22 examples of event exercises. What exercise would you add?

1. Event
exercises

2. Exercise # 1
Ask people 1 or 2 questions
as they arrive

3. What question would you like to speak with other
event participants about?
https://facilitationanywhere.net/2016/10/04/seven-openings/

4. What is one piece of knowledge you would you like
to pass on to other event participants?
https://facilitationanywhere.net/2016/10/04/seven-openings/

5. Exercise # 2
What do you like a lot
about the event topic?

6. 30 seconds per person
Adapted from
http://www.amazon.de/Sell-Human-Surprising-Influencing-ebook/dp/B00AO3K05S/ location 2716.
What do you like a lot about the event topic?

7. Exercise # 3
What personal story connects
you to the event topic?

8. The event moderator asks each participant to share, with
the person standing next to him or her, a short personal
story that connects him or her to the event topic.
1 minute per person.
Adapted from
https://facilitationanywhere.net/2016/10/04/seven-openings/

9. Further inspiration
http://www.slideshare.net/frankcalberg/storytelling-66166609

10. Exercise # 4
First impressions game

11. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/First-impressions-game-2749669

12. Exercise # 5
Make animal sounds and
find like-minded people

13. Part # 1
The moderator asks each participant to make a sound of an animal
that he or she likes. Make sure you sound relatively loud, so other
participants can hear you.
Part # 2
The moderator asks each participant to go and find like-minded people by
listening to the sounds other participants make and approach participants
who make sounds that come closest to one’s own sounds.

14. Inspiration
http://www.kommunikationskollektiv.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Moderationsmethoden-S4C-KoKo.pdf
https://www.pinterest.com/frankcalberg/if-you-were-an-animal-which-one-would-you-be/

15. Exercise # 6
What do we have in common?

16. In groups of 3-4 people, please find out
what you have in common.

17. Source
https://www.amazon.de/Sell-Human-Surprising-Influencing-ebook/dp/B00AO3K05S location 1230.

18. Exercise # 7
What postcard shows
your feelings best?

19. Postcards with different images are spread out on a slide
or – if on a physical room - on a table.
Each participant is asked to pick one card that expresses
his / her current feelings in the best possible way.
https://www.uni-due.de/imperia/md/content/zfh/methodenbar_2012.pdf

21. Exercise # 8
Make a vernissage

22. Each event participant is asked to express his / her ideas
to a certain topic / question by explaining the story
behind a photo or drawing, he / she has created, to the
other participants.
https://www.uni-due.de/imperia/md/content/zfh/methodenbar_2012.pdf

23. Exercise # 9
Agree – disagree exercise

24. Ask participants to place themselves where they have
their opinion on a certain topic.
Totally
disagree
Totally
agree

25. http://www.kommunikationskollektiv.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Moderationsmethoden-S4C-KoKo.pdf p. 6.
Ask people to share with another person
why they placed themselves where they did.

26. Exercise # 10
Finish the sentence

27. Unfinished sentenced are shown, for example on slides
or on walls.
Then participants are asked to finish the sentences.
https://www.uni-due.de/imperia/md/content/zfh/methodenbar_2012.pdf p. 12.

28. When cars drive by themselves, people will..............
When the classroom is flipped, students will............
A great city is a city where people......

29. Exercise # 11
3 minute chat with
the person next to you

30. What is important to you in what has
just been presented?
3 minute chat with the person next to you

31. Other examples of questions
1. What did you learn from the presentation?
2. What do you think about x?
3. How can you contribute to this?
4. What do you need to know more about?

32. Sources of inspiration
https://hbr.org/2014/08/four-ways-to-fix-the-qa-session/
http://www.kommunikationskollektiv.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Moderationsmethoden-S4C-KoKo.pdf p. 4.
http://legacy.hbr.org/tip/2014/10/30/turn-your-boring-qa-session-around
Ib Ravn: Facilitering, p. 93-94.

33. Exercise # 12
What’s your idea
to solve the problem?

34. Each of you, please communicate
1 idea to solve the problem.
30 seconds per person

35. Exercise # 13
Please share a success
experience you had

36. 1 minute per person
Each of you, please share a success experience,
you had in your life related to the event topic.

