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Exercises/Closure and Transfer/Navigating Power Dynamics Workshop • WorkshopBank
Visual Thinking · Closure and Transfer

Navigating Power Dynamics Workshop • WorkshopBank

Drawing on selected principles from Robert Greene's "The 48 Laws of Power," participants learn to recognise how influence operates in organisations, protect themselves from manipulation, and build their own credibility and presence in ethical ways.

5 to 15 minutesTIME
Medium group (9-25), Pairs, Small group (4-8)GROUP SIZE
ActiveENERGY
In personSETTING
High cognitive loadCOGNITIVE LOAD
Strengthens Follow Through This closure and transfer exercise strengthens Follow Through, one of the eight Gathering Effectiveness pillars.

How to run it

  1. Goal: Surface participants' existing experiences with workplace power dynamics and establish that this is a safe space to discuss them openly.
  2. Give participants 3 minutes to write a few notes about what happened (just for themselves, they won't have to share details).
  3. In pairs, ask participants to share not the story itself, but what they wish they had understood at the time. What did they learn too late? Allow 5 minutes for this exchange.
  4. Bring the group back together and ask for a few volunteers to share one insight about what they wish they had known. Capture key themes on the flip chart.
  5. What patterns do you notice in what people wish they had understood?
  6. Why do you think these dynamics are rarely discussed openly at work?
  7. What would change if teams could talk about this stuff directly?
Live facilitator

Run this exercise live

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Prompts to use +

Goal: Surface participants' existing experiences with workplace power dynamics and establish that this is a safe space to discuss them openly.

Give participants 3 minutes to write a few notes about what happened (just for themselves, they won't have to share details).

In pairs, ask participants to share not the story itself, but what they wish they had understood at the time. What did they learn too late? Allow 5 minutes for this exchange.

Bring the group back together and ask for a few volunteers to share one insight about what they wish they had known. Capture key themes on the flip chart.

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: Navigating Power Dynamics Workshop • WorkshopBank. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Goal: Surface participants' existing experiences with workplace power dynamics and establish that this is a safe space to discuss them openly.; Give participants 3 minutes to write a few notes about what happened (just for themselves, they won't have to share details).; In pairs, ask participants to share not the story itself, but what they wish they had understood at the time. What did they learn too late? Allow 5 minutes for this exchange.; Bring the group back together and ask for a few volunteers to share one insight about what they wish they had known. Capture key themes on the flip chart.. 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 WorkshopBank; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including WorkshopBank.)
  • 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