Finding common ground

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COMMON GROUND

Common Ground

Draw your POV

Name of exercise	Draw your POV
Picture set category	☐ 1. Flat-pictures ☒ 2. POV-pictures ☐ 3. Postcards ☐ 4. Press-pictures
Exercise category	☐ 1. Icebreaker ☐ 2. Energizer ☐ 3. Trust building ☐ 4. Contact making/collaborating ☒ 5. Triggering creativity ☒ 6. Personal development ☐ 7. Triggering memories ☐ 8. Evaluation
Phases	☐ 1. Teambuilding ☒ 2. Triggering creativity ☒ 3. Triggering awareness ☒ 4. Finding common ground ☐ 5. Closing
Objectives	– To get to know each other – To get the participants in the sharing of stories mood – Learning to express – Learning to listen – Encouraging imagination – Encouraging creative thinking
Duration	☐ < 10 min. ☐ 10-20 min. ☐ 20-30 min. ☒ 30-40 min. ☐ 40-50 min. ☐ 50-60 min. ☐ 60-90 min. ☐ > 90 min.
Form	Individual and group
Material needed	The set of POV-pictures, a paper and pencil to draw (or other materials, for example clay)
Preparation	Put all pictures on the table (or on the ground if no table available)
Step by step description	Invite the participants to look at the set of pictures and pick one. Give them 5 minutes to draw inspiration from that picture. Support them by inviting to think of an ideal situation in the future. ‘What would you like to experience?’ ‘What is your biggest dream?’ Then ask them to get a paper and to start drawing their own POV. Stress that it isn’t about the artistic quality of the drawing. Give them 10 to 15 minutes to draw their story. Invite the participants to put their drawings on the table (or the ground). Then ask participants to pick one (not their own). When they pick one, they first explain why they pick that specific drawing. Then the creator of the drawing shares the story behind the drawing. Continue untill all drawings are picked.
Closing up	Reflect on the exercise with participants and make notes. – How was it to make up a story and to draw it? – Have you ever made such a POV before? Thank everybody for their drawings and stories.
Tips for the facilitator	– Safeguard the intimate space when the participants make the drawing.

Common Ground

Make your own, make the others

Name of exercise	Make your own, make the others
Picture set category	☐ 1. Flat-pictures ☐ 2. POV-pictures ☐ 3. Postcards ☐ 4. Press-pictures
Exercise category	☐ 1. Icebreaker ☐ 2. Energizer ☒ 3. Trust building ☐ 4. Contact making/collaborating ☐ 5. Triggering creativity ☐ 6. Personal development ☒ 7. Triggering memories ☐ 8. Evaluation
Phases	☐ 1. Teambuilding ☐ 2. Triggering creativity ☒ 3. Triggering awareness ☒ 4. Finding common ground ☐ 5. Closing
Objectives	– Learn to express yourself – Learn to listen to the other – To get to know each other – Sharing of stories, memories – Finding Common Ground
Duration	☐ < 10 min. ☐ 10-20 min. ☐ 20-30 min. ☐ 30-40 min. ☐ 40-50 min. ☐ 50-60 min. ☒ 60-90 min. ☐ > 90 min.
Form	In couples
Material needed	The set of Flat-pictures I (3×3 Instagram Grid – own profile)
Preparation	Take care that you have enough pictures available to do the exercise.
Step by step description	Make pairs. Give the first assignment: Make your own profile Participants may choose 9 pictures from their phones, the Internet (or offline: from magazines) and make their own profile. They have 15 min. to do so. After that they must explain their choices to their partner using memories, opinions etc. Participants have 10 min. to talk about it. Make your partner’s profile Based on the previous discussion, participants start interviewing each other for 15 min. After that they make a profile of the other. They have an additional 15 min. to do so. Once the new profiles are finished, participants show the profiles to each other, explaining their choices and discussing them. Then participants have 15 min. to talk about the new profiles.
Closing up	Ask participants to return to the circle and ask them to share something they experienced. Point out where prejudices and stereotypes entered the exercises (if so) and highlight the bridges that were built. Thank the participants for their openness.
Tips for the facilitator	– Be aware that this exercise may evoke strong emotions. Prepare yourself for this. – Consider a break between assignment 1 and assignment 2. – Set the rules: for example: no comments when the profiles are presented, keep the comments for the discussion.

