Talking Stick
An ancient practice adapted for contemporary facilitation: only the person holding a physical object (the 'talking stick') may speak. Everyone else listens. The stick passes around the circle. It slows the conversation, prevents interruption, and equalises speaking time. In highly structured form it is used in circle practice and council; in lighter form it simply prevents crosstalk in heated discussions.
Comment l'animer
- 1
Choose or designate any meaningful object as the talking stick.
- 2
Explain the single rule: only the holder of the stick may speak. Others listen fully.
- 3
Pass the stick around the circle. Each person speaks when they hold it, passes when they don't want to.
- 4
After one round, open the stick for anyone to pick up who has something to add.
- 5
Continue until the topic is exhausted or time is up.
Conseils
The power is in the physical object and the ritual, not the rule alone.
Choose an object with some meaning or weight.
Don't rush the silence between speakers — silence while waiting for the stick is where reflection happens.',
Variantes
Run in council practice form: add an intention ('we speak from the heart, listen from the heart') and close with gratitude. For virtual teams, use a 'virtual token' passed via chat.',
Contextes d'utilisation
Questions fréquemment posées
Quand utiliser Talking Stick ?â–ľ
Utilisez Talking Stick lorsque vous souhaitez: Conflict resolution; Cross-cultural teams; Deeply divided discussions; Circle practice and council; Indigenous-informed facilitation.
Combien de temps dure Talking Stick ?â–ľ
Talking Stick dure généralement 10–60 minutes.
Pour combien de participants Talking Stick convient-il ?â–ľ
Talking Stick fonctionne mieux pour des groupes de 3–20 participants.
De quels matériaux ai-je besoin pour Talking Stick ?▾
Pour animer Talking Stick, vous aurez besoin de : any physical object to serve as the talking stick.
Quel est le niveau de difficulté de Talking Stick ?▾
Talking Stick est classé débutant — facile à animer même sans expérience préalable.
Planifiez votre prochain atelier avec l'IA
Workshop Weaver vous aide à combiner des méthodes comme Talking Stick en un agenda complet et minuté en quelques minutes.
Essayer gratuitementMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices.