Until one has loved an animal a part of one‘s soul remains unawakened.
Anatole France (1844–1924)
French Novelist
Participants will learn and remember the other participants’ name. It’s also very energising and great fun.
Objective of “Animal”
Self-presentation.
Resources
None
Time.
10—15 mins depending on group size.
Task
Present yourself with name plus animal name, e.g. I am Anita and I am a cat because I love the independence and self-reliance of cats.
Or: I am Chris and I am a lion, the king of the jungle, but perhaps more because my zodiac sign is leo.
Optional: If you want to have more action you can ask the participants to act for a few seconds as their favorite animal, i.e. to move around and to do a typical sound (doesn’t work with all of course, e.g. fishes, turtles etc.). Usually, you are going to have much more laughter with this version. But be aware that the audience has to feel comfortable with the workshop environment. Furthermore, not all age groups might appreciate it, e.g. 50 year old manager might find it a little childish 😉
Phase
Good as starter in the morning and in later phases with the question, ‘Which animal would you be to describe your current mood and energy level?’