Facilitation

Skills Guide

Brainstorming

Working together

Participatory
Acknowledgements
The NWT Literacy Council gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance for
this Skill Builders for Young Parents project from the Department of Education,
Culture and Employment, GNWT.

The NWT Literacy Council is a territorial non-profit group that promotes and
supports literacy in all official languages of the NWT. Our program areas
include Aboriginal languages, family literacy, adult literacy and essential skills,
youth literacy, and plain language.

Contact the NWT Literacy Council for more information or to get copies of this
document.

Box 761, Yellowknife, NT X1A 2N6

Phone toll free: 1-866-599-6758
Phone Yellowknife: (867) 873-9262
Fax: (867) 873-2176
Email: [email protected]
Web site: www.nwtliteracy.ca
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

July 2014
 Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................... 2
A facilitator’s role ..................................................................................... 2
Knowledge and skills of a good facilitator ................................................ 3
Values and attitudes of a good facilitator ................................................. 4
Consider your audience ........................................................................... 4
Differences between teaching and facilitation .......................................... 5
Vary your learning activities ..................................................................... 6
Facilitation Tips ........................................................................................ 7
Make a safe place ................................................................................... 7
Do’s of facilitation .................................................................................... 8
Facilitator tools ........................................................................................ 9
Challenges for facilitators ...................................................................... 13

Tools for Success ................................................................................... 16

Introduction activities ............................................................................. 16
Warm-up activities/energizers ............................................................... 20
Team building activities ......................................................................... 26
Dice Games........................................................................................... 28
Interactive games .................................................................................. 29
Closing activities .................................................................................... 33
Grouping................................................................................................ 37

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 Introduction

Introduction
This guide explains what a facilitator does and provides tips and tools to
help people successfully facilitate workshops. The guide is good for people
who are new to facilitation as well as those who are experienced
facilitators. You will find a range of activities that will help make your
workshop interesting and engaging.
The introduction section covers:
• A facilitator’s role
• Knowledge and skills of a good facilitator
• Values and attitudes of a good facilitator
• Consider your audience
• Differences between teaching and facilitating
• Vary your learning activities

A facilitator’s role1

As a group facilitator, you help a group to discuss

an issue, make a decision, or solve a problem. You The name
keep the group moving, and always towards its “facilitator” comes
from the Latin word
(not your) goals. The facilitator does not know all
“facilis” which
the answers. Their role is to help the group think
literally means “to
critically about the topic of the training or
make easy.”
workshop, and to make decisions for themselves.
There should be a balance between offering ideas to guide the group and
patiently listening and questioning. The facilitator’s role is also to
encourage each member of the group to contribute to the best of their
ability. Everyone has valuable knowledge and a valuable contribution to
make. But people can be reluctant to share their knowledge. They may lack

1 http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/rural/facts/95-073.htm#role

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 Introduction

the confidence or may not consider what they know to be important. The
facilitator’s role is to build trust and respect between the members of the
group and to encourage discussion so everyone can learn from one
another.
With the proper facilitation skills and knowledge, you can help any group
achieve its goals efficiently and enjoyably.

Knowledge and skills of a good facilitator

An effective facilitator:
▪ Is well prepared.
▪ Thinks and acts creatively.
▪ Listens and observes.
▪ Uses visual aids effectively (overheads, flipcharts, etc.).
▪ Records ideas neatly.
▪ Asks probing questions.
▪ Thinks quickly.
▪ Acknowledges and responds to participants.
▪ Summarizes.
▪ Resolves conflict.
▪ Uses humour.
▪ Knows a variety of techniques for group discussions, including
problem-solving and decision-making.
▪ Designs or chooses appropriate group discussion techniques.
▪ Understands people and groups, and energizes the group.

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 Introduction

Values and attitudes of a good facilitator

An effective facilitator must also hold certain values and attitudes.

Respect and Empathy: All ideas are important. No idea or individual is
more important than another.
Cooperation: Your group members must work together to reach the
group’s goals. As a facilitator you cannot force individuals to work
together, but you can create an environment for it to happen.
Honesty: You and the group need to be honest and open about your
feelings, values, and priorities.
Responsibility: The group must assume responsibility for the solutions
and their implications. The facilitator assumes responsibility for his or her
actions, which ultimately affect the content, participation, and process of
the session.
Flexibility: As you facilitate the workshop, you will need to be flexible
with time and adjust the schedule as needed.

Consider your audience

Your audience, the people who will actually be part of the workshop, is
probably the most important piece of the puzzle here. You will need to
consider the following:
▪ What do they already know? What knowledge and skills do they
already have? What can they contribute to the workshop?
▪ Is the material relevant? Is the workshop and material relevant to
their needs? Is the material of interest to them?
▪ Will they come with a particular attitude? Were they forced to
come to the workshop? Are they only at the workshop because they
have to be there?

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 Introduction

Differences between teaching and facilitation2

Teaching Facilitating

Teachers start from their own Facilitators start from the

knowledge. knowledge of the group.

Teachers follow a pre-set Facilitators address issues

curriculum. identified by the group or their
community and adapt new
ideas to the needs and culture
of the group.

Teachers present new Facilitators use practical,

information from the front, or participatory methods, like
“head,” of the room. group discussion and activities
in which all members of the
group participate.

Information flows in just one Information flows in many

direction, from teacher to different directions between the
students. facilitator and individual group
members―a genuine exchange
of ideas.

Teachers bring extensive Facilitators draw out and build

knowledge of the subject. on the knowledge of the group,
and knows where to find
further information on the
subject.

