A resource kit you can use to apply creative collaboration and unleash potential in your team or organization.
Tools to inject energy into the process, get people moving, and have fun.
Tools to unleash creativity, discover valuable insights, and develop new products and services.
Tools for personal development, reflection, self-awareness and how to integrate learning and grow.
Tools focused on implementation, and driving and supporting change in organizations.
Tools to build effective teams - foster trust and openness for better collaboration.
To work effectively together team members need to build relations, show trust, and be open with each other. This method supports those things through a process of structured storytelling. Team members answer questions related to their childhood, young adulthood, and now; then weave them into a story to share with the rest of their team.
Explain the purpose of the exercise. That trust and openness in teams is important for effective working relationships. By sharing personal stories we are going to build those relationships. Let them know that nobody should feel like they have to share anything they don’t want to.
If relevant discuss with the group the importance of these ideas. You might refer to the Johari Window theory in the toolbox.
It is very important to create a safe and inviting space since individuals will share personal stories. In some cases, individuals may share experiences that generate emotion in themselves and/or within the group. As a facilitator, remind participants that this is normal and welcome. If individuals become very emotional, follow-up with them individually after the session.
Ask the participants to take three different colors of post-its and a pen. Then to spread out across the room and find a space where they are comfortable. Explain that there will be three rounds of questions. Each round will last about 5-7 minutes. They will write down answers to the questions, one per post-it.
The first round is about childhood. Choose one color post-it and write down your answers. Don’t think too much:
The second round is about your young adulthood. Pick a new color of post-it and think about:
The final round focused on now. Choose a new color, and write down:
Give the group 10 minutes to review their post-its and to organize them on a flip-chart however they choose. They can use a marker to add words or symbols. They don’t have to use all of them, but they should try to make it engaging and visual.
Let them know that they will each have 4 minutes to tell their story.
When everyone is ready or the 10 minutes is up, gather the group into a horseshoe. Invite the participants to share their stories at the front, one at a time.
If you have time you can invite the group to ask questions after each story.
The purpose of this simple exercise is to demonstrate three key principles useful for creativity and idea generation: quantity is a condition for quality; building on the ideas of others; the ideas we come up with are usually all the same. The format is simple, with small groups standing and drawing apples. At the end of the exercise the whole group reflects and draws out learnings and reflections.
IDOARRT is a simple tool to support you to lead an effective meeting or group process by setting out clear purpose, structure and goals at the very beginning. It aims to enable all participants to understand every aspect of the meeting or process, which creates the security of a common ground to start from. The acronym stands for Intention, Desired Outcome, Agenda, Rules, Roles and Responsibilities and Time.
A short activity to run early in a program, focused on sharing fears, anxieties and uncertainties related to the program theme. The purpose is to create openness within a group. The stinky fish is a metaphor for "that thing that you carry around but don’t like to talk about; but the longer you hide it, the stinkier it gets." By putting stinky fish (fears and anxieties) on the table, participants begin relate to each other, become more comfortable sharing, and identify a clear area for development and learning.
A team-building activity in which a group is challenged to physically support one another in an endeavor to move from one end of a space to another. It requires working together creatively and strategically in order to solve a practical, physical problem. It tends to emphasize group communication, cooperation, leadership and membership, patience and problem-solving.
This workshop aims to help participants define, decide and achieve their goals. By supporting participants to envision where they want to be in a number of years on a holistic level, and defining the steps that will take them there, participants get a clearer picture of the action they need to take.
This exercise is useful for bringing groups together, to create interpersonal bonds, and to build trust. Participants stand opposite each other and have 30 seconds to give appreciative feedback to the other person. The group rotates until everyone has given feedback to everyone else. It is often used as part of wrap-up activities, to create an energized feeling to leave with.