Mad Tea
People stand in two circles, the inner circle facing the outer, in pairs. The facilitator shows an unfinished sentence about the challenge and both partners complete it. At the bell, the outer circle moves one place and the next sentence appears. In about twelve minutes everyone has heard many quick takes on the challenge from many people.
Use when a session is starting and you want a whole room talking about a shared challenge and hearing perspectives beyond their own team.
Solves: Kick-off sessions open with a long presentation and people only talk to the colleagues they arrived with.
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Step 1: Name the shared challenge (1 min).
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Step 2: Form two circles with partners facing each other. Explain the bell signal (2 min).
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Step 3: Show a sentence stem. Both partners complete it. At the bell the outer circle moves one place and the next stem appears. Repeat for each stem (up to 12 min).
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Step 4: Ask the whole group what patterns they heard and what next steps they suggest (2-5 min).
- Mix stems: appreciative, problem-focused, hopeful and action-oriented.
- Keep the pace brisk. The fun comes from the speed.
- Ask people to lean in rather than shout when the room gets loud.
- Shift the tone of the stems from lighthearted to serious as the rounds go on.