Drawing Together

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Reveal nonverbal patterns, feelings, and assumptions about a common challenge without relying on verbal debate.

Use it when: Use when a team is stuck in circular verbal debate, mental fatigue sets in, or complex relationship dynamics need expression.

Skip it when: Skip when the group requires precise quantitative data, a formal written decision record, or immediate operational scheduling.

Group arrangement: Individual drawing, then pairs for silent interpretation, followed by whole-room debrief.

Timing: Matches the 40-minute structure documented in Liberating Structures sources.

Materials and tools

• 1 sheet of scratch paper per person for symbol practice
• 2 sheets of plain blank paper per person for drafts
• 1 set of multi-colored markers per person
• Flip chart and markers for facilitator demonstration
• Wall-safe tape or tack for posting sheets (optional)
• Shared digital whiteboard or display tool (for hybrid or remote use)

Before participants arrive

1. Place scratch paper, 2 blank drawing sheets, and markers at each seat.
2. Draw the five symbols on a front flip chart with their assigned meanings covered until step 1.

Say this to open

Today we will tell the story of our shared challenge without using words. We will use five universal symbols. Fine art skills do not matter here. Focus on what the shapes say about your experience.

How to run it

1. Introduce the symbols 5 minutes

   Speak the opening script. Uncover and show the five symbols on the board and state their meanings: circle means wholeness, rectangle means support, triangle means goal, spiral means change, and star person means relationship. Give one neutral example of each, such as a large spiral showing rapid disruption leading into a triangle.

2. Practice the symbols 5 minutes

   Direct participants to use their scratch paper to sketch each of the five symbols repeatedly until they feel comfortable drawing them quickly.

3. Draw first draft 10 minutes

   Prompt participants to work individually and silently on their first blank sheet. Instruct them to combine the symbols to tell the story of their journey with the challenge. Strictly enforce no letters, numbers, or words.

4. Refine second draft 10 minutes

   Have participants take their second clean sheet. Instruct them to refine and dramatize the story by varying symbol sizes, placement, sequence, and colors to make contrasts and emphasis clearer.

5. Silent peer interpretation 5 minutes

   Divide the room strictly into pairs. If an odd person remains, form one triad. Allocate 2 minutes per person (or 90 seconds in a triad). Partner A presents their drawing silently. Partner B offers 1 or 2 concrete observations about what the drawing communicates. Partner A remains completely silent without explaining or defending. Call time at halfway to switch roles.

6. Debrief insights 5 minutes

   Convene the whole room. Ask the group what recurring patterns or surprises appeared across the drawings. Collect 3 or 4 brief reflections from volunteers.

Debrief questions

• What did you see in someone else's drawing that echoed your own experience?
• What emerged in your drawing that had not come up in our verbal discussions?
• Together, what do these visual stories reveal about our next steps?

Finished output: A set of wordless visual story sheets depicting participants' experiences and a recorded list of nonverbal patterns noted in debrief.

Remote

Use a shared digital whiteboard with pre-configured symbol templates or have participants draw on physical paper and hold it to the camera. Send pairs to 5-minute breakout rooms with a strict broadcast reminder at 2.5 minutes to switch turns while maintaining the artist silence rule. Conduct debrief in main room chat and open voice.

Hybrid

Pair in-person participants together and remote participants in virtual breakouts. In-person participants photograph and upload their drawings to the shared digital whiteboard so the entire cohort can view all visual stories during the debrief.

Access and participation choices

• Participants who prefer not to draw by hand can arrange physical cut-out shapes or pre-drawn digital vector shapes.
• Participants may pass on having their drawing interpreted by placing it face down during step 5 and simply listening to peer discussions.

If the session gets stuck

A participant uses written words or labels on their drawing.

Gently remind them to cross out or color over the words and replace them with size, placement, or symbol repetition.

The drawing creator starts explaining their drawing during peer interpretation.

Intervene promptly and remind the group that the creator stays silent so they can hear what the visual actually conveys to an outside observer.

Terms used here

• Star person: A figure drawn with an equidistant cross, representing a relationship.