Common Ground

Pick & send

Name of exercise	Pick & send
Picture set category	☐ 1. Flat-pictures ☐ 2. POV-pictures ☒ 3. Postcards ☐ 4. Press-pictures
Exercise category	☐ 1. Icebreaker ☐ 2. Energizer ☐ 3. Trust building ☐ 4. Contact making/collaborating ☐ 5. Triggering creativity ☒ 6. Personal development ☒ 7. Triggering memories ☐ 8. Evaluation
Phases	☐ 1. Teambuilding ☐ 2. Triggering creativity ☒ 3. Triggering awareness ☒ 4. Finding common ground ☐ 5. Closing
Objectives	– Triggering memories connected to people – Learning to listen – Learning to reflect on choices – To train self-expression skills – Triggering (universal) emotions
Duration	☐ < 10 min. ☐ 10-20 min. ☒ 20-30 min. ☐ 30-40 min. ☐ 40-50 min. ☐ 50-60 min. ☐ 60-90 min. ☐ > 90 min.
Form	Group
Material needed	The set of Postcards
Preparation	Place the set of postcards on a table (or on the floor if no table is available)
Step by step description	Invite all participants to take a look at the pictures and pick the postcard they would like to send to someone else. Invite participants to write down a message for that person, either on the postcard itself or on a seperate paper (in case you want to use the postcards again). Give them 5 to 10 minutes to do that. Then ask everybody – one by one– to share to which person they would like to send the postcard and why. If participants feel like it, they may share the text they wrote on the postcard (or the separate paper). Ask the rest of the group not to comment.
Closing up	Gather all participants in a circle, and ask them to react on what was shared. Thank them for being open and sincere.
Tips for the facilitator	– This exercise might trigger strong emotions, be prepared for it. – You can direct the exercise by starting to share to whom you would like to send a postcard. By using a light example (a friend who I always like to have lunch with) or a heavier one (my mother who always supported me but who is ill now) you can steer the group in a certain direction. – Never push someone to share something. Everything that is shared should be shared voluntarily.

Common Ground

Picture your Memory

Name of exercise	Picture your Memory
Picture set category	☐ 1. Flat-pictures ☐ 2. POV-pictures ☐ 3. Postcards ☐ 4. Press-pictures
Exercise category	☐ 1. Icebreaker ☐ 2. Energizer ☐ 3. Trust building ☐ 4. Contact making/collaborating ☐ 5. Triggering creativity ☒ 6. Personal development ☒ 7. Triggering memories ☐ 8. Evaluation
Phases	☐ 1. Teambuilding ☐ 2. Triggering creativity ☐ 3. Triggering awareness ☒ 4. Finding common ground ☐ 5. Closing
Objectives	– Expressing yourself – To get participants into a story sharing mood. – Appreciative listening – Triggering emotions
Duration	☐ < 10 min. ☐ 10-20 min. ☒ 20-30 min. ☐ 30-40 min. ☐ 40-50 min. ☐ 50-60 min. ☐ 60-90 min. ☐ > 90 min.
Form	Klik of tik om tekst in te voeren.
Material needed	Klik of tik om tekst in te voeren.
Preparation	Participants need their mobile phone (or you can ask them to bring pictures to the class)
Step by step description	Ask participants to take out their mobile phone and go through the images they have made. Invite them to pick an image that really means something to them. Ask them, one by one, to show the picture to the rest of the group, to say what is on the picture, to tell why they picked this picture and to share the memory connected to the picture. Ask the rest of the group not to comment and to listen carefully. Repeat this until every participant has showed a picture and shared a memory connected to it.
Closing up	Thank participants for being open and sincere. Ask them if there is something they would like to highlight or discuss. Also inform what this exercise meant individually and in terms of group dynamics.
Tips for the facilitator	– This exercise can trigger strong personal emotions, be prepared for that. – Never push somebody to show a picture or to tell a story. Alse mind that during the exercise all participants pay attention to the pictures of others respectfully.

