5 Favorite Toolkit Activities
Here are some of my favorite toolkit activities. Explore, try them out, and share your experience and any tips or modifications in the comments section of the activity's website page!
Dear collaborative discussion friends,
This week we have just finished our September Collaborative Discussion Coach Training and are about to begin our October training. Our coach trainings usually model expedited versions of the toolkit activities included in our standard Collaborative Discussion Certificate Program. I would like to highlight some additional activities that are not included in our coach trainings.
These are are some of my favorite activities. They introduce important mindsets and behaviors that are usually not the default or they incorporate playfulness, imagination, and creativity to help participants learn and practice a collaborative discussion skill. Try out these activities and share any modifications or useful tips in the comments section at the bottom of each activity’s website page!
If you missed the previous activity newsletter, 6 Types of Curiosity Questions + Free Resource, you can access it and our other weekly newsletters by subscribing below.
5 toolkit activities to explore and try out
1) Activity 1.2 Developing Collaborative Perspective
Activity 1.2 Developing Collaborative Perspective. This activity opens up the conversation and makes visible the need to gain a broader perspective of issues in order to effectively explore and address them. What we individually know and experience is important, what we can’t see is just as important in understanding a complex issue.
Why I like this activity: I love how this activity uses puzzle pieces to help participants visualize and experience the limitations of any single perspective and understand the value of multiple perspectives.
2) Activity 1.4 Understanding Your Identity in Collaboration
Activity 1.4 Understanding Your Identity in Collaboration. There are different ways of thinking about identity ranging from personal to social or perceived to ascribed. This activity encourages participants to reflect on the type of person or identity they bring (or would like to bring) to a discussion.
Why I like this activity: I really enjoy how this activity helps participants think about a complicated topic like identity through the playful idea of identity capsules.
3) Activity 2.2 Embracing Contradictions
Activity 2.2 Embracing Contradictions. Contradictions can be helpful. They can help us to see complexity and develop flexibility of thought. Most issues (and people) contain contradictions. Instead of being stumped by contradictions, this activity encourages participants to lean into this discomfort and develop a “paradox mindset.”
Why I like this activity: I think this activity helps participants practice such an important skill and mindset, that of embracing contradictions, instead of what is often our default, which is being frustrated by or becoming stuck on contradictions.
4) Activity 2.5 Cultivating a Willingness to Play
Activity 2.5 Cultivating a Willingness to Play. This activity encourages participants to take themselves less seriously and play with ideas (and one another). When we play, we explore—which offers an opportunity to let down our analytical guard and see with fresh perspectives.
Why I like this activity: I like how participants are encouraged to have fun and be silly while developing their pitches in this activity, helping them gain a deeper understanding of how play can be used to energize a group and explore new avenues for solving a particular problem.
5) Activity 2.8 Encouraging Bold Imagination
Activity 2.8 Encouraging Bold Imagination. This activity asks participants to describe a positive vision for the future in regard to a complex topic—and to collaboratively imagine the pathways to achieve this desired future. Instead of getting hung up by what groups think to be “realistic” limitations, this activity helps a group to imagine boldly.
Why I like this activity: I love how this activity helps us see possibility and potential for change in the present, especially with big or challenging issues, when much of the discourse around the issue is negative and it can seem like there is not much we can do to solve the problem or create positive change.
Upcoming Events
Difficult Discussions Workshop. We will be offering an in-person workshop on October 3 from 10 am to 12 pm (eastern) at the University of Delaware (Graham Hall, Room 185) to unpack the challenges associated with negotiating difficult discussions in the classroom and beyond. This hands-on workshop will explore ways of incorporating collaborative activities from the Collaborative Discussion Toolkit into your classroom or campus events. IF’s President, Shannon Wheatley Hartman, will be facilitating this workshop. Open to Educators. Register Now!
5 Practices for Better College Discussions Workshop Series. Invite college students to register and attend these workshops for an introduction to the necessary skills for robust class conversations! The upcoming workshops in this series will take place online from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm (eastern) on October 9, October 23, November 6, and November 20. Share this link for them to register!
Designing Inclusive Discussions Workshop. During the gathering on Thursday, October 17 from 12pm to 1pm (eastern), we will be offering a free workshop introducing and practicing an expedited version of a brand new toolkit activity. All are welcome! Register Now!
Saint Ignatius College Prep in Chicago is hosting Guanacaste: The Transformational Listening Conference 2024 from October 24 to October 26. The theme of the conference this year is "Listening: A Path to Peace in a Polarized World". Dr. John G. Igwebuike, the founder of Guanacaste: The Lead Listening Institute, and one of our Collaborative Discussion Coaches, is organizing this conference. All are welcome! Register Now!
Looking forward to collaborating,
Ritu Thomas & the Collaborative Discussion Team