# Feel or Be in AWE

Participants choose between feeling in awe or being in awe, then pair up for a walk-and-talk conversation about their choice and a personal moment of awe.

**Time:** 15 minutes. 15 minutes matches the low end of the 15 to 30 minute range in the source record.
**People:** 4 to 24. Pairs (or trios if odd numbers); whole group for initial vote and final capture

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Prompt reflective personal conversation and physical movement through a structured paired walk.
**Use it when:** Use as a reflective warm-up or post-lunch reset when participants benefit from fresh air, physical movement, and low-pressure dialogue.
**Skip it when:** Skip when the venue lacks safe, accessible walking routes or when the session requires strict focus on technical task data.

## Materials and tools

- Display slide or poster showing the two statements: 'Feel in AWE' versus 'Be in AWE'
- Sticky notes (one pad for in-person capture)
- Pens or markers (one per person)
- Digital whiteboard or shared collaborative doc (for remote or hybrid note capture)
- Audio timer or alarm

## Before participants arrive

1. Display the two options clearly: 1. Feel in AWE; 2. Be in AWE.
2. Identify a flat, step-free walking route inside or immediately outside the venue.
3. Set sticky notes and pens on a central table for returning pairs.

## Say this to open

Look at the two options displayed: Do you want to feel in awe, or do you want to be in awe? Take ten seconds to pick whichever phrase speaks to you. You will pair up for an eight-minute walk to discuss your choice and share a moment when you felt awe. Each person will have about four minutes to share, or about two and a half minutes if you are in a trio.

## How to run it

### 1. Vote on the phrase (2 minutes)

Read the opening script. Ask for a show of hands for 'Feel in AWE', then for 'Be in AWE'. Acknowledge the distribution without declaring any answer correct.

### 2. Form walking groups (1 minutes)

Direct participants to pair up with someone nearby. Form one trio if the total count is odd. Confirm the exact time participants must return to the room.

### 3. Walk and talk (8 minutes)

Participants complete an 8-minute walk while answering two prompts: Why did you pick that phrase? What is a moment when you experienced awe? Pairs divide time evenly at roughly 4 minutes per person. Trios divide time at roughly 2.5 minutes per person. Participants return when the timer sounds.

### 4. Post notes and debrief (4 minutes)

As participants return, invite each person to write one phrase about an awe moment on a sticky note and stick it to the room wall or digital board. Call on two or three volunteers to read their note aloud in one sentence.


## Debrief questions

- What subtle differences came up between feeling in awe and being in awe?
- Looking at the posted notes, what common patterns or environments sparked awe for people?

**Finished output:** A shared wall or board of brief participant notes describing moments of awe.

## Remote

Display the two statements on screen and collect votes via chat or quick poll. Send pairs into breakout rooms for an 8-minute conversation, with the option to switch to an audio-only mobile call for an actual walk. Upon return, participants write their moment of awe on the shared digital whiteboard.

## Hybrid

Display the prompt on screen for all attendees. In-person participants pair with in-person partners for an indoor or outdoor walk. Remote participants pair in virtual breakout rooms. Both streams post their awe notes to the shared digital whiteboard upon return.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants who prefer not to walk may stay seated in the main room or breakout room for their conversation.
- Personal disclosure is entirely optional; participants may discuss awe in nature, art, or science rather than sharing private memories.
- Writing and posting a sticky note is optional; participants may choose to simply listen during the final debrief.

## If the session gets stuck

**Pairs get distracted and do not return when the 8 minutes expire.**

Announce the exact wall-clock return time before pairs depart and set an audible chime or broadcast a phone message one minute prior.

**Participants debate the dictionary definitions of the words rather than sharing stories.**

Remind the group that the choice is a creative prompt with no right answer, designed simply to start personal reflection.


## Terms used here

- Walk and talk: A paired conversation conducted side by side while moving at an easy walking pace.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Relationship Makers Handbook, pages 164-165.

Retained the source contrast prompt (Feel in AWE vs Be in AWE), quick voting, walking conversation, and personal awe capture. Replaced the optional high school dance formation with a standard debrief wall to remove forced physical proximity and keep the flow accessible.

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/feel-or-be-in-awe/