Common Ground

Postcard Picture Dream Date

Name of exercise	Postcard Picture Dream Date
Picture set category	☐ 1. Flat-pictures ☐ 2. POV-pictures ☒ 3. Postcards ☐ 4. Press-pictures
Exercise category	☐ 1. Icebreaker ☐ 2. Energizer ☐ 3. Trust building ☐ 4. Contact making/collaborating ☐ 5. Triggering creativity ☒ 6. Personal development ☒ 7. Triggering memories ☐ 8. Evaluation
Phases	☐ 1. Teambuilding ☐ 2. Triggering creativity ☒ 3. Triggering awareness ☒ 4. Finding common ground ☐ 5. Closing
Objectives	– Learning to express – Learning to listen – Learning to reflect on choices – Sharing of stories, memories – Triggering dreams in an intimate space – Making it easy for participants to share
Duration	☐ < 10 min. ☐ 10-20 min. ☐ 20-30 min. ☐ 30-40 min. ☐ 40-50 min. ☐ 50-60 min. ☒ 60-90 min. ☐ > 90 min.
Form	Group and later in couples.
Material needed	The set of Postcards, enough chairs, a wall to stick the postcards on.
Preparation	Look at the postcards and decide if you want to use all postcards, with your objective in mind.
Step by step description	Ask all participants to pick one postcard, with their future in their mind. This can be a dream, a future plan or a wish. Put these postcards next to each other on the wall and ask the participants to explain their choices. Then ask the group to choose their three favourite postcards from there. This can be done by voting; give everybody three votes. Then make two rows of chairs facing each other and ask participants to sit down. Then ask them to share a dream with the person in front of him/her based on the first postcards. Give them two minutes. Then the other person will share a dream for two minutes. Then ask everyone in one row to move up a place (the person on the front seat must walk to the rear seat). The new partners now share another dream based on the second postcard, again two minutes for one and two minutes for the other. This is repeated until postcard three.
Closing up	Gather the group in a circle and ask them to share. Ask if anyone has anything to share or comment on something he/she has heard. In the latter case he/she must first request permission. You can use the triggered dreams to continue working on stories.
Tips for the facilitator	– Always take care that all participants feel safe. – If you feel they have a lot to share, don’t stick too strictly to the two minutes. – Be aware that the first round is usually a bit awkward for participants. However, after the first round the uneasiness tends to disappear. – Don’t listen to the stories yourself, respect the intimate space. – If you have an uneven number of participants, ask one participant each round to observe from a distance. – Don’t participate yourself (also counts for co-trainers).

Common Ground

Press and feel

Name of exercise	Press and feel
Picture set category	☐ 1. Flat-pictures ☐ 2. POV-pictures ☐ 3. Postcards ☒ 4. Press-pictures
Exercise category	☐ 1. Icebreaker ☐ 2. Energizer ☐ 3. Trust building ☐ 4. Contact making/collaborating ☐ 5. Triggering creativity ☐ 6. Personal development ☒ 7. Triggering memories ☐ 8. Evaluation
Phases	☐ 1. Teambuilding ☐ 2. Triggering creativity ☒ 3. Triggering awareness ☒ 4. Finding common ground ☐ 5. Closing
Objectives	– Create focus – Getting to know each other – Learning to express – Learning to listen – To get the participants in the mood for sharing stories
Duration	☒ < 10 min. ☐ 10-20 min. ☐ 20-30 min. ☐ 30-40 min. ☐ 40-50 min. ☐ 50-60 min. ☐ 60-90 min. ☐ > 90 min.
Form	Group
Material needed	The set of Press-pictures
Preparation	Klik of tik om tekst in te voeren.
Step by step description	Ask participants to stand in a circle. Stand in front of them, holding the press pictures. Show participants one picture for 10 seconds. Ask one participant to share what he or she experienced while looking at the picture: what memories did it trigger? The other participants listen. When the participant shares the feeling/emotion/experience evoked by the picture, you can ask if the picture triggered other feelings/emotions/experiences amongst other participants. Let one other participant share a feeling/emotion/experience. Repeat this untill all participants have dealt with a picture and all participants have reacted to the expression of someone else.
Closing up	Close the exercise by asking participants to analyse what happened. Try to get them at a level of thinking about how pictures trigger feelings and emotions and how this can be connected to someone’s history or background. Point out that one picture can lead to many different memories and stories.
Tips for the facilitator	– This can built upon the previous exercise (Press and Tell). The exercise goes deeper than the previous one, but it can also be that someone doesn’t have a bodily connection with how it is interpreted. You can consider mixing this exercise with Press and Explain and Press and Tell, starting with Press and Explain, changing halfway to Press and Tell and finilizing with Press and Feel. – Beware that this exercise may trigger strong emotions. Be prepared for this. – Take care that every participant shares a feeling or emotion following a first description of a feeling/emotion based on the picture.

