[Ailist] Summary of all appreciative warm-up suggestions

[Sue Fick]

Hi All

I have really appreciated such an abundance of responses for my first
list serve question. I have compiled them in this one email so that
others can benefit from them.Thanks, Sue.

APPRECIATIVE WARM UPS

One thing I have done is ask people to sit in a circle of chairs - and
then one at a time to ask each other, Tell me something about yourself I
don't know. If they know each other it works well and draws out new
information. 

If they don't know each other it also works well - plus it can be taken
as humerous because they already don't know anything about each other.
As the question moves around the circle it usually elevates each others
feelings - and yet it is very true to AI because it starts with just who
they are - no gimmicks. - and people can feel the value of ordinariness
- for some of the unknown things that can come out are very everyday.

Also it starts to give people experience with the intimacy of asking
each other questions and demonstrates in actuality the power of
permission.

that process works well for up to about 12 people. for up to about 30
you can have two or three circles.

If you have about 30 or more Gervaise Bushe did a neat thing.

Divide the room in half. Divide left side into pairs and ask each pair
to list the five top characteristics they might seek in an employee
(employee, spouse, student etc). The other half of the room - divide
into pairs ask one to ask the other what their best expeience of
leadership, in a team, working for this organization etc was (one
question). Just go one way to keep time down.

After the time (5 minutes) ask the left side of the room - by show of
hands - what is your energy level (1-5) after answering this question
(How many at level 1 how many at 2 etc.

Do the same for the ones who asked the appreciative story question.

Bushe made a the process of counting and averaging quite light and fun.

The results for our group of 100 were very clear - the listers were
about

2.5 and the storiers about 4.5.

Any questions about this I'd be happy to try to answer.

Mike

A couple of fun activities are to have people group themselves in the
room according to one of the following:

First Style of shoes

Second Color of eyes

Third Color of shirt

And then in each of those groupings in one minute segments for each
person (which you call out and time) have people describe: 

First - the best vacation they ever took (where was it, who was it with,

etc.)

Second - the person they most admire

Third - tell their life story to those in their group (in one
minute!)For this one you want to keep the groups small (3 -4 max) so if
you have more than 4 in a group with the same color shirt - have them
split into two groups (hope this makes sense)...

By the time you're done - people have definitely met a large number of
the people in the room through the three rounds and each have shared or
heard positive real stories from each of those in their groupings...

Laurie Maslak

Calgary, AB, Canada

I got a lovely atmosphere at a workshop recently by asking people to
interview each other for three minutes each way about a happy memory. I
suggested that both parties decide to enjoy it, encouraged listening and
"gosh do continue" and assured people they did not have to report back
and anything they said was confidential. Everybody enjoyed it, including
me!

This was in the UK!

Best wishes

Nick

 

I developed this set of cards as a result of the thread that someone
copied you in one. They were for use at a sales conference reception but
in the end didn't get used. Feel free to try them out and if you do
please let me know how it works. The blue sides were the front and the
following white slides were the back of each card. You can choose
whether or not you use the backs

Another easy introduction is one from my facilitator training. Get each
person to make a poster about themselves with their name, a high point
of their last year or something else of which they are really proud.
Then to select two pictures from a table of magazine cut outs that tell
everyone else something about themselves that they don't mind sharing.
Stick those to their poster. Have each poster pinned to the wall and
then do an 'art gallery tour' where each person talks about their own
poster for a few minutes. It's fun (and so is collecting the magazine
pictures). Make sure everyone gets a round of applause at the end of
their presentation.

Roger

I put out a table full of cut out National Geographic pictures to select
from. They put their image (or images) on a piece of flipchart paper
along with their name and the answer to 2 questions: What do you already
know about AI? What do you want to know?

They post the flipcharts on the wall(s) and introduce themselves, name,
location, work and speak about what the image means. In large groups to
save time, they don't present the answers to the 2 questions...those can
be read at any time as they are up on the wall.

It's a great way to bring "who" people really are into the room (beyond
what they do). And the answer to the 2 questions let's me assess AI
backgrounds and expectations.

Cheers,

Jeanie