37. Exercise # 14
How can you help?

38. One at a time, each participant asks everyone for help to solve
a problem he / she has.
After a participant has shared what he / she needs help with,
all other participants use their knowledge, resources, and
connections to help the person.
http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/organization/givers_take_all_the_hidden_dimension_of_corporate_culture

39. Exercise # 15
Appreciative inquiry exercise

40. 3 questions discussed in groups of 2-3 people:
1. What is the best meeting you have participated in?
2. What was really good about this meeting?
3. How can we do more of this in coming meetings?
http://oqi.wisc.edu/resourcelibrary/uploads/resources/Facilitator%20Tool%20Kit.pdf p. 11-12.

41. Exercise # 16
Poster exercise

42.  4 participants each place a poster in each corner of the room.
 The other participants in the room split up in each corner.
Round # 1. 2 minutes

43.  Each of the 4 participants with posters talks about his/her
idea for 3 minutes.
 The presentation is followed by a 2 minute question and
answer session.
Round # 2. 5 minutes

44. Using post-it notes, each participant
places questions on any poster.
Round # 3: 5 minutes

45. Round # 4: 5 minutes
In groups of 2 persons, participants
discuss questions with each other.

46. Exercise # 17
How can we improve
the questions?

47. Step # 1
The workshop moderator suggests a topic to work on.
Example: Farming innovation.

48. Step # 2. 3 minutes
Each participant works on improving any question.
Step # 3. 3 minutes
Participants develop 5 questions in groups of 2 people, write each
question on Post-It notes and put them on the wall.

49. Step # 4. 3 minutes
The moderator defines criteria for prioritizing questions.
Participants prioritize questions.

50. Inspired by
http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2011/09/11/learning-to-ask-the-right-question-2/

51. Exercise # 18
Advice from 2 people

52. Preparation of consultant session
Groups of 3 persons are created.

53. Part # 1. 2 minutes
 Person A talks about a challenge he/she has at work.
 Persons B and C listen.

54. Part # 2. 5 minutes
Persons B and C
Persons B and C speak to each other, as they both give feedback
to person A in the roles as consultants. During their talk, they
ignore person A. Examples:
 I need to understand better why he/she....…. because.......?
 What do you think would happen if he/she.…?
 This is what I would do:…..
Person A
When listening to the conversation between persons B and C,
person A writes down what he/she can use.

55. Part # 3. 5 minutes
Person A picks out what he or she thinks is the best idea he
/ she heard when listening to persons B and C talk.
Person A discusses this idea with person B and C.

56. Further inspiration
http://www.managerseminare.de/downpdf/moderieren.pdf page 17.

57. Exercise # 19
Create multiple choice
questions

58. Each of you, please create 3 multiple choice questions
about the topic we discuss.
Each question must
 be relevant, and concrete, and simple.
 have minimum 3 different answers of which
minimum 1 answer is correct.
Part A. 5 minutes

59. Please pass the multiple choice question to
the person on your left, and let him/her do
the multiple choice test.
Part B. 2 minutes

60. Please hand the multiple choice test, you have just
taken, to the person on your left and ask him / her to
correct the test.
The person correcting the test gives a short feedback to
the person, who did the test - arguing for why the
answer of the question is right or wrong.
Part C. 5 minutes

61. Exercise # 20
Event reflection exercise

62. 2 reflection questions
1. What are 3 important ideas from this event you will try out at work?
2. What questions are still unsolved in your mind?
Adapted from
Ravn, Ib: Facilitering, p. 96.
http://www.epiz-berlin.de/wp-content/uploads/2013-Methodensammlung-fu%CC%88r-Referent_innen.pdf p. 32.

63. Exercise # 21
Group reflection exercise

64. How good was the facilitation of
communication among participants
during the event?
How much did you learn
during the event?
Josephine
Douglas
Joe
Sharon

65. Inspired by
http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/akademie/mup/06701.pdf page 85.

66. Exercise # 22
Individual feedback

67. Question # 1: How was the event? Please draw a line of your choice
+
-
Start Finish
Question # 2: What, in particular, did you like? Please write 2 experiences.
1.
2.

68. http://www.frankcalberg.com/thankyou