Common Ground

Press and past

Name of exercise	Press and past
Picture set category	☐ 1. Flat-pictures ☐ 2. POV-pictures ☐ 3. Postcards ☒ 4. Press-pictures
Exercise category	☐ 1. Icebreaker ☐ 2. Energizer ☐ 3. Trust building ☐ 4. Contact making/collaborating ☐ 5. Triggering creativity ☒ 6. Personal development ☒ 7. Triggering memories ☐ 8. Evaluation
Phases	☐ 1. Teambuilding ☐ 2. Triggering creativity ☐ 3. Triggering awareness ☒ 4. Finding common ground ☐ 5. Closing
Objectives	– Learning to listen – Learning to express – Triggering emotions – Sharing of stories, memories – Raising awareness about how someone’s history/background influences their story – Finding common ground
Duration	☐ < 10 min. ☒ 10-20 min. ☐ 20-30 min. ☐ 30-40 min. ☐ 40-50 min. ☐ 50-60 min. ☐ 60-90 min. ☐ > 90 min.
Form	Group
Material needed	The set of Press-pictures
Preparation
Step by step description	Place participants in a circle. Stand in front of them, holding the press pictures. Show participants one picture for 10 seconds. Ask one participant to share a memory of the past which is triggered by looking at the picture. The other participants listen. After the participant has shared his/her memory, you can ask the other participants to react on the story they just heard. Manage this discussion well so as to avoid that one participant takes over the moment/story of the other and to avoid that dialogues take too much time. Keep an eye on group dynamics. Repeat this untill all participants have dealt with a picture and shared a memory.
Closing up	Close the exercise by asking participants to analyse what happened Try to get them at a level of thinking about how pictures trigger memories and how this is connected to someone’s history or background. Point out that one picture can lead to many different memories and stories, and that everybody has his/her own story, based on his/her own history.
Tips for the facilitator	– This exercise might be better as a standalone exercise, not building upon the previous one – This exercise might evoke strong emotions, be prepared for that. – Take care that every memory shared is respected, if necessary by clarifying the rules for this exercise (no interruption, always listen to the other, react when reacting to a story is allowed, always pay attention and respect each other’s stories), explicitly at the start of the exercise.

Common Ground

Press-pictures Speed Date

Name of exercise	Press-pictures Speed Date
Picture set category	☐ 1. Flat-pictures ☐ 2. POV-pictures ☐ 3. Postcards ☒ 4. Press-pictures
Exercise category	☐ 1. Icebreaker ☐ 2. Energizer ☐ 3. Trust building ☐ 4. Contact making/collaborating ☐ 5. Triggering creativity ☐ 6. Personal development ☒ 7. Triggering memories ☐ 8. Evaluation
Phases	☐ 1. Teambuilding ☐ 2. Triggering creativity ☐ 3. Triggering awareness ☒ 4. Finding common ground ☐ 5. Closing
Objectives	– Triggering memories in an intimate space – Making it easy for participants to share – Learning to listen – Finding common ground – Sharing stories, memories
Duration	☐ < 10 min. ☐ 10-20 min. ☐ 20-30 min. ☐ 30-40 min. ☐ 40-50 min. ☐ 50-60 min. ☒ 60-90 min. ☐ > 90 min.
Form	Group
Material needed	The set of Press-pictures, enough chairs, a wall to stick the pictures on.
Preparation	Look at the pictures and decide if you want to use all pictures, with your objective in mind.
Step by step description	Ask every participant to pick 1 picture they feel connected to. Put these pictures next to each other on the wall and ask participants to explain why they picked that particular picture. Then ask the group to choose their five favourite pictures from there. This can be done by voting; give everybody three votes. Then make two rows of chairs facing each other and ask participants to sit down. Then ask them to share a memory with the person in front of him/her based on the first picture. Give them two minutes. Then the other person will share a memory for two minutes. Then ask everyone in one row to move up a place (the person on the front seat must walk to the rear seat). The new partners now share a memory based on the second picture, again two minutes for one and two minutes for the other. This is repeated until picture five.
Closing up	Gather the group in a circle and ask them to share. Ask if anyone wants to say something or if someone wants to comment on something he or she has heard. In the latter case he or she must first request for permission. You can use the trigger memories to continue working on stories.
Tips for the facilitator	– Always ensure all participants feel safe. – If you feel they have a lot to share, don’t stick too strictly to the two minute limit. – Be aware that the first round is always a slightly awkward for participants. However, once it is over, their initial uneasiness tends to fade away. – Don’t listen to the stories yourself, respect the intimate space. – If you have an uneven number of participants, ask one participant per round to observe from a distance. – Don’t participate yourself (also counts for co-trainers). – Never push someone to share a story!

