United We TransformCreate teamsGrade your agenda
Exercises/Relationship Mapping/Fishbowl - Knowmium: The Un-Training Consultancy
Circle Dialogue · Relationship Mapping

Fishbowl - Knowmium: The Un-Training Consultancy

Fishbowl - Knowmium: The Un-Training Consultancy is a circle dialogue exercise for relationship mapping: it helps participants build useful connections and understand how people, roles, or ideas relate.

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. Note: While fishbowls could be run before an activity to serve as an example to others to follow, we approach this activity as a conclusion and review after others have performed.
  2. After participants have completed their activity (individually or in breakout rooms), the facilitator chooses a participant or group to perform again in front of the main room. Asking for volunteers to be “on stage” or notifying participants in advance are great options.
  3. All other participants take notes and/or prepare feedback during the performance.
  4. After the performance, the facilitator leads the room in feedback and analysis.
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 +

Note: While fishbowls could be run before an activity to serve as an example to others to follow, we approach this activity as a conclusion and review after others have performed.

After participants have completed their activity (individually or in breakout rooms), the facilitator chooses a participant or group to perform again in front of the main room. Asking for volunteers to be “on stage” or notifying participants in advance are great options.

All other participants take notes and/or prepare feedback during the performance.

After the performance, the facilitator leads the room in feedback and analysis.

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: Fishbowl - Knowmium: The Un-Training Consultancy. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Note: While fishbowls could be run before an activity to serve as an example to others to follow, we approach this activity as a conclusion and review after others have performed.; After participants have completed their activity (individually or in breakout rooms), the facilitator chooses a participant or group to perform again in front of the main room. Asking for volunteers to be “on stage” or notifying participants in advance are great options.; All other participants take notes and/or prepare feedback during the performance.; After the performance, the facilitator leads the room in feedback and analysis.. 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 Knowmium; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including Knowmium.)
  • 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