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Exercises/Relationship Mapping/Ecocycle Planning
Relationship Mapping

Ecocycle Planning

Below: Presentation material we use to introduce Ecocycle Planning Invite the group to view, organize, and prioritize current activities using four developmental phases: birth, maturity, creative destruction, and renewal .

5 to 15 minutesTIME
Medium group (9-25), Pairs, 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. Below: Presentation material we use to introduce Ecocycle Planning
  2. Invite the group to view, organize, and prioritize current activities using four developmental phases: birth, maturity, creative destruction, and renewal
  3. . How Space Is Arranged and Materials Needed
  4. A room with an open flat wall and open space for participants to stand comfortably in front of the wall
  5. Chairs for people to sit in groups of 4, with or without small round tables
  6. Below: Presentation material we use to introduceEcocycle Planning
  7. How Space Is Arranged and Materials Needed
  8. A blank Ecocycle map worksheet for each participant and a large wall-poster version posted on the wall
  9. The Ecocycle makes it possible to sift, prioritize, and plan actions with everyone involved in the activities at the same time, as opposed to the conventional way of doing it behind closed doors with a small group of people.
Live facilitator

Run this exercise live

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Prompts to use +

Below: Presentation material we use to introduce Ecocycle Planning

Invite the group to view, organize, and prioritize current activities using four developmental phases: birth, maturity, creative destruction, and renewal

A room with an open flat wall and open space for participants to stand comfortably in front of the wall

Chairs for people to sit in groups of 4, with or without small round tables

Below: Presentation material we use to introduceEcocycle Planning

A blank Ecocycle map worksheet for each participant and a large wall-poster version posted on the wall

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: Ecocycle Planning. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Below: Presentation material we use to introduce Ecocycle Planning; Invite the group to view, organize, and prioritize current activities using four developmental phases: birth, maturity, creative destruction, and renewal; A room with an open flat wall and open space for participants to stand comfortably in front of the wall; Chairs for people to sit in groups of 4, with or without small round tables. 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 Liberating Structures; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (2 sources observed, including Liberating Structures, SessionLab.)
  • 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.
  • Method lineage: this exercise shares its method name with work attributed to Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless in our people index. That is a name match, not an origin claim.
  • Corrections: if you have evidence of an earlier or more accurate source, read our methodology and trust boundary and tell us.

Pairs well with