# Oxytocin Repeater

Participants form small groups, take one minute to prepare brief notes on a mild personal weakness or work challenge, and take turns giving a timed one-minute speech. Group members listen without interrupting, followed by a short whole-room debrief.

**Time:** 15 minutes. Source states 5 to 15 minutes. 15 minutes allows framing, drafting, up to six 1-minute turns, and a brief whole-room reflection.
**People:** 4 to 24. Subgroups of 3 to 6 people. If 7 attend, split into groups of 3 and 4.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Give participants practice speaking openly about a mild work-related challenge in small groups without unsolicited advice or critique.
**Use it when:** Use early in a workshop or retreat where attendees need to lower conversational barriers and establish basic collegial rapport.
**Skip it when:** Skip during active workplace disputes, formal performance reviews, or when participants fear that admitting difficulties could bring professional retaliation.

## Materials and tools

- One sheet of scratch paper per person
- One pen or pencil per person
- A timer or phone timer visible to each subgroup

## Before participants arrive

1. Arrange seating into pods of 3 to 6 people.
2. Place scratch paper and pens at each seat.
3. Ensure each subgroup has at least one phone or timer to track 60-second speaker turns.

## Say this to open

We are going to do a quick speaking round called Oxytocin Repeater. You will have one minute to jot notes for a one-minute talk about a minor personal weakness or everyday challenge you face at work. Choose something mild that you feel comfortable sharing, like checking email before planning your day. In your small groups, each person speaks for one minute while others listen without interrupting or offering advice. You may pass or speak about a neutral work habit instead.

## How to run it

### 1. Introduce ground rules and prompt (3 minutes)

Explain the rules: each person plans for 60 seconds, then takes a timed 60-second turn to speak. Subgroups self-manage their turns and track time. Listeners must not critique, interrupt, or offer fixes. Emphasize that sharing stays entirely within each person's comfort zone.

### 2. Draft silent notes (2 minutes)

Start a two-minute central prep block. Everyone jots notes for their one-minute talk. Example: 'I tend to check messages first thing in the morning instead of working on my top priority.' Participants pick their own disclosure level or choose a neutral work routine.

### 3. Share in small groups (6 minutes)

Groups designate an initial speaker and a timekeeper using a phone timer. Members take 60-second turns clockwise. In remote rooms, follow alphabetical order by first name. Listeners focus quietly without coaching, advice, or debate. Anyone passing may hold silent time or describe a neutral routine.

### 4. Debrief as a whole group (4 minutes)

Gather everyone together. Invite two or three voluntary comments using the debrief questions. Conclude promptly when time ends.


## Debrief questions

- What did it feel like to voice a minor weakness to your peers?
- What difference did it make to listen without jumping in to offer fixes?

**Finished output:** Every participant completes a timed small-group sharing round or exercises the choice to pass silently.

## Remote

Form breakout rooms of 3 to 6 people. Instruct each room to select a volunteer timekeeper to run a 60-second timer per person. Members speak one by one in alphabetical order by first name while others stay muted. The facilitator runs the overall 6-minute breakout session timer.

## Hybrid

Place in-person participants at physical table pods and remote participants in dedicated online breakout rooms. Each group, whether physical or virtual, designates an internal timekeeper to manage 60-second turns. The facilitator only signals the overarching 6-minute sharing block across both settings.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may pass without explanation or discuss a neutral work routine instead of a personal vulnerability.
- Participants may read directly from written notes or type their share into chat if speaking aloud is difficult.

## If the session gets stuck

**A speaker runs over their one-minute limit and cuts into another person's speaking time.**

Ask the subgroup timekeeper to raise a hand or tap the table when 60 seconds expire so the next person starts immediately.

**Listeners jump in with advice, fixes, or questions during or after a share.**

Remind groups before the round that their only role as listeners is to give full attention, not to resolve the issue.


## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Relationship Makers Handbook, pages 289-290.

Relationship Makers Handbook describes a 5 to 15 minute exercise where teams of 5 to 8 take 1 minute to draft and 1 minute to speak on a personal weakness, making biological claims about oxytocin and stress resistance. UWT retained the core mechanic of 1-minute prep and 1-minute sharing. UWT omitted unverified biological claims, capped subgroup sizes at 3 to 6 to fit within 15 minutes, decentralized speaker timing to self-managed groups, added listener ground rules against advice-giving, and established explicit pass options.

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/oxytocin-repeater/