2 http://tilz.tearfund.org/webdocs/Tilz/Fac%20skills%20English/Facilitation%20_E.pdf

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 Introduction

Vary your learning activities

Did you know...that it is important to provide a range of learning activities

for participants?

Research tells us that we learn:3

▪ 5% through lecture.
▪ 10% through reading.
▪ 20% through watching a video or listening to a podcast.
▪ 30% through demonstration.
▪ 50% through discussion.
▪ 75% through doing something or practicing something.
▪ 90% through teaching others.

Provide participants with a range of activities from watching YouTube

videos to brainstorming to role playing. Give participants an opportunity
to teach or lead the group. Give participants time to talk and connect with
one another. Let them share their ideas and their knowledge.

3 http://www.workshopexercises.com/Facilitator.htm#FacilitatorDefined

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 Facilitation Tips

Facilitation Tips
As we have learned, facilitation is the art of guiding but
not leading, encouraging learning but not lecturing,
engaging but not directing. In this section are some
facilitation tips to help you facilitate effectively and
successfully!
This section covers:
▪ Make a safe place
▪ Do’s of facilitation
▪ Facilitator tools
▪ Challenges for facilitators

Make a safe place

Almost all workshops ask participants to reflect on their own learning

journey, and collectively explore the subject matter. Often workshop
material is sensitive and facilitators will have to use their judgment about
what and how much they want to tackle at any given time.
Be aware that some adult participants may find talking about certain
issues difficult. Many may have dealt with failures in the school system
and other training programs. They may feel a great deal of fear around
learning and success.
Make sure you allow people to participate at their own pace and level.

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 Facilitation Tips

Dos of facilitation

Here are a few basic facilitation tips to help you deliver the workshops in
this program:

Develop working agreements. Develop ground rules, or working

agreements, to help participants understand what is expected of them and
others in the program.
Find out the expectations of the group. Ask the participants why they
came to the workshop and what they want to learn. Write what they say
on flipchart paper and address each statement and whether or not it will
be covered in the workshop. Be honest. If it will not be covered, clearly
explain why not and tell them that they can get more information from
you after the session, or direct them to another workshop that may better
suit their needs.
Use the flipchart. Write down what participants say on flipchart paper.
This helps show the speakers that their ideas have been acknowledged,
and helps group members follow the conversation.
Use games and icebreakers. Games are a great way to set the tone for the
workshop and get participants open and ready to learn. You will find a list
of introduction activities, energizers, games, and team-building activities
in this guide.
Give everyone a chance to participate. The facilitator’s role is to make
sure that there are opportunities for everyone to participate. You can do
this through activities like brainstorming, group work, or using a talking
stick.
Use different methods of instruction. Use a variety of facilitation tools:
group work, lecture, reading, video, audio, role-playing, warm-ups,
discussion, and presentation.
Put up a parking lot. Place a piece of flipchart paper that says “Parking
Lot” on the wall. Write items and questions that come up during the
training that are not relevant to the content of the training at that particular

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 Facilitation Tips

moment, but that you want to address later. In the beginning of the
training, explain what it will mean to “place questions in the parking lot.”
Make up a participant bag. In almost every workshop, there is a lot of
brainstorming and other types of activities that use markers, tape, scissors,
stickie notes, etc. Buy some large Ziploc bags and put all these items in the
bag. Give each participant a bag to use for the workshop.

Facilitator tools

Brainstorming
Brainstorming is a tool that helps a group to come up with as many ideas
as possible without worrying about the details. You can do brainstorms as
a large group or in small groups. Make sure you have flipchart paper and
markers for each group.
Go over the rules of brainstorming before you start:
▪ Speak one at a time.
▪ Listen to each other.
▪ No idea is a bad idea.
▪ No judgement is allowed.
▪ The more ideas, the better!
You might want to do a practice brainstorm with participants with
something fun. For example, you could ask participants to brainstorm all
the things you can do with duct tape.

Different ways to brainstorm

Sometimes brainstorming can get a little boring. Make it interesting by

trying these different ways to brainstorm.
1. Three-way rotation: Sometimes we can get attached to our ideas
and it makes it hard to hear the ideas of other people. The three–
way rotation tool can help!

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 Facilitation Tips

In small groups have people brainstorm a given topic. Have them

write all their ideas on a large sheet of paper. When the groups have
had enough time (15 to 20 minutes), take each sheet and give it to a
different group. Tell the groups to now cross off all but the five best
ideas on the sheet. Because the groups are not working on their own
ideas, it will be easier for them to cross off ideas. Next, take each of
the sheets and again give them to a different group. This time tell
the groups to rank the top three ideas by marking a 1, 2 or 3 next to
each one. This is a great way to prioritize or find the top three
choices.
2. Corners: This is a great tool to get people talking about different
topics. Write down each of the topics on a separate piece of flip chart
paper. Put the papers up in different areas of the room. Read the
topics to the whole group. Ask people to choose the topic that is
most interesting to them and ask them to go to that area of the room.
The groups discuss their topics and write down their ideas. Each
small group reports back to the larger group.
3. Carousel: This type of brainstorming helps participants to really
think about a topic and generate lots of ideas. Each group works
together to brainstorm a topic. Give each group a piece of flipchart
paper with a different topic on it. Give the group about 10 minutes
to brainstorm and record their ideas. At the end of the time period,
the group exchanges their paper with another group. They read
what the other group has written and add their ideas. At the end of
the period, change papers again. Continue until all ideas are
exhausted. Each group puts their paper up on the wall and
participants move around the room and review the lists. You can
use this tool with a variety of topics. All you need is a topic that
lends itself to a variety of situations.

