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Exercises/Relationship Mapping/Name the Monster
Name Learning ยท Relationship Mapping

Name the Monster

Name the Monster is a name learning exercise for relationship mapping: it helps participants build useful connections and understand how people, roles, or ideas relate.

5 to 15 minutesTIME
PairsGROUP SIZE
ActiveENERGY
In personSETTING
Low 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. search Choose a location (e.g.
  2. Players must meet a monster, give it a name, and run away from it.
  3. Variations Take this game a bit further, and ask the players not to run away from the monster, but do something.
  4. Fight it, beat it, get eaten (and continue in the monster`s stomach or in
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 +

search Choose a location (e.g.

Players must meet a monster, give it a name, and run away from it.

Variations Take this game a bit further, and ask the players not to run away from the monster, but do something.

Fight it, beat it, get eaten (and continue in the monster`s stomach or in

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: Name the Monster. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: search Choose a location (e.g.; Players must meet a monster, give it a name, and run away from it.; Variations Take this game a bit further, and ask the players not to run away from the monster, but do something.; Fight it, beat it, get eaten (and continue in the monster`s stomach or in. 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 Improv Encyclopedia; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including Improv Encyclopedia.)
  • 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