Facilitation Exercises
Below is a collection of facilitation exercises, ice-breakers and group work. I didn't create these (so can't take any credit for them) but have curated this collection that I have found engaging and productive. Use the tags above to to filter by type or browse the collection below.
Ideas Generated by Brainstorming Groups
Ideas generated by the same number of people who work alone and later pool their ideas
Brainstorming and Group Work
Decades of research has consistently shown that brainstorming groups think of far fewer ideas than the same number of people who work alone and later pool their ideas
Retention rates from workshop methods
Teaching others90%
Practice by doing75%
Discussion groups50%
Demonstration 20%30%
Audio Visual20%
Reading10%
Lecture5%
Source: National Training Laboratories, Bethel Maine
Facilitation ice-breakers, warm-ups and team work
November 19, 2018
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Great for demonstrating the power of self-organising teams The Facilitator introduces the icebreaker as a short workshop where we’ll quickly see how collaborative we can be […]
September 2, 2020
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A team-building activity in which groups must work together to build a structure out of lego, but each individual has a secret “assignment” which makes the […]
November 19, 2018
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Your family (group) just inherited a successful restaurant from Chef Charlie, a long lost relative. The only problem: Charlie was very disorganized. The only recipes you have found […]
November 19, 2018
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A tool to allow people to understand both sides of a conflict. They can help people entrenched in one position to think more flexibly. They are […]
November 19, 2018
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Your memory is going to be completely erased in five minutes. You have only that time to write down everything you want or need to remember. […]
November 19, 2018
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20 minutes to 1 hour; 5 – 100 people These can help to explore the different views on an issue within the group. It is a […]
November 19, 2018
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Like the traditional game, but losers become the cheering team for the people they lost to. By the end of the game there are two players […]
November 19, 2018
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Great for team bonding, strengths and weaknesses In the past, a totem pole was carved for several reasons; for example, to honor a deceased elder who […]
November 19, 2018
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Engage everyone simultaneously in generating questions, ideas, and suggestions Structuring Invitation Ask a question in response to the presentation of an issue, or about a problem […]
November 19, 2018
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A very physical team version of ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’! Sort the group into two teams and explain that each team has to choose one of three […]
November 19, 2018
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To generate ideas about how to implement the reverse of the current state of affairs and to experience the possibility of looking at a problem as […]
November 20, 2018
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Imagine all the reasons your project could turn into a miserable failure. Then figure out how you can prevent those problems now, while there’s still time. Visualize […]
November 19, 2018
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You are about to begin a scavenger hunt with several members of this training group. The object of the game is to collect all of the […]
November 29, 2018
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Let trainees find solutions for their problems themselves. Benefit from swarm intelligence. At the end of a training block each trainee writes one open question on […]
November 29, 2018
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This game’s purpose is to help teams evaluate a problem differently and break out of existing patterns. The Anti-Problem game helps people get unstuck when they […]
November 29, 2018
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Here’s another jolt that explores one of our favorite themes: You have to unlearn something old in order to learn something new. A nice thing about […]
November 29, 2018
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Participants at a training session are often preoccupied with other important things in their life. Here’s a simple jolt to wake them up. Goal To make […]
November 20, 2018
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The “7th generation” principle taught by Native Americans says that in every decision, be it personal, governmental or corporate, we must consider how it will affect our descendants seven […]
November 19, 2018
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A great technique to help focus on one area only and remove limiting ideas about the next step Fold an A0 sheet of paper into three. Discuss […]
November 19, 2018
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Teamwork Break into groups of about 3 or 4 people. Everyone then raises their dominant hand, you know, the hand you use to write with. Now, […]
November 19, 2018
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Boosts your creativity, your productivity and your overall enjoyment for life. Close your eyes and picture a vivid scene; a waterfall in a rainforest or children […]
November 29, 2018
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In this fun and active group game, participants sit in a circle, with one person in the middle. The person in the middle asks different questions […]
November 19, 2018
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15 – 40 minutes; 5 – 30 people Withholds are thoughts that we keep to ourselves. They usually have to do with judgements about ourselves, others, […]
November 4, 2021
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Overview One person holds up an object to the camera The rest of the group is given 8 seconds to find a matching object The first […]
November 19, 2018
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This can be used to place limits on dominant or overeager speakers. It also encourages shy speakers to contribute. Each person is given the same number […]
November 19, 2018
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An excellent game for focusing people and getting them to work together. It creates laughter and energy without being physical. Because it’s not a physical game […]