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 Facilitation Tips

Pros and cons

Got several ideas and can't decide which one to go for? Simply list the
benefits and drawbacks of each idea and compare the results. This can be
done as a full group, or by asking pairs, or small groups, to work on the
pros and cons of one option and reporting back to the group.

Agree and disagree

Make signs up and put them on opposite sides of the room. Pose a
question and ask participants if they agree or disagree. Ask each group to
discuss why they agree or disagree with the statement and then have them
share their ideas with the other group. Participants can then move over to
the other side if they are convinced by their ideas.

Talking sticks
You can use a stick, or a feather, or almost any other distinctive object.
Place the talking stick in the centre of the group. Speakers take it from the
centre, say their piece and return it to the middle. Only the person holding
the talking stick is permitted to speak (you can set a time limit if
necessary). This tool allows people to consider and take their time in
voicing their views as they don't have to be afraid that someone else might
jump in. It also makes people conscious of when they interrupt others and
helps them to break the habit. Here is a list of agreements to follow:
▪ Only one person speaks at a time; everyone else listens.
▪ Everyone needs to listen respectfully while someone is speaking.
▪ No one will repeat anything they hear in the circle to others. What is
said in the circle stays in the circle.
▪ People should speak about the topic and not respond to what other
people in the circle have said.

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 Facilitation Tips

Limited discussion

This can be used to place limits on dominant or over-eager speakers. It also

encourages shy speakers to contribute. Each person is given the same
number of items; it could be candies, sticks, beads, etc. Every time
someone speaks he or she gives up one of the items. When someone has
used all their items they may not speak again until everyone else's items
are gone too. Decide beforehand whether people may give their items to
other members of the group.

Working in small groups

There are many reasons why you may want to split into smaller groups,
but the biggest reason is smaller groups help people who are too shy to
speak in a larger group to have a voice. Smaller groups allow time for
everyone to speak and to feel involved.

Questions
Most participants shy away from asking questions. Participants may be
scared to ask a “foolish” question and think they might be the only
confused person in the room. All questions are valid.
One way to encourage everyone to ask questions is to give everyone an
index card. Ask participants to write down a question they want
answered. Then ask participants to turn the card over so that the written
side is down and pass it to someone else. Participants continue passing the
cards in random fashion until you yell "Stop!" Make sure everyone has a
card. Now select a participant at random and ask her or him to read a
question from the card.

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 Facilitation Tips

Challenges for facilitators4

There are many challenges a facilitator faces when working with a group.

Taking control

One of the greatest difficulties that facilitators can face is the temptation to
take control of a discussion or change the process. This is often out of a real
desire to help the group move forwards. If we are used to a top-down
teaching style, and have not had the chance to observe good facilitators at
work, it can be very difficult to change our approach to sharing ideas.
Some ways for empowering participants are:
▪ Be patient.
▪ Listen to others and show that their opinions are valued.
▪ Be open to learning from the group so that information sharing is
multi-directional.
▪ Encourage the group to discover solutions for themselves and to
take responsibility for their own learning.

Difficult questions

You do not need to have all the answers, but it is important that you are
familiar with the subject material. It is okay to say that you do not know
the answer. Tell participants that you will find out the answer as best you
can and get back to them. Some ways of dealing with difficult questions
are:
▪ Prepare yourself for the workshop. Read over all the material you
will be presenting.
▪ Anticipate people’s questions where possible and think of possible
responses.
▪ Repeat the question for all participants. Maybe someone in the
group knows the answer.

4 http://tilz.tearfund.org/webdocs/Tilz/Fac%20skills%20English/Facilitation%20_E.pdf

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 Facilitation Tips

Managing conflict

Sometimes people will have strong and conflicting ideas on a subject. Poor
relationships within the group will also affect the way the group works
together as a whole. A facilitator needs to be sensitive to possible
differences and tensions, and encourage people to work through these,
keeping their common goals and interests in mind. Some ways for
managing conflict are:
▪ Acknowledge the conflict.
▪ Try to establish the cause of the conflict.
▪ Help lead participants to a place of agreement, or to agree to
disagree.
▪ Use your group agreements to help you manage the conflict. Make
sure everyone is treating one another with respect and listening to
different points of view.

Handling dominant people

Sometimes there is one person who dominates the discussion. They are
confident they have all the right answers! A good facilitator needs to make
sure that others have an opportunity to speak. Some ways to make sure
that everyone has a chance to participate are:
▪ Break the group into smaller groups.
▪ Give each person five stones, matchsticks or candies. When they
speak they must put one back in the jar. When all their items are
gone, they can’t speak anymore.
▪ Give group members a role. Roles can be facilitator, time keeper,
recorder, reporter, etc. Make sure that everyone has a chance to be
each role at least once.
▪ Give dominant participants other responsibilities, like making sure
the group keeps to their time table. This will distract them.
▪ Lead off your discussion group with: “Let’s hear from some of you
who have not had a chance to voice your opinion.”

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 Facilitation Tips

Working with shy people

Sometimes people may be very shy or afraid to express their views in a

group. It is important that you provide the space and opportunity for
everyone to participate. Some ways to help shy people participate are:
▪ Break into smaller groups so they can express their ideas with fewer
people.
▪ Do “pair-share.” Ask participants to share their ideas with the
person next to them.
▪ Refer back to their ideas, so they know that these are important and
of value.
▪ Give them time to think about their answers or their opinions.
▪ Use role-play activities to build confidence and skills.

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 Tools for Success

Tools for Success

Teaching a subject and delivering a workshop are very different. In this
section there are a variety of tools to help you make your workshop fun
and engaging.
This section covers:
▪ Introduction Activities
▪ Warm-up Activities/Energizers
▪ Team Building Activities
▪ Games
▪ Closing Activities
▪ Grouping
Fun and laughter are the best ways to engage participants in the learning
process!