Common Ground

Swap your POV

Name of exercise	Swap your POV
Picture set category	☐ 1. Flat-pictures ☒ 2. POV-pictures ☐ 3. Postcards ☐ 4. Press-pictures
Exercise category	☐ 1. Icebreaker ☐ 2. Energizer ☐ 3. Trust building ☒ 4. Contact making/collaborating ☐ 5. Triggering creativity ☐ 6. Personal development ☒ 7. Triggering memories ☐ 8. Evaluation
Phases	☐ 1. Teambuilding ☐ 2. Triggering creativity ☒ 3. Triggering awareness ☒ 4. Finding common ground ☐ 5. Closing
Objectives	– To get to know each other – To encourage collaboration – Learning to express – Learning to listen – Sharing stories, memories – Encourage creative thinking
Duration	☐ < 10 min. ☐ 10-20 min. ☐ 20-30 min. ☐ 30-40 min. ☐ 40-50 min. ☐ 50-60 min. ☒ 60-90 min. ☐ > 90 min.
Form	In couples
Material needed	The set of POV-pictures
Preparation	Klik of tik om tekst in te voeren.
Step by step description	Ask all participants to choose a POV picture and to think of a personal story, something the participant experienced (a memory). Give them 10 minutes to pick the picture and to write the story they would like to share down. Then make couples, and name everybody A. or B. (or better B. and C., if you don’t want this to be related to first and second). Ask the A.’s to share their stories and the B.’s to listen carefully and to make notes. These notes are about the strengths and the talents they hear in the story. When A. finishes his/her story, A. and B. discuss what B. wrote down. (circa 10 minutes) Then the B.’s share their stories and the A.’s listen carefully and make notes. Again, the strengths and talents are discussed. (circa 10 minutes) After the discussions, participants swap their pictures, so (A. gives his/her picture to B. and vice versa.) The participants now have to create a new story, but this time regarding dreams or future wishes, using the new picture and using the strengths and talents they just heard and discussed. Give the participants 10 – 15 minutes to make this new story. All new stories are shared in the circle.
Closing up	End the exercise by asking the participants how they experienced this exercise, what they learned from it and how they now see the other. Close the exercise with underlining the importance of appreciative listening, without judgement and focusing on the positive characteristics instead of the negative ones.
Tips for the facilitator	– Make sure you let the participants work in mixed couples, without emphasizing too much the differences. – Be aware that certainly the second step, making a future story/dream story might be difficult for some participants. In that case, try to narrow it down to a practical question like: how would you like to see your future in terms of family, job, etc.? – Ensure the couples are as mixed as possible, in case your aim is to bridge the gap between different backgrounds.

Common Ground

Your Postcard

Name of exercise	Your Postcard
Picture set category	☐ 1. Flat-pictures ☐ 2. POV-pictures ☐ 3. Postcards ☐ 4. Press-pictures
Exercise category	☐ 1. Icebreaker ☐ 2. Energizer ☐ 3. Trust building ☐ 4. Contact making/collaborating ☐ 5. Triggering creativity ☒ 6. Personal development ☒ 7. Triggering memories ☐ 8. Evaluation
Phases	☐ 1. Teambuilding ☐ 2. Triggering creativity ☒ 3. Triggering awareness ☒ 4. Finding common ground ☐ 5. Closing
Objectives	– Encourage creative thinking – Expressing yourself – To get the participants in the story-sharing mood – Appreciative listening – Decision making – Triggering emotions
Duration	☐ < 10 min. ☒ 10-20 min. ☐ 20-30 min. ☐ 30-40 min. ☐ 40-50 min. ☐ 50-60 min. ☐ 60-90 min. ☐ > 90 min.
Form	Klik of tik om tekst in te voeren.
Material needed	Klik of tik om tekst in te voeren.
Preparation	The participants need their mobile phone (or you can ask them to bring pictures to the class)
Step by step description	Ask participants to take out their mobile phone and go through the images they have made. Invite them to pick an image that the participants would like to send as a postcard. Ask them, one by one, to show the picture to the rest of the group, to describe the picture and to tell why they picked this picture and to whom they would like to send a postcard with this picture. Ask the rest of the group not to comment and to listen carefully. Repeat this until every participant has shown a picture and shared the story behind this picture.
Closing up	Bring the participants in a circle and ask them which pictures they liked, which stories touched them and to which stories they could connect. Thank them for being open and sincere.
Tips for the facilitator	– This exercise can trigger strong personal emotions, be prepared for that. – Never push somebody to show a picture or to tell a story. Also take care that during the exercise all participants deal with the pictures of others respectfully.