Your Amazing Future (Because of that...)

Here is the activity scripted as an opening activity to an in-person conference

The person across from you is your very best friend from back home. It’s 1 week from now, conference is over, you’re telling them all about it

It went super well, AMAZING! Everything you could hope for for you personally, for your business, for your perspective, relationships. What happened? What made it so great? You will have 45 seconds and then I’ll ring the bell.

Give a prompt for who will go first
For example, person who has been in (the city where the conference is held) the longest. Tiebreaker: Smallest shoes goes first

Go!  45 sec... Bell!

Now, it’s 10 years in the future! Same friend, and you have not seen them in 10 years.

Greet each other.
Partner 2 reminds you that the last time they saw you you had just come back from that conference...
Partner 1 Oh, yes, I ... (whatever stood you to you from your share about the conference).
Partner 2 says enthusiastically And because of that…
Partner 1 completes the sentence
Partner 2 says And because of that…
Partner 1 completes the sentence

etc. for 30 seconds (DEMO)

30 seconds: go

Switch: person sharing & person listening (45..30 seconds)


Facilitation Notes

Demo this activity showing that the end of the sentences are created QUICKLY. Faster than people can think too much. The intention is that people are surprised by what comes out of their mouth. They learn something about themselves and what they really want. Sometimes the takeaway is that people learn that just taking action is what is needed. Give time for each pair to debrief what they learned from the activity. 

Use in coaching
Have people choose one action that they will take as a result of the work together. They tell their partner what action they will take. Then the game play begin as if it is 6 months in the future, after they took that action. "Oh Julie, I have not seen you since you took X action 6 months ago, what happened?... Oh! great! And because of that.... etc."