Introduction activities

C-U-E: Draw C-U-E on a flip chart. As you give directions, complete the
words to form “Common,” “Unique,” and “Expectation.” Ask each group
to select a recorder and a facilitator. Each group should try to identify one
thing that all members have in common. Encourage them to look for
something a bit uncommon—not “we all live in Yellowknife” or “we all
love children,”…but “we have all have teenagers,” or “we all love
mysteries.” Then groups should look for something unique about each
member of the group—something one person has done that no one else
has done. Finally, they should talk about what they expect to gain from
today’s session.

Pair introductions: Ask people to pair up with people they don't know or
know less well. One person interviews the other for three minutes, then
roles are swapped. Questions can include the reasons why the person is

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 Tools for Success

there and what they are hoping to learn/achieve during the

meeting/workshop. When the whole group re-forms the pairs introduce
each other, giving as much detail as they can remember. The facilitator
could also suggest specific themes to be included in the interview.

Introduce yourself: Break people into small groups and give

each person a penny. Ask them to introduce themselves to
the group and talk about what they were doing during the
year on the coin.

Baggage claim: Give each participant a baggage card. Have them “pack
their bags” by writing five interesting facts about their lives on the bag.
Try to have them use facts that other people may not know about them.
This will make the game a little more difficult. Collect the cards.
Participants now have to pretend they are getting off a flight and they are
going to the baggage area to get their bag. Only they “accidentally” pick
up someone else’s bag. (In other words, they get someone else’s card.)
They then have to go around the room questioning the other participants
until they find out whose bag they have.

"Do You Know Me?": Each person is given a nametag and an index card.
The name tag has the name of another person in the group on it. Everyone
is told to circulate, meet, mix and mingle to gather information, insights or
stories about the person on their tag from group members. The opening
line "Do you know me?" is used to help generate clues and conversation.
The index card is to be used to write down the information collected. At
the end of a designated time - about 15 minutes, each participant
introduces their "name tag" and its person to the group.

Categories: Ask people a question like: How many siblings do you have?
They must roam around the room and get into a group depending on how
many siblings they have. Then give them a chance to chat. Other questions
are:
▪ What season do you like best?

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 Tools for Success

▪ What is your favourite colour?

▪ Were you born in the NWT?
▪ What meal do you like best: breakfast, lunch or supper?
▪ Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Speed dating: Participants have 30 seconds to one
minute to talk to another participant in the
workshop and find out about them. Then they
move on and talk to another person, then another,
etc. At the end of the rounds, everyone comes back
together and contributes what they know about
each person. For example, “So everyone had a chance to meet Mary; what
did you learn about her?” Make sure you encourage people to be creative
about what they ask each other. That way you also hear funny stories
about past holidays, or how many pairs of shoes someone has, the craziest
person they know, etc. The possibilities for creativity are endless!
Find someone who: Each participant is given a sheet with a list of about
10 to 20 attributes or statements. They must get up and walk around and
find people who have those characteristics or attributes. They write their
name in the space provided. You can devise your own set according to the
group, if you know them, but some suggestions are: has eaten sushi, has a
tattoo, likes to wake up early, is a night owl, has four children, listens to
classical music, etc. The first person to complete their sheet wins!

Toilet paper activity: This requires a roll of toilet paper and a

group that is waiting for introductions. The group leader
begins by announcing that, unfortunately, there is only one
roll of toilet paper here, so in fairness to all we will share
now. Then instructions are given to pass the roll around the
table/room and each person is to take what they think they will
need. When everyone has some, the leader then apologizes to the group
and says, “I’m sorry; I lied. There is actually lots of toilet paper available
but this is a way we will determine how many facts are to be shared by

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 Tools for Success

you about yourself, with the group. ONE for each section of paper taken!
” NOTE: Facts can be basic…age, birthday, favorite movie, etc. - and a
concern for those who took A LOT of paper.

Pictograph mingle: This is a good activity if the instructor does not know
the participants but the participants know each other. Draw five things on
the board that are important to you. For example: a dog, a book, a plane, a
smiley face, and a dog team. Get participants to ask you questions about
these five things to find out more about you. For example: I miss my dog. I
love to read. I arrived yesterday on a plane. I am happy to be here. I really
want to go for a dog sled ride. Give participants a blank piece of paper,
and get them to draw five pictographs representing things they want to
chat about, or things that are important to them at the moment.
Name game: This is an easy and fun activity to help participants get to
know one another’s names. Everyone sits in a circle. Each person says their
name and a favourite food that starts with the first letter of their name. The
first person starts and then the second person must repeat the first
person’s name and favourite food and then say theirs. The next person has
to repeat the first two people’s name and food and then say theirs, and so
on.
What’s in your wallet?: Ask people to look through
their wallets or purses and find three things that they
can use to introduce themselves to others in the group.
Allow 2-3 minutes for each person to share their items.
You can do this as a whole group or in small groups.

Excitement Sharing: People share something exciting that has happened

to them recently. Examples are: ‘I went cranberry picking last week’, 'My
friend from Smith came to visit', 'I've got a new job'. This creates a lot of
positive energy for the meeting and puts people more in touch with each
other's lives. You can use this instead of introductions when people
already know each other. Make sure people keep it brief.

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 Tools for Success

Warm-up activities/energizers

The magic wand: You have just found a magic wand that
allows you to change three things in your life. You can change
anything you want. What would you change? Ask participants to
discuss why it is important to make the change. This activity
helps participants to learn about others' desires and frustrations.

