A classic activity that inspires storytelling and improves team bonding. Teams gather in a circle and share their workplace experiences. Along the way, they learn things about each other and relive old memories.
Number of participants: 6-20
Duration: 45 minutes
Objective: Informal training, encourage participants to share, and establish common experiences
How to play
1. Create a set of trigger words that can kickstart a storytelling session. Think of words like “first day”, “work travel”, “partnership”, “side project”, etc. Add them to sticky notes.
2. Divide a whiteboard into two sections. Post all sticky notes from above on one section of the whiteboard.
3. Ask a participant to pick out one trigger word from the sticky notes and use it to share an experience (say, about his/her first day at the company). Shift the chosen sticky note to the other side of the whiteboard.
4. As the participant is relating his/her experience, ask others to jot down words that remind them of similar work-related stories. Add these words to sticky notes and paste them on the whiteboard.
5. Repeat this process until you have a “wall of words” with interconnected stories.
Strategy
Storytelling is at the heart of the community experience. It is also how information gets passed on informally. A storytelling session focused on work-related stories can get a large group to loosen up and share their experiences.
It can also act as an informal training session with work experiences passing from one member to another.
