Telling Our Stories
This method facilitates trust and openness among team members through structured storytelling. Participants reflect on personal experiences, sharing insights from their past to strengthen relationships in the team.
How to run it
- 1
Introduce the exercise and highlight the importance of trust and openness in effective teamwork.
- 2
Emphasize that sharing personal stories is voluntary, and participants should only share if they feel comfortable.
- 3
Create a welcoming environment where participants can safely express emotions as they share their stories.
- 4
Instruct participants to take three different colored post-its and find a comfortable space in the room.
- 5
Explain that there will be three rounds of storytelling, each lasting 5-7 minutes, where they will write down their answers to the provided questions.
- 6
For the first round, focus on childhood: write about a happy moment, an important person, and a life-changing experience.
- 7
Encourage participants to answer spontaneously, without overthinking.
Tips
Monitor the group for emotional responses and provide support as needed during sharing.
Encourage active listening and respect for each participant's story.
Be prepared to follow up with individuals who may feel particularly moved by the exercise.
Variations
Adjust the themes of the storytelling rounds to focus on different life stages or specific topics relevant to the team.
Where it fits
Frequently asked questions
When should I use Telling Our Stories?â–¾
Use Telling Our Stories when you want to: team kickoff; retrospective sharing; relationship building; conflict resolution; icebreaker for new teams.
How long does Telling Our Stories take?â–¾
Telling Our Stories typically takes 60–120 minutes.
How many participants does Telling Our Stories work for?â–¾
Telling Our Stories works best for groups of 2–40 participants.
What materials do I need for Telling Our Stories?â–¾
Telling Our Stories requires no special materials — just participants and a space.
How difficult is Telling Our Stories to facilitate?â–¾
Telling Our Stories is rated advanced — best facilitated by an experienced workshop leader.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from SessionLab. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.