Finish the sentence: Go around the room and ask each to person
complete one of these sentences (or something similar):
▪ The best job I ever had was...
▪ The worst project I ever worked on was...
▪ The riskiest thing I ever did was...
This is a good technique for moving on to a new topic or subject. For
example, when you start a session and you want everyone to introduce
themselves, you can have them complete this sentence: "I am in this group
because..." You can also move on to a new subject by asking a leading
question. For example, if you are doing a workshop on time management,
you could ask participants to complete this sentence: "The one time I felt
most stressed because I did not have enough time was...”
Sock toss: The group stands in a circle. The leader throws a sock to
someone and calls his or her name. This person throws the sock to another
person and calls their name. This continues until the sock is back with the
leader. He or she sends it around again, but begins to introduce additional
socks, so there are lots of socks flying!

Have you ever: Ask participants to stand up if they have ever done
certain things. You can make up your own list or you can use the one
below:
▪ Have you ever sung karaoke?
▪ Have you ever been without a shower for more than 2 weeks?

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 Tools for Success

▪ Do you have both a brother and a sister?

▪ Have you ever ridden a horse?
▪ Have you broken a bone before?
▪ Have you ever had a close relative who lived to over 100?
▪ Have you ever been parachuting or done a bungee jump?
▪ Have you ever seen a polar bear?

I love my neighbor who: One person stands in the middle of a circle.

Everyone else is seated in a circle on chairs. The person in the middle says:
“I love my neighbor who wears glasses.” Everyone wearing glasses stands
up and changes places with someone else who wears glasses. The person
in the middle must try to sit down on one of the just emptied seats. The
person left without a seat becomes the next person in the middle and uses
something different to complete the statement “I love my neighbor who...”
You can also do this activity with paper. Make sure everyone is standing
on a piece of paper instead of sitting in a chair.

Change: This simple exercise makes people aware of the impact of change
and how they feel about it. Ask the participants to fold their arms. Then
ask them to fold their arms the other way round. Wait in silence for a few
moments before asking them to unfold their arms. Debrief by asking:
▪ How difficult was it to fold your arms the other way?
▪ What does it feel to have your arms folded the other way round?
▪ Did you have the urge to unfold and re-fold your arms again?

This is a great warm-up activity for goal setting or making changes in your
life.

Birthday line: Explain to the group that this is a nonverbal exercise. The
group is to form a single straight line, according to birthdays. For example,
persons with January birthdays will be at the beginning of the line, earliest
January dates first, followed in order by later dates. The line progresses by

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 Tools for Success

months and days with December birthdays at the end. Persons with the
same birthday share the same place in line. You must communicate
nonverbally (no lip-reading or spelling in the dirt allowed). When the line
is completed, each person will shout out his/her birthday, beginning in
January.

Line-up: Ask participants to line up according to age, birthday, height,

favourite fruit in alphabetical order, favourite colour in alphabetical order,
etc. The trick is―they have to do it without talking.

Rebel foot: This is a good exercise for self-awareness and

releasing tension in a session. Make sure that the members
of the group are sitting comfortably. Now ask them to lift
their right feet off the floor and make clockwise circles and,
while doing this, ask them to draw the number '6' in the air with their right
hands. Their feet will change direction and there's nothing they can do
about it!
Three animals: Ask participants to think of an animal. Now think of
another animal. Finally, think of a third animal. The three animals
represent, in the order you thought of them:
▪ What you would like to be.
▪ How you are perceived.
▪ How you really are.

Questions: A great way to get people talking is by asking

questions. You can go around the table or do this in groups.
▪ If you could have an endless supply of any food, what
would you get?
▪ If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
▪ What is one goal you’d like to accomplish during your lifetime?
▪ What’s your favorite thing to do in the summer?

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▪ If you could visit any place in the world, where would you choose to
go and why?
▪ What’s the ideal dream job for you?
▪ What are your favorite hobbies?

People poems: Ask the participants to use the letters in their names to
create a poem. Each line begins with the letters of their name in order.
They need only one word in each line. The words must tell something
about themselves—for example, something they like to do, or a personal
characteristic. When they have finished the poems, ask them to share their
poem with the other participants. Participants may use a dictionary to help
them find words. You can also make up community poems describing
your community, using the letters in the name of your community. This
can also be used as an introductory activity.
For example: Catherine might write...
Carefree
Athletic
Tall
Humorous
Energetic
Red-haired
Intelligent
Nervous
Envious

Continuum: Ask participants to line up on a continuum. Give them topics

like: spicy food, sports, sewing, or animals. Ask them to line up depending
on their like or dislike of the topic.

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Person, bear, gun: This game is similar to Rock―Paper―Scissors.

Divide the group into two equal lines of people facing each other. There
are three possible “characters” the group can assume.
▪ Bear―growl with claws barred.
▪ Person―a “he man” stance with grunt.
▪ Gun―hunter with gun and shout “bang.”
Person wins over gun. Gun wins over bear. Bear wins over person.
Each group huddles together and decides (as a group) which of the three
they will represent and then they form a line facing the other team. On the
signal from the leader, the two groups face each other and act out their
part. This is a really fun and engaging warm-up activity. Do it a couple of
times, as the teams will need to try and outsmart each other.

I have never: Each person starts off with some candy. Going around the
circle, each person finishes the sentence "I have never..." Everyone who
HAS done what they have never done gives that person one of their
candies. This is a fun way to learn things you might otherwise not find out
about people. Some examples are:
▪ I have never gone ice fishing.
▪ I have never been to Calgary.
▪ I have never gone bungee jumping.

