Table of contents
To connect with a group of participants or coach client(s), it is often helpful not to jump right into the agenda but to open the room (and people's minds) for sharing their current mood. Pictures, in combination with a check-in question, are a powerful means to access and express emotions and thoughts.
Open your workshop/session/meeting with a visual check-in that enables people to be there as who they are and share what's on their mind:
Objectives
- Kickstart your workshop in a personal & fun way.
- Share an impression of the mood & situation in the (virtual) room.
- Increase engagement and foster safe space.
Preparation and Resources
Facilitation
- Spread picture cards in front of your participants. Choose a set of 20-60 pictures and spread them in front of your participants, e.g., on the table or floor. When working online in the icebreaker browser app, select a card deck and share the invitation link with your participants.
- Ask a check-in question. For an open start, an open-ended question works best, e.g., "How are you today?" or "How have you been lately?" The Coaching Tools Handbook Facilitation
- Give time to reflect and select a card. Ask people to answer this question by choosing a card representing their answer.
- Invite people to share. You can give the floor to the first speaker and have them present their card. After they share, encourage them to nominate the next speaker. As the moderator in icebreaker.online , you can simply select the image for everyone to view the chosen picture.