Own the Guidelines and Walk

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Help participants review, interpret, and test their understanding of working agreements through active pair discussion.

Use it when: At the start of a workshop or project kickoff when reviewing norms, ground rules, or expectations.

Skip it when: When the meeting has no formal guidelines to review, or when the physical room does not permit safe, clear movement.

Group arrangement: Pairs (or one group of three if numbers are odd)

Timing: Within the 5 to 15 minute range reported in Relationship Makers Handbook

Materials and tools

• Prepared list of 2 to 4 working guidelines displayed on a slide or poster
• Chart paper and markers to post confirmed guidelines

Before participants arrive

1. Post or cue the 2 to 4 working agreements you want the group to adopt.
2. Ensure room pathways are clear of trip hazards, leaving layout adjustment to the group.

Say this to open

We will review our ground rules on our feet. Find a partner. You will walk around the room together. I will announce each guideline one by one. After each guideline, take turns: one person recaps what you heard, and the other shares a brief real-world example of what that looks like in practice.

How to run it

1. Pair up and start walking 2 minutes

   Ask participants to stand and form pairs. If there is an odd number, form one trio. Direct everyone to begin walking around the perimeter or open space of the room together. Let the group adjust chairs or pathways as needed without rearranging the room for them.

2. Introduce first guideline and exchange 3 minutes

   State the first guideline clearly (for example: 'Make space for quiet voices'). Partner A summarizes the rule in their own words. Partner B shares a short personal example or concrete habit that supports it. After 90 seconds, prompt them to swap roles if they finish early.

3. Introduce second guideline and alternate 3 minutes

   State the second guideline clearly (for example: 'Disagree with ideas, not people'). Partner B now speaks first to summarize the rule. Partner A shares a short personal example. At 90 seconds, give a halfway time signal.

4. Introduce third guideline or final recap 2 minutes

   Announce the final guideline or ask pairs to select the single rule they think will require the most intentional effort today. Partners discuss how they plan to hold each other to it.

5. Regroup and confirm 2 minutes

   Invite everyone to return to their seats. Ask two pairs to share one practical interpretation that came up. Point to the posted list to confirm the shared rules for the session.

Debrief questions

• Which guideline felt easiest to translate into concrete action, and why?
• What is one habit your pair discussed that will help us follow these agreements today?

Finished output: A shared set of confirmed meeting guidelines that every participant has actively interpreted with a partner.

Remote

Form breakout rooms of two people. Display the guidelines on screen. Broadcast Guideline 1 to all rooms and ask Partner A to recap while Partner B shares an example. After 2.5 minutes, broadcast Guideline 2 and prompt them to swap roles. Call everyone back to the main room to debrief.

Hybrid

Pair in-person participants with other in-person participants to walk. Pair remote participants in dedicated virtual breakout rooms using voice or video. The facilitator broadcasts the prompt simultaneously to the room speakers and the virtual meeting chat.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may choose to remain seated and talk in place, or walk at any comfortable pace.
• Participants can pass on sharing personal work history and instead offer a hypothetical scenario for how the guideline applies.

If the session gets stuck

The room becomes too loud while pairs walk and talk simultaneously.

Remind pairs to use conversational indoor volume and space out across the edges of the room.

Pairs get distracted and drift into casual unrelated conversation.

Use concise, direct prompts from the front of the room every two minutes to keep focus locked on the current guideline.

Terms used here

• Working guidelines: Agreed-upon operating rules or behaviors that guide how a group collaborates during a session.