Top three: For a quick energizer, divide the participants into small
groups and ask them to come up with their top three of something and
have them rank the items in order of importance. It can be something
related to the meeting―such as the top three challenges they have at work,
or the top three gadgets they couldn't live without, or the top three foods
they look forward to during a specific holiday or season. At the end, ask
one person from each group to report the group’s list of three.

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Boop: Break the group into teams of three to four people. Give
each group a balloon. Tell them to keep the balloon up using
their hands. Next, their elbows, next their feet, next their heads,
and so on.

Counting in threes: Participants stand in a circle. They take turns to

count out loud around the circle. Every time a number is reached that
is a multiple of three or contains the digit 3 (3, 6, 9, 12, 13, 15, etc.) that
person must clap instead of saying the number out loud. If someone makes
a mistake, they drop out of the circle and the next person starts from
number one again.

Ranking: One person is asked to leave the room. The remaining

participants choose something to rank themselves on. This could be their
height, their hair colour or length, the month in which they have a
birthday, and so on. The participants line up according to the ranking
system they have secretly chosen and ask the person outside to come back
into the room. This person then has to guess how the participants have
been ranked.

Lap sitting: Everyone sits in a chair in a circle. The facilitator makes

several statements like: Move three chairs to the left if you are wearing
jeans. The people who are wearing jeans must move three chairs. If
someone is sitting in the seat, then they must sit on their lap. Other
statements you can say are:
▪ Move five chairs to the right if you are wearing red.
▪ Move two chairs to the left if you have a driver’s license.
▪ Move four chairs to the right if you drive a truck.

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Three animals: Think of an animal. Now think of another

animal. Finally, think of a third animal. The three animals
represent, in the order you thought of them:
▪ What you would like to be
▪ How you are perceived
▪ How you really are

Team building activities

Marooned: Divide the group into teams and tell them

that they are marooned on an island. Ask them: “What
five items would you have brought with you if you
knew there was a chance that you might be stranded?”
You can have them write their items on a flip chart and
discuss and defend their choices with the whole group.
This activity helps them to learn about others’ values and problem solving
styles and promotes teamwork.

Time capsule: This is a good exercise for practicing reaching consensus

and for team members to understand each others' values. Have each
member of the team list five items that they feel should be included in a
time capsule that will be opened by another civilization in five thousand
years' time. Each member of the team should then explain the reasons for
their choice. The team then reaches consensus on which five objects should
be included in the time capsule. Ask each team to write their final choice of
items on a flipchart and discuss and defend their choices with the whole
group. Then discuss the things you dislike and why.

Values discussion: Ask participants to find two people who are wearing
the same color as them. Have them find a spot where they can talk
together. Tell them they will be talking about some issues and you will
give them new topics every few minutes. Here are some samples:
▪ Talk about the most important thing you learned today.

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▪ What is something that few people know about you?

▪ What do you value in a friend?
▪ What do you want to be doing in five years?
▪ What is one goal you have for next year?
▪ What is a motto you try to live by?
▪ What is the greatest challenge you are facing?
▪ What do you like most about yourself?
▪ What do you value most in life?
▪ If you won a lottery ticket and had a million dollars, what would
you do with it?
▪ If you could transport yourself anywhere instantly, where would
you go and why?
▪ In your opinion, which animal is the best (or most beautiful) and
why?

Skilled hand exercise: Hand out paper and pens. Ask everyone to draw
around their hands and to write something they do well into each of the
fingers. Split into pairs. Take turns discussing things you do well and how
you acquired those skills. This exercise not only helps people find out
more about each other, but also develops people's confidence.

Duct tape project: Ask learners to work in pairs of two to three people.
Give each group a roll of duct tape and ask them to create something. Give
participants at least 20 minutes.

Follow the leader: Everyone gets in a line and puts their hands on the
shoulders of the person in front of them. Everyone except the first person
in line closes their eyes. The first person who is the leader leads everyone
around, and the group has to communicate and work as a team to avoid
obstacles.

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In common: Break participants into groups of three to four. Give groups

about three minutes to come up with one word that describes something
they all have in common. Tell them to write this word down on flipchart
paper. Now give each group 10 minutes to decorate their paper. Ask each
group to present their word and art work to the other groups.

Team building: Break participants into groups of three to four. Give each
group an assortment of material (lego, paper, scissors, glue, tissue paper,
pipe cleaners, etc.). Ask them to build the tallest building they can. Give
them 20 minutes or so to work on the project. The group with the tallest
building wins.

Dice Games

You will need two sets of dice for all these games.

Count to 100: You will need at least eight people for this
game and an even amount of players. Everyone stands in
a circle and finds a partner across from them.
▪ Choose two participants to start rolling the dice.
▪ If a person gets doubles they run into the middle of the circle with
their partner and start clapping and counting to 100.
▪ When another person rolls doubles, they run in to the middle with
their partner and starting clapping and counting. And the first pair
must go back to the outside circle and continue to shake the dice.
▪ There should only be one pair of people in the circle counting at a
time.
▪ When a pair gets to go again, they start off at the number they left
off at. So if they were able to count to 10 their first time in the circle,
then they start off at 11 when they get doubles again.
▪ The first pair to get to 100 wins!
▪ Give a small prize to the winning pair.

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Dice Charades: You will need at least eight people for this game and an
even amount of players. Everyone stands in a circle and finds a partner
across from them.
▪ You will need to come up with at least 30 slips of paper with
pictures or words/phrases that pairs will act out. If you are doing a
workshop on nutrition, you can use nutrition related pictures or
phrases like “Cooking in the kitchen” or “Eating and apple.”
▪ Choose two participants to start rolling the dice.
▪ If a person gets doubles they run into the middle of the circle with
their partner and they pick a piece of paper and act out the picture
or phrase. If their partner gets it they put the slip of paper in their
pocket and then grab another one. If another person rolls doubles
before their partner guesses correctly, then they pass the paper to the
next person and their partner guesses.
▪ This goes on until all the slips of paper are gone.
▪ Pairs add up their slips of paper and the pair with the most wins.
▪ Give a small prize to the winning pair.

