The Ferris Wheel
General Description
Building active listening and the willingness to talk at the right time and moment is essential to create a safe environment. Therefore, team members need to be comfortable sharing how they handle their daily work and realizing that it is reasonable to feel UPSIDE DOWN sometimes.
In this activity, team members will share the specific moments -e.g., since the team started working remotely- when they felt up and the moments when they felt down. They will mention all the feelings experimented on those specific moments. The goal is to recognize the importance of sharing emotions with team members and avoid the feeling of loneliness.
.png)
Applicable for:
Reflection
Trust Spiral
Inclusion Safety
.png){kind=small}
30 - 60 min
4 - 10 people
Level: intermediate
Steps
Create groups of 4 to 10 members. If you have more people in a team, break the group down in two or more. Make sure that each member has a paper and a pen or pencil to draw.
Step 1
Each member will have 15 minutes for this activity. They will have to draw their version of a Ferris Wheel. There, they will write at the top the moments where they feel UP during a period. Those moments should also include feelings experienced.
Afterwards, they will do precisely the opposite. On the bottom of the Ferris Wheel, they will express the moments when they felt DOWN.
Bonus:
- Each member should find a quiet place at home/office.
- Define in advance the period time: e.g., the lockdown or quarantine.
- The facilitator should prepare reflective music.
Step 2
Ask all the members to have their device cameras turned on. Each member will show their drawing and then a volunteer will start-off telling their story. To provide everybody with the opportunity to share, the time frame will be three minutes.
The other members should be muted and focused on what the other person is saying. When he or she finishes, the rest of the team should say 'thank you.'
To choose the next team member who will share their story, the person who finished talking will ask everybody to show their drawings and will select one of them.
Step 3
Final reflection: Ask the whole group the following questions; it is voluntary participation:
- Which were the feelings more common during this period?
- How did this make me feel?
- Final words to your team.