I learn lessons with every interview I give.
Jenny Lewis (*1976)
American actress and singer
How does a journalist learn about a person to write his or her story? He does an interview. Play the role of a reporter! Participants interview each other and report to the group.
Thereby you can observe how much they are listening to each other or whether one is dominating the talk. Furthermore, as Workshop Leader you can learn also about the participants’ time discipline as five minutes are quite limited.
Familiarisation of participants with each other.
Notepad, pen (Optional: markers and flip chart sheets).
Hint: If you let them write on flip chart, they are better able to present and you observe their skills in dealing with workshop material already.
2 x 5 mins newspaper interviews = 10 mins plus 3 mins presentation time per participant.
Create teams of two participants who interview each other. It’s advisable to mix gender, organisation, and age groups. Everybody takes a notepad and a pen and starts interviewing or being interviewed. After five minutes you give the signal to switch. Results are either presented orally or by means of flip chart (each team standing together at the front).
Beginning.
You freeze a current moment of the workshop by doing a quick round of all the participant to know the current emotion or opinion.
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This is an ice-breaker activity to familiarize participants with each other. The form of the wanted poster reduces information to the relevant and the time needed.Make teams of two who interview each other and draw a Wanted Poster. It’s recommended to mix gender, organisation, and age groups.
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Often so-called facts are presented to us, which we accept without further questioning. This excellent game teaches people to question further.
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Participants will learn and remember the other participants’ name. It’s also very energising and great fun.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.
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Icons are visual symbols, which are very important in our everyday lives. We are all familiar with symbols for toilets, exits, or restaurant logos etc. But have you ever thought of symbolising yourself in a single sign? Icon - I can!
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Write the name of each participant on the back of the cards and let each participant pick one. Now, they have to find their ‘invisible friend’, i.e. ask around which person belongs to the name of the card.
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There has never yet been a man in our history who led a life of ease whose name is worth...
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Alliteration means using the same starting letter of words as a rhetorical tool. Here, we use alliterative epithets together with participants’ names, e.g. Ali the Attractive, Laila the Lunatic, or Jim the Jealous.
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There is a treasure in each workshop participant. Find it and let find the participants in each other. This game sets a positive atmosphere when everybody is new - and perhaps a little insecure - in the workshop. It builds confidence and relationships.
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