Method Tag: group exercise

  • Visualize it!

    Visualize it!

    Purpose

    One important step in the process of producing a theatre performance is to create a poster. Most often you make the poster long before you even know how the show will look like. To be forced to make something that concrete in such an early stage, to see it before it happens, to fantasize, to make it representative for what you want to do – is something that is very hard – but very important for the remaining process. To visualize the core of an idea early on is something that benefits all projects. It pushes you to take some decisions and give you a direction of where to go next.

    Instructions

    • Place a large paper on a big table!
    • Participants should grab equipment (such as images, texts, colors, photos, objects) that they feel represent the core of your project (30 min)
    • Put all the material on the big table. Make a collage of the material you find that describe the mood or feel of your concept. (20 min)
    • Have a look at your moodboard and pick three things that stands out. (30 min)
    • Analyze these 3 main things and combine them into 1 idea. Visualize this 1 idea in a new way. Be creative! (60 min)

    Facilitator role

    • Keep track on time! The time frames are there to push the creativity.
    • Find some theatre posters that can inspire the work!

    Whenever you might feel off track later during the process, you have a compass to pick up and guide you.

  • Brainstorming

    Brainstorming

    Purpose

    The simplest reason to hold a brainstorming meeting is to increase the volume of possible ideas, and to also bring people together into the creative process. By distributing a problem across 5 or 10 people in a brainstorming process, in theory, you should be able to obtain a wider array of different ideas much faster than any one person could on their own.

    Instructions

    Place the group around a table. Make sure everyone have some post-its and pens. Discuss what framework or rules this brainstorming process will have. It is important that the whole group agrees and understands the boundaries and rules for the task, before you start. Then take 10 minutes to let the group individually write down their ideas and thoughts. Encourage wild ideas. When everyone is done, let each person present their ideas and put their post-its on a big wall or drawing board. If someone in the group has feedback, additions or opinions, let them make a red cross on that post it. When that person have presented their ideas, take two minutes to let the rest of the group give feedback. This method could be followed up by trying to combine different ideas or thoughts. This is how you proceed with the process:

    Do

    • Think big
    • Each idea is equally important
    • Focus on new angles
    • Allow and encourage crazy ideas.

    Don’t

    • Don’t critizise.
    • Don’t think that your ideas MUST be directly connected to your brief or problem
    • Don’t be to detailed

    Example:

    A group is trying to find a solution to the problem: How can we make school kids eat better food? They sit and talk and come up with different ideas – simple, complex, normal & crazy ones. Elaborate on each other’s ideas. Think sideways and from different angels. Some ideas might lead to a good solution that will solve the problem in a good way.

    Facilitator role:

    The facilitator is there to give the group instructions for the brainstorming session. It is the facilitators role to make sure that the work is conducted according to rules and framework established by the group.

    Reflection questions

    • How was it?
    • Do you want to change something for the next brainstorming session?
    • Did you feel that this was valuable for our project? In what way?
  • Braindrawing

    Braindrawing

    Purpose

    Use this method when you want to come up with new ideas or extend/develop old ideas with new thoughts.

    Instructions

    Pin or tape up about three to seven flip chart pages around the room. Have enough flip chart pens so everyone can write on these. It’s good to have a mixture or colors.

    Start with drawing a doodle on one of the papers. Let the participants start to extend the doodles. The idea is that people will add to what is already on the paper. The assignment is done when all flip charts are full (but not overloaded) with doodles.

    Ask people what shapes they see in the pictures, what it reminds them of and then how this can be brought back to create ideas to solve the problem at hand.

    Do

    • Think crazy
    • Use a lot of colors
    • Use a lot of paper to draw different doodles on

    Don’t

    • Be structured
    • Let everyone participate

    Facilitator role:

    The facilitator starts up the exercise and have the responsibility to capture and sum up the ideas and solutions that come up during the task. The facilitator should encourage the participants to think crazy.

    Reflection questions

    • Why did you think we did this?
    • What learnings do you take with you from this exercise?
    • How was it?
    • Do you want to change something before next session?
    • Did you feel that this was valuable for our project? In what way? If not, why?