Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: ff5b6b72735ad6fb23b82de413e2201f8739fb113257c85f5b4e3e259180baa0

# I've Got Questions

Participants write an anonymous question on scrap paper, crumple it into a ball, and toss it across the room. Each person unfolds the paper they catch, reading the question aloud and answering it or opening it to the room.

**Time:** 15 minutes. Source suggests 5 to 15 minutes. 15 minutes allows a group of up to 10 participants to each read and briefly address a question at roughly 45 to 60 seconds per turn.
**People:** 4 to 10. Whole group in a standing or seated circle

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Collect and address anonymous questions across a group without putting individual questioners on the spot.
**Use it when:** Use during project check-ins or orientation sessions when people have unspoken questions or concerns that need anonymous airing.
**Skip it when:** Skip when safety concerns make throwing paper inappropriate or when the topic requires formal, documented administrative responses.

## Materials and tools

- One sheet of blank scrap paper per participant
- One pen or pencil per participant
- One collection basket or bowl as a toss-free alternative
- One countdown timer visible to the facilitator

## Before participants arrive

1. Arrange chairs in a circle with clear floor space in the center.
2. Distribute one sheet of paper and one pen to every seat.
3. Place the central collection basket in the middle of the circle.

## Say this to open

Write down one real question you want answered today. It can be about our project priorities, work habits, or team norms. Do not write your name. When you finish, crumple the sheet into a ball.

## How to run it

### 1. Write anonymous question (3 minutes)

Say the opening script. Participants write one question on their paper. To protect anonymity, remind everyone to use plain handwriting and avoid self-identifying details. When finished, each person crumples their sheet into a loose paper ball. Stopping condition: all participants hold a crumpled paper ball.

### 2. Toss and shuffle (2 minutes)

Invite participants to toss their paper ball across the circle to someone else. Each participant then tosses the ball they received at least one more time across the center so original authors are mixed up. Anyone who prefers not to throw or catch places their ball into the center basket instead and draws a random one out. Stopping condition: every participant holds one crumpled paper that is not their own.

### 3. Read and answer (8 minutes)

Go around the circle. Each participant uncrumples the paper they hold and reads the question aloud. The reader has the first option to answer it. If they cannot or prefer not to, they open it to the facilitator or room to answer. Limit each question to under 45 seconds so all participants (up to 10) complete their turn. Stopping condition: all participants have read their paper or timer reaches 8 minutes.

### 4. Review and debrief (2 minutes)

Summarize recurring themes from the questions. Facilitate a quick whole-room response to one debrief question. Collect all papers so unresolved questions can be answered in writing after the session.


## Debrief questions

- Which questions pointed to shared confusion rather than isolated problems?
- What topic came up that we still need to resolve after this session?

**Finished output:** A batch of surfaced group questions, addressed in the moment or collected on paper for documented follow-up.

## Remote

Use an anonymous digital submission tool such as an anonymous form or a digital whiteboard frame with author labels turned off. The facilitator reads each submitted card aloud or calls on volunteers to pick a random card number, read it, and share an initial response.

## Hybrid

In-person participants drop their crumpled papers into a basket while remote participants submit through an anonymous digital form. The facilitator alternates between pulling a paper from the basket and reading an entry from the digital form.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may place their paper in a central basket instead of catching a tossed ball.
- Participants may pass on answering the question they unpack and immediately hand it to the facilitator or group.

## If the session gets stuck

**A participant receives their own question after the shuffle.**

Allow them to quietly swap with a neighbor or pull a replacement from the central basket without announcing it.

**A question raises a sensitive policy issue that nobody present can accurately answer.**

Acknowledge the question directly, record it on a visible board, and state who will follow up with an answer after the session.


## Terms used here

- Snowball toss: A method of anonymizing handwritten notes by crumpling and throwing them across a group.

## Participant material: Example Question Prompts

Neutral example prompts if someone is unsure what to ask:
- What project deadline is at the highest risk right now?
- What part of our weekly schedule needs the most adjustment?
- What decision are we waiting on before we can finish this milestone?

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Relationship Makers Handbook, pages 217-218.

Retained the core mechanic from the Relationship Makers Handbook: writing a question, crumpling into a paper ball, tossing twice to anonymize, and reading/answering aloud. UWT capped the group size at 10 to fit the 15-minute format realistically (8 minutes for sharing), added an individual tossing instruction to ensure two complete tosses per person, provided a central basket alternative for physical access, and established hybrid and debrief protocols.

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/i-ve-got-questions/