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Exercises/Relationship Mapping/Creative Storytelling Activity to Energise Groups - Panic Picture
Collaborative Story Building ยท Relationship Mapping

Creative Storytelling Activity to Energise Groups - Panic Picture

Creative Storytelling Activity to Energise Groups - Panic Picture is a collaborative story building exercise for relationship mapping: it helps participants build useful connections and understand how people, roles, or ideas relate.

5 to 15 minutesTIME
Small group (4-8)GROUP SIZE
ActiveENERGY
In person, RemoteSETTING
High cognitive loadCOGNITIVE LOAD
Strengthens Network Design This relationship mapping exercise strengthens Network Design, one of the eight Gathering Effectiveness pillars.

How to run it

  1. Drawing from a pile of We Engage Cards or any set of images/photographs, display one random image to your group.
  2. Show this image for 5 seconds (and then hide it.)
  3. Immediately invite one person to volunteer and respond to this image by sharing a quick story that is inspired by it.
  4. Allow up to 30 seconds for their story to be shared.
  5. Show your next image for 5 seconds, and again, invite someone to share their story.
  6. Continue to show all of your images, or until you are ready to move on.
  7. Panic Picture Creative storytelling activity to spark imagination & quick thinking.
  8. Panic Picture is a creative storytelling activity that challenges participants to think creatively under pressure.
  9. The fast-paced format keeps energy levels high while encouraging participants to embrace spontaneous creativity, making it perfect for building confidence in public speaking and developing improvisational skills.
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 +

Drawing from a pile of We Engage Cards or any set of images/photographs, display one random image to your group.

Immediately invite one person to volunteer and respond to this image by sharing a quick story that is inspired by it.

Show your next image for 5 seconds, and again, invite someone to share their story.

Continue to show all of your images, or until you are ready to move on.

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: Creative Storytelling Activity to Energise Groups - Panic Picture. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Drawing from a pile of We Engage Cards or any set of images/photographs, display one random image to your group.; Immediately invite one person to volunteer and respond to this image by sharing a quick story that is inspired by it.; Show your next image for 5 seconds, and again, invite someone to share their story.; Continue to show all of your images, or until you are ready to move on.. 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 Playmeo; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including Playmeo.)
  • 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