Library of facilitation techniques

Opening Workshop Activities

Tools and techniques activities to effectively kick-off a meeting, workshop or training session.
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Hyper Island

The Sketch Game

A drawing exercise that shows us how we can have different perspectives on various subjects and/or objects - demonstrating cultural diversities. It can help us unlock some of our unconscious assumptions and biases. The task is fairly simple to execute and doesn’t require more than 6 A4 pages/or post-its and a pen for each participant, or a Miro/Mural or virtual whiteboard.

Gamestorming methods

Altitude

Sometimes it can be difficult to keep a meeting on track when people have a hard time staying focused at the right level. People can find themselves “down in the weeds” or operational details when the meeting is supposed to be strategic, or, conversely, they can find themselves being too abstract and strategic when operational detail is exactly what’s needed.

Thiagi Group

Postcard from a Friend

Here's an interesting icebreaker that uses the postcards written in the previous closer activity (Postcard to a Friend). It involves distributing postcards from previous participants with their highlights and advice for a new group of participants. Be sure that you receive informed consent from the writers before using their postcards in this activity.
Thiagi Group

Wishes: an Opener

What wishes do participants have for your training session? Which of these wishes do the most participants share?

Here's an opening activity that helps the participants to generate a list of wishes, discuss them, and identify the highest-priority wishes.

Hyper Island

What's in the Bag?

This is a fun icebreaker or energizer where participants are asked “What's in the bag?” It's a simple way to engage people and have fun getting to know each other, it gets participants to step into the space together. Each team gets points for any items that are called out that they have with them.

Alexandre Plennevaux

Weather Forecast

On a board there is a Sun, a Sun with a cloud, and a cloud with a thunder. Participants write their name on a postit and put it in the area that matches their current mood.