Scales Up

Description

  • Time

    15-60 mins
  • Level

    3 (out of 5)

This activity is a very versatile one, that you can introduce in various moments within a session- whether it is to collect quick intel of the group or giving it more space to dive deeper into a specific topic. At the core of it, participants are being asked to place themselves on a scale according to a selected criteria. This exercise is a great one for teams to get to know each other, promoting teamwork, collecting opinions as well as using it as a starting point for discussions. 

Instructions

🌎 In an offline setting:

Tell the group to line up according to the scale you present. Indicate which side of the room represents which side of the spectrum.
One variation of this exercise is to let participants line up without talking. Use this when you want to promote teamwork and/or make the exercise more challenging. 

🌐 In an online setting:

Prepare a slide(s) presenting the scale you want people to place themselves on.
To let participants indicate their position there’s two options:

1) Indicate numbers on the scale i.e. 1-10 and let participants type their number in the chat.
2) Let participants use the “annotation” feature within Zoom. This allows them to mark their position on your shared screen/the slide with the scale. 

After participants have placed themselves, debrief: hear from all or a couple why they have placed themselves in a specific spot; ask how the exercise went for them, what were the challenges and what can the group learn from it.
You can repeat this activity for a couple of rounds to move from easy scales (best for warm-ups) to more challenging ones or to get more insights.

Pick the scale according to the purpose of your session.

  • Early bird - Night owl 

  • Age (youngest-oldest)

  • When did you join the team/organisation (timeline)

  • Carnivore - Vegan 

  • Introvert - Extrovert 

  • Low energy - High energy

  • Safe & comfortable - Risk & Adventure

  • Data driven - Intuition driven

  • Visual thinker - Verbal thinker

  • Individual - Collective

  • Prefer ambiguity - Prefer certainty

  • Big picture - Details

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