word at a time)

Facilitation Tips

If a sentence, let the first person know they will go first to get it off to a good start
Facilitator can walk around the circle and/or points to keep the cadence going
To keep from becoming a disaster story, encourage sensory details instead of plot
If in pairs, switch pairs so people can more easily debrief the process, not the story. 
A warm up to get people to practice rapid turn taking is 1-2-3. 

Applications
Use to pull out themes on any topic the team is addressing.
Phrase question in the future at the start of a workshop. Creates intentions.
Phrase in past as a wrap up for a workshop. For example,

• Favorite part of the day/event
• Important lesson from today

Use this activity to illustrate... (many things; making space for a list here)

change vs. transition (Bridges model of change) - change is fast, adjusting to the change = transition, takes time & skills.

Debrief ideas

• Who was in charge of creating this memory/story?

•What did we have to do to succeed? How would you define a successful conversation?
• Where did we get stuck?
• Where did you feel momentum in the story? What did we do that helped build that momentum?
• What would be different if you listened at work the way you listened here?

How was that?

(answer) What do you make of that?
(answer) Where else / does that resonate in your life/work/role

Variations

Two or Three-word-at-a-time (this is a bit more challenging)
Interview an expert that is made of multiple people 

Use photo cards - Each person draws a card. Their sentence/word is based on the photo card. 

Drawing one line at a time

Acting Out Variation (from Kat Koppett)
2 people telling 1 story while physically acting out the story together (rather than look at each other telling the story)
Facilitation tips for this variation
- pairs are easier than groups of 3 or more
- demo starting with a verb ("climbing-the-tree-we-reached etc.) can encourage actions
-do in the first person (because you want people acting it out)
-switch partners so people have different experiences. What did you assume, etc.

Once Upon A Team w/photo cards
Turn photo cards upside down and spread like deck of cards
Have each person pick a card 

Start the story: Once upon a time, there was a team that got together for 2 days and what they learned.....
First person….tells their story based on their card, then shares card with the group

Debrief: What did you learn? What themes emerged?