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Exercises/Reflection and Learning/Bazaar Bizarro
Team Reflection · Reflection and Learning

Bazaar Bizarro

Explain that the goal of the activity is to use creativity to turn an ordinary object into something extraordinary and persuade the group of its value.

Under 5 minutesTIME
Medium group (9-25), PairsGROUP SIZE
ActiveENERGY
In person, RemoteSETTING
High cognitive loadCOGNITIVE LOAD
Strengthens Learning Transfer This reflection and learning exercise strengthens Learning Transfer, one of the eight Gathering Effectiveness pillars.

How to run it

  1. Explain that the goal of the activity is to use creativity to turn an ordinary object into something extraordinary and persuade the group of its value.
  2. Emphasize that the focus is on having fun and experimenting with improvisation.
  3. Ask each participant to choose an object from the box that they find interesting or unique.
  4. Give them 2 minutes to examine their object, noticing its texture, shape, color, and unique features.
  5. Each participant has up to 1 minute to “sell” their object to the group. They can use humor, storytelling, or persuasive descriptions.
Live facilitator

Run this exercise live

The facilitator console stays in this browser. Its QR handoff is a short-lived participant snapshot containing only public exercise instructions, phase, prompt, and timer state.

Prompts to use +

Explain that the goal of the activity is to use creativity to turn an ordinary object into something extraordinary and persuade the group of its value.

Ask each participant to choose an object from the box that they find interesting or unique.

Give them 2 minutes to examine their object, noticing its texture, shape, color, and unique features.

Each participant has up to 1 minute to “sell” their object to the group. They can use humor, storytelling, or persuasive descriptions.

Run this with your AI assistant +

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

Adapt this exercise for my exact room. Exercise: Bazaar Bizarro. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Explain that the goal of the activity is to use creativity to turn an ordinary object into something extraordinary and persuade the group of its value.; Ask each participant to choose an object from the box that they find interesting or unique.; Give them 2 minutes to examine their object, noticing its texture, shape, color, and unique features.; Each participant has up to 1 minute to “sell” their object to the group. They can use humor, storytelling, or persuasive descriptions.. Return a concise facilitator script with timing, wording, safety notes, and remote/in-person adjustments.

Origin unverified

  • Where we observed it: The strongest current observations come from Participatory Methods; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including Participatory Methods.)
  • What that means: we track where an exercise has been observed in public sources. We do not claim to know who created it, or how popular it is.
  • No efficacy claims: appearing in this library is not a claim that the exercise is proven effective. Facilitator judgment and context decide whether it works for a given room.
  • Corrections: if you have evidence of an earlier or more accurate source, read our methodology and trust boundary and tell us.

Pairs well with