Interactive games

Scrabble: Divide the members of a group evenly, if possible, to have

groups of 3 – 5 people. Then each member donates the first and last letters
of both their first and last name:
For example: MarY WhitE would donate MYWE
The group must create as many words as possible using the letters that
they have in their pile and record them using pencil and paper. The group
with the most words created is the winner.

Bingo: Ask participants to choose a theme, such as literacy, home, school,

children, etc. Give each participant a Bingo Card or ask them to make their
own. Ask participants to call out 16 words related to that theme, one word
at a time—for example, kitchen, garden, etc. Write each word on the board
or a flipchart. At the same time, ask each participant to write the word in

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any of the boxes. Call out the words at random. The first participant to get
a straight line and call out “Bingo!” is the winner. You can use this game
for any topic.

Alphabet scavenger hunt: Divide participants into groups of three or

four. They must use all 26 letters of the alphabet for the scavenger hunt. In
their groups, participants try to find something in the room that they can
see that begins with each letter of the alphabet. They need only one thing
for each letter. The first group to find things for all 26 letters reads out their
words. If the words are all okay, this group is the winner. If any are not
okay, the game continues until another group finishes.

Crazy word chains: Ask participants to sit in a circle. Have them clap a
slow rhythm. The first participant says any word to the time of the rhythm.
The next participant must then say a word that begins with the last letter
of the previous word.
For example:
APPLE . . . ELEPHANT . . . TOY. . . YELL. . . LOON . . . NIGHT
The game starts over when a participant misses a turn or says a wrong
word.

Scattergories: Divide the participants into groups of three to four. Ask

participants to call out 10 different categories of objects—for example,
river, food, car, girls’ name, animal, country, etc. The more categories you
have, the longer each game will be. Write the categories on the board or a
flipchart paper. Ask one of the participants to choose a letter of the
alphabet—for example, ‘m’. When the facilitator says “go” all the groups
have to try to write down an example for each category beginning with
that letter. You can also have decided on the categories beforehand and
give groups a handout with all the categories listed. Look at the example
below:

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Category M L

River Mackenzie Lee

Food mushrooms lemons

Cars Mercedes Benz Lexus

Girl’s name Mary Laurie

Word hunt: This is another creativity exercise. The group is given a letter
— such as ‘S’ — and they are asked to write down as many words, which
begin with that letter, as they can think of in five minutes. Names and
place names are allowed.

Twenty questions: Choose any item that people might be familiar with.
For example, you might choose snowmobile, banana, or lynx. Participants
then have to try to guess the item. They can only ask “yes” or “no”
questions. For example: “Is it a person?” “Is the person male or female?”
“Does he live in Canada?” “Does he live in the Northwest Territories?”
“Was he a politician?” “Is he Stephen Kakfwi?” The game is over if twenty
questions have been asked and no one has guessed the right answer. If
someone guesses the right answer, that person can choose the next item
and answers to the questions.

Twenty questions with a twist: Each person writes down a person, place
or thing (noun) on a stickie. They tape it on the forehead of the person
beside them. Each person must try and figure out what is written on the
stickie on their forehead by asking “yes” or “no” questions. The first
person to figure out what it says wins.

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What’s the question: Write one fact on the board. For example: Yellow,
or 5 years, or MacDonald’s. Participants try to guess the question that
matches each fact.
Yellow: What’s your favourite colour?
What colour is your car?
What colour is your parka?
5 years: How old is your child?
How long have you been married?
How long have you lived in Yellowknife?
McDonald’s: What is your favourite food?
Where do you work?
Where are you going to have breakfast?
The person who guesses correctly gets to write the next fact on the board.

Running dictation: Choose one or more short pieces of text (about 5 lines).
Make enough copies of the text for each pair of participants to get one.
(You can use different texts for each pair if you like, but they need to be the
same length and difficulty.) Stick the texts up around the room at some
distance from where the participants are sitting. One person in each pair
sits on a chair with a pencil and paper. Their partner has to stand up and
run to where the text is. They read it (probably chunk by chunk),
memorize it and run back to their partner. They have to dictate it to their
partner, helping in any way they can without writing it. For example,
“Actually, community has two ‘m’s”, and so on. The winners are the first
pair with the first absolutely correct version of the text.

Brainstorm Rummy: Divide the participants into groups of 4 or 5. Give

each group a piece of flipchart paper. Announce a general topic to the
entire group, such as animals, holidays, vegetables, actors, etc. Give the
groups one minute to brainstorm and write down as many examples of the
topic as they can. When the time is up, all the teams must stop writing. On

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the board, write Team 1, Team 2, Team 3, etc. Ask each team to read out a
word and write it under that team. Once a word has been written on the
board, another team may not use it. Keep going, until all the teams run out
of words. The team with the most words wins that round. You can
obviously play this game in any language.

Closing activities

It is important to end each workshop with a closing activity. Ask

participants to give some feedback on the workshop. You can give
evaluation forms, or ask them to share something that they have learned or
found valuable. Provide a brief overview of what is coming in the next
session and suggest “why” the group will find this valuable. Here are
some fun ways to close your workshop.

Ball Review: You will need a soft rubber ball for this activity.
Ask participants to state something they learned in the
workshop. The instructor tosses out the ball to a participant;
the participant responds to the question and then tosses the
ball to another person. The instructor summarizes the
feedback and makes closing statements.

