Conversation Exercises

Conversation exercises

Exercises # 1 – 3For groups of 2 people.

Exercises # 4 – 10For groups of 3 or more people.

Exercises # 11 - 14Individual exercises.

Exercise # 1

3 minute chat with the person

next to you

Source: http://www.mpiweb.org/Archive?id=3604

What is important to you in what has just been presented?

3 minute chat with the person next to you

Other questions to ask

What can you use from the presentation? What do you think we should do next? How can you contribute?

What do you think about x? How do you feel about this?

What do you need to know more about? What do you feel uncomfortable about regarding this plan?

Source: Ravn, Ib: Facilitering, p. 93-94.

Exercise # 2

Questions to start a

conversation

Examples of questions to start a conversation

SourcePink, Daniel: To sell is human: The surprising truth about moving others, location 2716. http://www.amazon.de/Sell-Human-Surprising-Influencing-ebook/dp/B00AO3K05S/

Where do you come from?

What do you do?

Exercise # 3

Appreciativeinquiry

assignment

Part A. 2 minutesWhat is the best experience you’ve had with X?

Part B. 2 minutesWhat did you do to make this experience really good?

Part C. 2 minutesWhat would you wish was possible in relation to X?

Part D. 2 minutesWhat can you do to make your wishes come true? Please be concrete.

Exercise # 4First impressions

gameSourcehttp://www.sustainable-employee-motivation.com/meeting-icebreakers.html#whoami

Step # 1

Please walk over to a person you don’t know.

Have a brief conversation with that person for about 1 minute.

Step # 2

Using post-it notes, please write first impressions about the person and put them on his or her back. Use 1 post-it note per impression.

Examples: You have a beautiful smile. You are a great listener.

Step # 3

Move to another person, you don’t know, and repeat step # 2.

Step # 4

After about 10 minutes, people come back to their seats.

For each person in the room, the person on his/her left reads out what is written on the post-it notes on his/her back.

Example # 5

Poster session

1. 4 participants each place a poster in each corner of the room.

2. The other participants in the room split up in each corner.

3. Each of the 4 participants with posters talks about his/her idea for 5 minutes.

Round # 1. 5 minutes

Using post-it notes, each participant places questions on any poster.

In groups of 2 persons, participants discuss questions with each other.

Round # 2: 10 minutes

Exercise # 6

Questioning exercise

Step # 1: The workshop moderator suggests a focus topicExample: Education innovation.

Step # 2: Participants develop questions

Sourcehttp://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2011/09/11/learning-to-ask-the-right-question-2/

Step # 3: Participants improve questions

Step # 4: Participants prioritize questionsThe moderator defines criteria for prioritizing questions.

Sourcehttp://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2011/09/11/learning-to-ask-the-right-question-2/

Step # 5: Participants and moderator decide on next steps

Step # 6: Participants reflect on what they have learned during the exercise

Sourcehttp://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2011/09/11/learning-to-ask-the-right-question-2/

Exercise # 7

Ideas from2 consultants

Sourcehttp://www.mpiweb.org/Archive?id=3604

Preparation

Participants are named as A, B, and C persons respectively.

Groups of 3 persons are made. Each group consists of the following persons: One A Person. One B Person. One C Person.

Part # 1. 2 minutes

Person A talks about a challenge he/she has at work.

Persons B and C listen.

Part # 2. 5 minutes

Persons B and C give feedback to person A by speaking to each other, i.e. they ignore person A.

Examples: What would happen if he/she.…? I’m thinking about whether he/she needs to do activity B in that way? Why doesn’t he/she….? Here’s what I would do:…..

Person A writes down what he/she can use.

Part # 3. 5 minutes

Person A picks out what he or she thinks is the best idea.

Person A discusses this idea with person B and C.

Exercise # 8

Multiple choice creation

assignment

Each of you, please make 3 multiple choice questions about course related topics.

Each question should be relevant. be concrete, simple, and clear. have minimum 3 different answers of which minimum 1 answer is correct.

Part A. 5 minutes

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

Part B. 2 minutes

Please hand the test, you have just taken, to the person on your left, and let him/her 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

Exercise # 9

Round robin exercise

What’s interesting for you regarding this topic?

½ minute per person

What’s important to you regarding this topic?

½ minute per person

½ minute per person

Each of you, please make 1 suggestion for solving the problem mentioned.

Exercise # 10

What do we have in common?

SourcePink, Daniel: To sell is human: The surprising truth about moving others, location http://www.amazon.de/Sell-Human-Surprising-Influencing-ebook/dp/B00AO3K05S/, location 1230.

Step # 1

Groups of 3 – 4 people are formed.

SourcePink, Daniel: To sell is human: The surprising truth about moving others, location http://www.amazon.de/Sell-Human-Surprising-Influencing-ebook/dp/B00AO3K05S/, location 1230.

Step # 2

Participants in each group find out what they have in common.

Exercise # 11

Relationship self test

Sourcehttp://www.relationshipbooksinfo.com/the-bibace-5-minute-test

Make a mental list of up to 3 peoplewith whom you feel you have the best relationships.

Step # 1

Make a second list of up to 3 peoplewho make you feel the best about yourself.

Step # 2

If the lists are identical or almost identical, you have your answer.

Step # 3

Exercise # 12

Individual reflection

assignment

2 questions to reflect individually on for 3 minutes

Question # 1What in particular, regarding the content of what you have worked on, is most clear in your mind?

Question # 2Thinking about what you have worked on, what is the most useful for you in your life at the moment?

Other questions to ask

What do you think is the essence in this discussion?

What challenges does each one of you have in this area?

Source: Ravn, Ib: Facilitering, p. 96.

Exercise # 13

Take homemessage

Please reflect individually for 2 minutes about what you will take home from this event, i.e. what you personally can use.

Exercise # 14

Individualfeedback

assignment

How was the event? Please draw a line of your choice

+

-

Start Finish

What, in particular, did you like? 1. 2. 3.

Name:

Thanks very much in advance for your feedback.