Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: a745e385fcf6a39a03000d0ef53e27fbda3aed3ed7c0fea7c2860b305db8cf43

# Ask Me About

Participants write three topics they genuinely want to talk about on an index card. They pair up, swap cards, pick one topic from their partner's card, and interview each other.

**Time:** 15 minutes. Based on the 5 to 15 minute range observed in CASEL SEL 3 Signature Practices documentation; structured here for 15 minutes to allow card writing, two rounds of pair swaps, and brief whole-room reflection.
**People:** 4 to 24. Individual card writing, followed by structured pairs (or one triad if numbers are odd)

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Exchange participant-selected personal or professional topics to build mutual familiarity across pairs.
**Use it when:** Use as an opening check-in for teams or cohorts that know each other slightly and need to bypass standard small talk without intrusive prompts.
**Skip it when:** Skip when the session requires immediate content immersion, when total silence is required, or when participants cannot converse in pairs.

## Materials and tools

- One 3x5 index card per participant
- One pen or pencil per participant
- Digital chat or shared whiteboard (remote only)
- One audio chime or countdown timer for the facilitator

## Before participants arrive

1. Place one index card and one pen at each seat.
2. Ensure room layout allows easy standing and movement between pairs.

## Say this to open

Take an index card and write down three topics you would be glad to talk about today. They can be hobbies, a recent challenge you solved, or a current work project. You control what goes on your card.

## How to run it

### 1. Write topic cards (3 minutes)

Participants independently write three topics on their card. One may be work-related and two personal, or any mix they prefer. Neutral example: 'Baking sourdough bread', 'Reorganizing our team wiki', 'My dog learning agility'. Provide quiet writing time.

### 2. Partner round one (5 minutes)

Participants stand and pair with someone they have not spoken with yet today. If there is an odd number, form one triad. Partners swap cards. Person A selects one topic from Person B's card and says, 'Tell me about [topic]'. Person B speaks for 2 minutes while Person A listens and asks clarifying questions. At the 2-minute chime, swap roles so Person B asks Person A about a selected topic for 2 minutes. Return cards to owners.

### 3. Partner round two (5 minutes)

Participants find a new partner and repeat the swap. Each person picks a new topic from their partner's card and converses for 2 minutes each way. When time ends, return cards to their owners and return to seats.

### 4. Debrief (2 minutes)

Facilitator brings the full group together. Ask 2 to 3 volunteers to share something new they learned about a colleague or how having topic choice changed the conversation.


## Debrief questions

- What is something you learned about a colleague today that you did not know before?
- How did having total choice over your listed topics affect what you shared?
- How might you follow up on one of these conversations later this week?

**Finished output:** Each participant holds a personalized card with three self-selected topics, having shared at least two with colleagues.

## Remote

Instead of index cards, participants type their three topics into private scratch notes. The facilitator pairs attendees into breakout rooms of two (or one group of three) for 4 minutes. In the breakout, partners paste their 3 topics into the chat. Person A picks a topic from Person B's list to ask about for 2 minutes; switch at the broadcast chime. Bring everyone back and run round two with newly randomized breakout pairs.

## Hybrid

In-person participants use physical index cards and pair with other in-room colleagues. Remote participants use video breakout pairs and exchange topics in their breakout chat. The facilitator sounds an audible chime broadcast to both room audio and virtual call to synchronize speaking turns.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may choose strictly professional, project-based topics if they prefer not to disclose personal interests.
- Anyone may pass on speaking by opting to act solely as a designated listener in their pair, or participate via written text in chat.

## If the session gets stuck

**An odd number of participants leaves one person without a partner.**

Create one group of three. Allocate 75 seconds per speaker instead of 2 minutes so all three share within the round time.

**One partner dominates the time and does not let the other person answer follow-up questions.**

Ring a clear chime at the halfway mark (2 minutes) and announce firmly: 'Switch speakers now so your partner has their full two minutes.'


## Terms used here

- SEL: Social and Emotional Learning, an educational and organizational framework emphasizing self-awareness, social awareness, and relationship skills.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in CASEL's SEL 3 Signature Practices Playbook as an Inclusive Welcome activity titled 'Ask Me About...'.

Retained the core mechanic from CASEL SEL 3 Signature Practices: writing three topics on an index card, exchanging cards with a partner, and letting the partner pick the prompt. Added explicit time management (two 5-minute paired rounds), neutral example topics, odd-number handling, and specific debrief structure.

[CASEL](https://signaturepractices.casel.org/ask-me-about/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/ask-me-about-sel-3-signature-practices-playbook/