- Scraps of paper with prompts
- Hat or bag to hold prompts
Prior to this activity, the leader will write open-ended/fill-in-the-blank prompts on scraps of paper and place them into a hat. These prompts may be silly, serious or range between the two. (i.e. “My favorite flavor of ice cream is....” or “If I could travel anywhere in the world, I'd go to....?”) Gather participants in a circle and explain that the hat will be passed around, and when it gets to them they must draw a question from the hat and answer it as quickly as possible. There are no wrong answers, but they will only have a certain amount of time to get the hat all the way around the circle. For a group of ten people, one minute is a good starting point. Do three rounds, inform them of their time at the end of each, and encourage them to go faster each time. Another option is to have participants limit their responses to three words.
- How did you feel when I said any answer was right?
- What are some ways we worked together to get the hat around faster?
- How did you censor yourself?
- What is the value of saying the first thing that comes to mind?
- “Don’t think too hard; just blurt out whatever comes to mind.”
- “Have fun with your answers.”
- “Anything you say is right.”
- Have participants play in pairs or smaller groups.
- Let participants write the questions.
- Hand out a typed sheet of questions, compete to see who can write down answers first, then have everyone share.
Koppett, Kat. Training to Imagine: Practical Improvisational Theatre Techniques to Enhance Creativity, Teamwork, Leadership, and Learning. Sterling: Stylus Publishing, 2002. Print.