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: ed953d13d52ba9ce748744e6ddef48e09d041816be860d2deb06f518e4536193

# Potent Poetry

Small teams arrange a curated deck of word cards into a short poem summarizing key course takeaways. Teams take turns reading their poems aloud and explaining the meaning behind their choices.

**Time:** 20 minutes. UWT suggested 20-minute timeline based on Sonia Ribaux's review format in Play For Performance (June 2005)
**People:** 4 to 24. Teams of 4 or 5 participants. For group sizes with remainders, create teams of 3 to 5 (for example, 7 splits into 4 and 3; 11 splits into 4, 4, and 3; 23 splits into three 5s and two 4s). This yields between 1 and 6 teams total.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Synthesize and express shared learning from a training module into a tangible summary poem.
**Use it when:** Use at the conclusion of a training session or content module when participants need an active review format to consolidate concepts.
**Skip it when:** Skip during introductory fact-finding or compliance briefings where verbatim technical precision is required over metaphorical expression.

## Materials and tools

- One pre-printed deck of roughly 200 word cards per team containing nouns, verbs, adjectives, connecting words, and topic terms (from printable deck text)
- One sheet of dark construction paper or a clear table workspace per team
- Blank index cards (5 to 10 per table)
- 1 felt-tip marker per table

## Before participants arrive

1. Print and cut one set of word cards per team using the category distribution in participant materials.
2. Place one shuffled card deck, blank cards, one marker, and one sheet of construction paper at each team table before the session starts.

## Say this to open

You have a deck of word cards on your table containing verbs, nouns, descriptors, and key terms from our topic. Working with your team, select and arrange these cards into a brief poem that captures a central insight from what we studied. Every voice shapes the final composition.

## How to run it

### 1. Organize teams and explore words (4 minutes)

Group participants into teams of 4 or 5 (or 3 if numbers require). Deliver the opening script. Direct each team to spread their cards out on the table. Have members review the words together and pull out terms that relate to key lessons from today's content.

### 2. Compose summary poem (7 minutes)

Teams collaborate to construct a poem of 3 to 8 lines. Arrange the physical cards on the paper or table surface. Teams may adjust line breaks and swap words freely. If a critical technical term is missing, teams may write up to 3 custom words on blank cards.

### 3. Read poems aloud (6 minutes)

Each team selects a reader or shares lines across members. In turn, each team reads its poem aloud to the full room without interruption. With up to 6 teams, each reading takes up to 1 minute.

### 4. Debrief and explain meaning (3 minutes)

Invite each team to share a 30-second comment explaining why they selected their key images and how the poem reflects their practical takeaways. Facilitate whole-room reflection using the debrief questions.


## Debrief questions

- Which specific words did your team prioritize to capture the main lesson, and why?
- How did the physical constraint of pre-printed words change how you summarized the topic?
- What common themes appeared across the different poems read today?

**Finished output:** A physical or digital card arrangement forming a 3- to 8-line poem summarizing module takeaways.

## Remote

Set up a shared digital whiteboard with movable text blocks corresponding to the card list. Assign participants to breakout rooms of 3 to 5. Each group moves word boxes into their designated workspace to compose their poem, then returns to the main room to recite it while screen sharing.

## Hybrid

Form fully remote breakout teams alongside in-person table teams. Remote teams use a digital whiteboard while in-person teams use physical cards. When presenting, remote teams share screen while in-person teams display their arranged sheet to the room camera.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may choose whether to physically sort cards, dictate ideas, or act as the team reader.
- Any participant may pass on reading aloud and contribute solely to word selection.

## If the session gets stuck

**Teams get stuck trying to create traditional rhyming poetry.**

Remind participants that free verse without rhyme or strict meter works best.

**A team feels constrained by lack of specific technical terminology.**

Allow them to write up to 3 custom words on blank cards to complete their thought.


## Terms used here

- Magnetic Poetry format: A method of composing text using isolated pre-printed word tiles or cards

## Participant material: Potent Poetry Starter Word Deck (Facilitator-Prepared)

Verbs: create, stimulate, explore, lead, frolic, be, is, lift, explode, write, show, call, talk, jump, listen, test, solve, adapt, build, guide, shift, grow, link, decide, focus, spark, shape, reflect, hold, release.

Nouns: bird, integrity, teacher, team, rainbow, cement, light, bed, table, marble, fence, passion, fruit, idea, question, system, puzzle, voice, path, structure, trust, rule, habit, partner, outcome, craft, rhythm, tool, boundary, bridge, client, insight, method, spark, story.

Adjectives: mellow, clever, playful, soft, enough, pale, dark, fast, simple, clear, sturdy, bright, sudden, quiet, sharp, deep, brave, true, open, rigid.

Adverbs: joyfully, well, elegantly, randomly, why, not, how, where, far, near, softly, lovely, very, really, wisely, quickly, smoothly, gently, often, never.

Phrases: truth dreams, silver wolf, tender stars, brisk air, cool stream, darling buds, heavenly honey.

Structure Words: at, from, with, up, across, under, over, for, of, by, beside, next, who, which, what, it, she, he, I, you, they, this, that, any, his, her, some, oh, wow, hey, and, because, as, if, then, since, until, -s, -ed, -ing, -es, -ness.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Play For Performance (June 2005), published by The Thiagi Group, featuring the activity 'Potent Poetry' contributed by Sonia Ribaux.

The original newsletter excerpt titled 'PFP: June 2005' contained an issue index and an article by Sonia Ribaux titled 'Potent Poetry' under Structured Sharing. UWT retained the core 'Review' variant of Ribaux's card-based poetry exercise. Group formation logic was clarified to provide explicit guidance for remainders (teams of 3 to 5, capping at 6 tables for 24 people), and the starter deck was labeled clearly as facilitator-prepared participant material.

[The Thiagi Group](https://thiagi.net/archive/www/pfp/IE4H/june2005.html)

[The Thiagi Group](http://thiagi.net/archive/www/pfp/IE4H/june2005.html)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/pfp-june-2005/