November 19, 2018
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This activity will rely heavily on problem solving and leadership skills. Some team members might stand out and some might stand back, but it’s important to […]
January 26, 2020
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Poetic License is a fun group exercise that’s sure to incite laughter in your NVC group! (This game originated from Doug Dolstad) Instructions: In a group circle, […]
November 20, 2018
November 19, 2018
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You’ll need some pen and paper for right after this exercise. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Breathe deeply and focus on your […]
November 19, 2018
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This is always a fun and interesting game that can be played from the outset but be warned you should either keep this for smaller groups […]
November 19, 2018
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There’s a whole host of problem-solving exercises and tools that help participants to put themselves into the shoes of another. This particular tool was invented by […]
November 29, 2018
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The SLAM makes this “Mind Spin” activity even more effective. Encourage participants to keep moving! This is a fast-paced LOUD activity – if they have no ideas grab […]
November 29, 2018
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Bang is a group game, played in a circle, where participants must react quickly or face elimination. One person stands in the middle of the circle […]
November 19, 2018
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You and your team have just found a lamp. You rub it, and surprise! A genie appears. The genie grants you three wishes. You are allowed […]
November 19, 2018
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Great exercise to facilitate good feelings and intimacy Look back over your careers and identify three events, activities, moments of courage, accomplishments, collaborations, or moments of […]
February 28, 2020
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Speedboat is a short and sweet way to identify what your employees or clients don’t like about your product/service or what’s standing in the way of […]
November 29, 2018
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This game naturally follows the creative idea generation phase and helps players select ideas to develop further. Draw a 2-by-2 matrix as above. The X-axis denotes […]
November 29, 2018
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To generate a more inclusive set of ideas. These are the six key questions that journalism students are taught to answer somewhere in their news articles […]
November 19, 2018
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This is a lovely cooperative game that always brings a group together and lights up people’s faces! Ask everyone to gather around you in a tight […]
November 19, 2018
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Great fun energiser: Explain that the room is now divided into two sides and draw an imaginary line for all to see. The leader will call […]
November 19, 2018
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Great fast ideation technique. Fold a piece of paper into 6 and have everyone individually come up with 6 super-quick ideas in the 6 spaces in […]
November 29, 2018
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This is a great activity to get people up and moving around in a playful way while still learning about each other. It can be related […]
November 19, 2018
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Great ice-breaker. Ask everyone to get a partner (preferably someone they don’t know well). Each pair has three minutes to discover three things they have in […]
November 19, 2018
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This is a technique that can help to save the day when nothing else seems to be working and can re-ignite the energy levels of groups […]
November 19, 2018
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SCAMPER. is essentially a process for expanding and improving upon ideas by testing and questioning them from different angles. For each letter of the mnemonic, ask […]
November 19, 2018
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For this ideation technique, you start out by asking for the impossible and then brainstorm ways to make it, or at least some approximation of it, […]
November 29, 2018
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Ideation steps. This process is inspired by the Double Diamond design process model. Step 1. Introduce Ideation Principles: Begin with a short presentation of principles for […]
November 29, 2018
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Generate a big number of ideas quickly. Using the first 8 ideas as a basis can help to expand these ideas further. 1. Draw a square […]
November 26, 2018
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Storylining Storylining is an essential part of a storytelling. It is lining of messages in logical order to make the entire story easy to grasp and understand […]
November 29, 2018
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This is a good game to begin a workshop. It sets everyone on the mood to learn, share, and participate. Goal a) get some participants to […]
November 4, 2021
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Overview Light, energising exercise that helps the group to observe the other people on the call. Instructions Everyone puts on their camera For half a minute […]
November 19, 2018
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A fun, fast game that helps to break the ice and get energy flowing How to: You first need to think of pairs of things – […]
November 19, 2018
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A very physical team version of ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’! Sort the group into two teams and explain that each team has to choose one of three […]
November 19, 2018
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Great ice-breaker. Ask everyone to get a partner (preferably someone they don’t know well). Each pair has three minutes to discover three things they have in […]
November 19, 2018
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Great exercise to facilitate good feelings and intimacy Look back over your careers and identify three events, activities, moments of courage, accomplishments, collaborations, or moments of […]