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: 71a5d9d24190f752eb4bc9d463cd2dc4ae5d9a17ffa4f910ffc0136db5fd3de2

# Model Building

Small teams construct three-dimensional physical models of abstract systems or problems using craft and scrap materials. Teams present their models to compare interpretations and identify practical takeaways.

**Time:** 60 minutes. Participatory Methods suggests 90 to 120 minutes. UWT offers this streamlined 60-minute session for rapid prototyping workshops.
**People:** 6 to 24. Small teams of 3 to 6 people at separate tables (up to 4 to 6 teams total for up to 24 participants). For 7 participants, form one group of 3 and one group of 4.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Make an abstract concept, workflow, or system tangible through physical construction so a group can inspect and discuss it together.
**Use it when:** Use when a team struggles to reach shared understanding on a workflow, communication barrier, or spatial layout using words alone.
**Skip it when:** Skip when the group lacks physical craft materials, when participants need immediate analytical text outputs, or when time is under 45 minutes.

## Materials and tools

- 1 flat base per team (cardboard sheet or large foam core board, roughly 40x50 cm)
- Assorted scrap containers per team (shoe boxes, cardboard tubes, paper cups, bottle caps)
- Construction supplies per table (1 roll masking tape, 2 pairs scissors, 1 glue stick, 1 pack pipe cleaners or flexible wire)
- Connector materials per table (1 skein yarn or string, 1 pack wooden craft sticks, 20 rubber bands, paper clips)
- Marking supplies per table (5 colored felt markers, 1 pad sticky notes)
- Scratch paper (5 blank sheets per team) and pens for sketching

## Before participants arrive

1. Arrange room into separate island tables with 3 to 6 chairs each.
2. Distribute an equal bin of construction materials, connectors, markers, and a cardboard base to each table.
3. Write the central design prompt clearly on the main room display.

## Say this to open

Today we are building three-dimensional physical models to explore our challenge instead of just talking about it. Words often hide disagreements, while physical objects make relationships visible. We will spend 3 minutes introducing the challenge, then 7 minutes sketching initial plans, followed by 25 minutes of hands-on building. For example, if the challenge is communication flow, a paper tube might represent a formal channel, while tangled yarn shows side conversations. Pick one focal problem and start sketching.

## How to run it

### 1. Introduce challenge and sketch ideas (10 minutes)

Deliver the opening script and introduce the design prompt in the first 3 minutes. Teams examine their materials and spend the remaining 7 minutes discussing and sketching rough visual layouts on scratch paper before touching craft materials.

### 2. Construct physical models (25 minutes)

Teams use craft supplies and cardboard bases to assemble their three-dimensional prototype. Give a time check at 15 minutes and at 5 minutes remaining. Participants must stop building when the timer sounds.

### 3. Present models and peer inquiry (18 minutes)

Each team presents their model to the room. With up to 6 teams, strictly cap each team at 2 minutes of presentation followed by 1 quick peer question or comment (maximum 3 minutes total per team). Keep transitions immediate.

### 4. Debrief and practical synthesis (7 minutes)

Facilitate a structured whole-room reflection focusing on what physical shapes revealed about the system. Call on 2 or 3 volunteers to share insights, then capture two to three practical takeaways on the main room board.


## Debrief questions

- What did building physically reveal that speaking or writing had obscured?
- Where did your team disagree while constructing the physical parts, and how did you resolve it?
- What is one physical feature in another team's model that sparked a new idea or insight for you?

**Finished output:** Physical three-dimensional prototypes representing a shared challenge, documented via team photos and recorded design insights.

## Remote

Run in breakout rooms of 3 to 5 people using an online collaborative canvas (such as Figma or Miro for 2D diagrammatic models, or Tinkercad for 3D modeling). Each group uses basic digital geometric shapes, connector lines, and digital sticky notes to assemble their model on a shared frame, then screen-shares for presentations.

## Hybrid

Form distinct in-person pods and remote-only breakout pods. Remote teams build on a shared 2D or 3D canvas. For presentations, place one shared staging laptop or mobile camera on a tripod in the room. Each in-person team brings their model to that camera station in turn, while remote teams screen-share their canvas.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants with fine-motor limitations can direct layout, write labels, sketch ideas, or track time instead of cutting or assembling.
- Anyone may choose to observe a team's build silently or pass on speaking during the presentation round.

## If the session gets stuck

**A team spends all their time talking and runs out of time to assemble materials.**

Intervene at the 10-minute construction mark. Hand them two pieces of cardboard and tape, and instruct them to stick something down immediately to test their idea.

**One dominant person builds the entire model while others watch.**

Pause the group and assign specific functional components (such as input paths, bottlenecks, or labels) to different individuals to construct separately before attaching to the base.


## Terms used here

- Prototype: A simple physical model built to test concepts and spark discussion rather than serve as a finished product.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in the Participatory Methodologies Library (participatorymethods.com, 2025).

Retained the core construction mechanic, materials list, and reflection steps from Participatory Methods. UWT compressed the original 90 to 120-minute run time into a 60-minute session with explicit phase timers, fixed presentation limits to match up to 6 teams, clarified subgroup formation for odd numbers, and added specific hybrid mechanics.

[Participatory Methods](https://participatorymethods.com/activities/model-building/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/model-building/