Index Card Review: Pass out 3 x 5 index cards. Ask participants to

respond to these specific questions:
▪ What are three things that you learned about yourself today?
▪ What is one change that you will make?
▪ What would like you to learn in other workshops?

DIY Quiz: Get participants into two groups. Ask participants in each
group to write down five to ten questions about the workshop’s content.
Ask each group to read out one question to the other group. If they get the
answer correct, they get a point. Continue to do this until all the questions
have been read and answered. The group with the most points wins.

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One Word: Ask participants to stand in a circle. Ask them to answer a

question with a one word answer. For example: What gives you hope?
What change do you want to make? How are you feeling? What would
you like to learn more about?
Head, Heart, Feet: Hang up a drawing of a person. Ask participants to
think about these questions:
▪ What did you learn?
▪ How do you feel?
▪ What are you going to do?
Ask them to write down one answer for each question and then tape it
near the head, the heart, or the feet in the drawing, depending on where it
best fits.

Create: Give participants a small tub (or piece) of

play-dough. Each learner creates an object that reflects
something important they learned in the workshop.
Participants gather in a circle and show the object they
have created and explain its meaning. Then they pass
the object to the next person who mashes the object
together with theirs and so on, until a big colorful ball of Play-dough is
formed. When everyone has finished contributing his or her piece, the
large ball is passed around the circle again. Each learner takes a piece of
the large ball, so that they can carry away not just their own learning and
experiences, but also a part of the whole group.
Visual Representation: Ask participants to get into groups of three.
Provide each group with flipchart paper, markers, stickers, glue, and any
other art supplies you have. Ask each team to make a visual representation
that sums up what they learned in the workshop. Ask each group to
explain and share their piece of art with others.

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Bingo: Give participants the bingo card. Ask them to brainstorm 16 words
or phrases that summarize what they learned in today’s workshop. Tell
them to write down the 16 words or phrases on the bingo card randomly.
Call bingo. You can do one line, four corners, four inside corners, etc. Give
a prize to the winners.
Jeopardy: Make a list of questions. Get learners into three or four teams.
Give each team a bell. Read out the first question. The first team to ring
their bell gets to answer the question. If they get the correct answer, they
get a point. If they do not give the correct answer, give the other groups an
opportunity to answer the question. The team with the most points wins.
Goals: Ask learners to write out two goals they have
for the future. Give them an envelope and ask them
to address the envelope to themselves. Tell learners
that you will mail out the envelope in six months.

Smarties: Ask participants to get into a circle. Offer

them some Smarties as a snack. Tell them to take as many as they would
like, but tell them they can’t eat them yet!
▪ There are eight Smartie colours. Write an evaluation question for
each Smartie. For example: Red: What was the best part about
today?
▪ Then participants who have red Smarties must answer the
questions. If they have two Smarties they must answer the questions
twice and so on.
▪ Make sure you have someone writing down participants comments.

More of ... less of... the same: Divide a flip chart into three columns:
more, less and the same. Hand out pens and ask participants to write
down things that worked well for them in the 'same' column, things they
wanted to see less of and things that they wanted to keep the same.

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Ticket to leave: Give participants a question at the end of the day or

workshop like.
▪ Write down two things that you
learned today.
▪ What would you change for
tomorrow?
▪ What are you excited about for this
workshop?
▪ What will you do with this
information when you get back to work?
Participants must answer the question and give it to the facilitator before
they leave for the day.
Compliment sheets: Write everyone’s name on separate flipchart paper.
Ask everyone to write down one compliment for each person. Share the
compliments at the end of the day.

Three questions: Divide a flip chart into three with two horizontal lines.
Write one of these questions in each section:
▪ What’s been most helpful so far?
▪ What hasn’t been helpful so far?
▪ What suggestions do you have for the next time/day?
Hand out three sticky notes and a pencil to each participant. Ask
participants to answer each of the questions on a sticky note and then
place the answers on the flip chart under the relative question. After the
activity, go through participants’ answers and write a summary of them
that can be presented to the group at the next meeting. Apply the
necessary changes, in accordance with their requests and what’s feasible.

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Grouping

As we have learned it is important that everyone has a chance to work

together in small groups. Working in groups gives shy people a chance to
participate in the workshop. Here are some fun and interesting ways to
put people into groups.

Under the Chair: Put tea bags, stickers, a stick of gum, or a piece of
chocolate under their chairs. Ask participants to look under their chairs
and then find others that have the same thing.

Animal Sounds: Print and laminate animal pictures for this activity. Place
the laminated cards in a hat. Ask participants to pick out a card. Ask them
to make the sound of the animal that they chose. Then they have to find
other members in their group.

Hum Dingers: Each participant is given a small slip of paper with the
name of a popular children's tune on it (i.e.: Mary Had a Little Lamb,
Happy Birthday, Wheels on the Bus, etc.). They must find their other team
mates by humming or singing their song.
Everyone Loves Candy: Buy an assortment of candy. Sort the candy into
the number of groups you want. For example if you have 24 people and
want six groups, you will need six different kinds of candy. Give each
participant a piece of candy and ask them to find their group. This is a
good activity to do when everyone needs a little sugar boost.

Modes of Transportation: Print and laminate different modes of

transportation. For example: car, truck, snowmobile, dog sled, bicycle,
walking, kayaking, canoeing, skiing, etc. Place the laminated cards in a hat.
Ask participants to choose a card and then act out their mode of
transportation. Ask them to find their group. When everyone has found
their group, ask each group to act out their mode of transportation.

Rhymes: This works well for getting people into pairs. Give participants
one part of a rhyme. They must say their rhyme to find their partner.

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