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: db8cd4a4b08219d0df3d2702dfb5226794105491a01a7e14cc719e6309d2ebc4

# Uniquities Puzzle

Participants decorate an interlocking puzzle piece with personal symbols, reassemble the whole puzzle, and share the meaning of their piece in small groups.

**Time:** 25 minutes. Playmeo suggests 10 to 15 minutes for artwork plus sharing; UWT allocates 25 minutes total to allow setup, individual work, small group sharing, and debrief.
**People:** 4 to 24. Individual drawing followed by trios or quads, concluding with a full-room reassembly.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Enable participants to express individual perspectives through visual symbols and observe how their individual contributions fit into a collective group display.
**Use it when:** Use during team onboarding, orientation, or cohort kickoffs to facilitate low-pressure self-expression and mutual introduction.
**Skip it when:** Skip when the session lacks space for hands-on craft materials or when the team needs focused task planning rather than interpersonal introduction.

## Materials and tools

- 1 large sheet of poster paper pre-cut into interlocking puzzle pieces (1 piece per person)
- Assorted colored markers, colored pencils, or crayons (shared across tables)
- 1 roll of drafting tape or masking tape (for mounting or securing reassembled pieces)
- 1 flat display surface (large table or wall space)

## Before participants arrive

1. Count the exact number of attendees expected.
2. On a large sheet of poster paper, pencil an interlocking jigsaw grid with exactly one piece per participant.
3. Number the back of each piece lightly in pencil along with a matching master sketch so pieces can easily be reassembled if needed.
4. Cut the pieces apart with scissors and distribute one piece randomly to each seat or workspace.
5. Place markers and craft materials at the center of each table.

## Say this to open

Welcome. Each of you has an individual puzzle piece in front of you. Every piece has a distinct shape, yet it fits together with others into a single picture. Your task over the next 10 minutes is to decorate your piece in a way that represents an aspect of who you are, what you bring to our work, or something you value. You can use drawings, symbols, words, or simple colors. What you share is entirely your choice.

## How to run it

### 1. Introduce prompt and hand out pieces (3 minutes)

Deliver the opening script. Clarify that artistic skill is not evaluated. Show an example of how words, colors, or icons work equally well. Invite questions and start the artwork timer.

### 2. Create personal puzzle artwork (10 minutes)

Participants work individually to decorate the face of their puzzle piece. Give a two-minute warning at minute 8. Anyone who finishes early may write their name or initials on their piece.

### 3. Share in small groups (5 minutes)

Direct participants to form small groups of 3 or 4. Each person takes up to 1 minute to explain one or two elements on their piece to their small group. Participants may choose how much detail to reveal or simply state one favorite color or pattern.

### 4. Reassemble the whole puzzle (4 minutes)

Invite all participants to bring their pieces to the central table or wall. Participants fit the pieces together into the complete original sheet. If participants struggle with placement, refer to the pencil numbers on the back.

### 5. Whole-room debrief (3 minutes)

Gather the group around the completed puzzle. Facilitate a brief reflection using one or two targeted questions. Accept 3 to 4 spoken reflections to keep within the time.


## Debrief questions

- Looking at the assembled puzzle, what common themes or contrasts stand out across our pieces?
- What made it easy or challenging to translate personal qualities into visual symbols?
- How does seeing all the pieces joined together change your view of our group?

**Finished output:** A reassembled, collaborative puzzle artwork displaying the individual contributions of all present participants.

## Remote

Use a collaborative digital whiteboard (such as Miro or Mural). Create a grid of interlocking puzzle piece shapes, assigning one shape to each person. Participants spend 10 minutes adding digital shapes, icons, colors, or short text. Break into video breakout rooms of 3 people for 5 minutes of sharing, then return to view the complete digital canvas together.

## Hybrid

In-person participants decorate physical puzzle pieces on a table. Remote participants decorate pre-assigned digital puzzle piece frames on a shared board. A designated facilitator prints or displays the digital pieces on a video screen adjacent to the physical puzzle board so both sets of contributions are visible during the share and debrief.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may use words, simple stick figures, abstract geometric patterns, or single colors instead of detailed drawings.
- Any participant may pass on explaining their piece to the group or simply say, 'I chose this color because I like it,' without disclosing private personal information.

## If the session gets stuck

**Participants struggle to reassemble the puzzle at the end, causing a bottleneck.**

Use the light numbers penciled on the reverse side of each piece and refer to your master sketch to quickly place anchor pieces.

**A participant expresses anxiety about their lack of artistic drawing ability.**

Reassure them that simple text labels, lists of words, or blocks of color fulfill the task completely.


## Terms used here

- Interlocking piece: A puzzle cutout with tabs and blanks that fits physically alongside neighboring pieces.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Playmeo records under the title 'Uniquities Puzzle', where the activity is attributed to Lisa Laura.

The core mechanic of cutting a poster into individual puzzle pieces, decorating them to show individual identity, and sharing their meaning is drawn directly from the Playmeo entry attributed to Lisa Laura. UWT introduced explicit timing steps, group size parameters, small group sharing to manage time, a numbering system on the reverse side for smooth reassembly, and structured debrief questions.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/health-wellbeing/uniquities-puzzle)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/health-wellbeing/uniquities-puzzle/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/creative-self-expression-activity-for-sharing-uniquities-puzzle/