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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: 5275ee6f05e463e0a24a3a109cca4695146008d473763f38a6b4424ee9864062

# Radiodrama

Small teams write, rehearse, and record a two-minute audio play using spoken dialogue and live everyday sound effects. The room listens to the finished recordings and examines how acoustic choices shaped each story.

**Time:** 60 minutes. Participatory Methods suggests 60 to 90 minutes; this run sheet sets a disciplined 60-minute baseline.
**People:** 4 to 24. Teams of 3 to 6 people (up to 4 teams total). At 4 to 6 participants, run 1 team. At 7 to 12, run 2 teams (for example, 7 splits as 4 and 3; 8 as 4 and 4; 9 as 5 and 4; 11 as 6 and 5). At 13 to 18, run 3 teams (for example, 13 splits as 5, 4, 4; 14 as 5, 5, 4; 17 as 6, 6, 5). At 19 to 24, run 4 teams (for example, 19 splits as 5, 5, 5, 4; 23 as 6, 6, 6, 5).

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Produce a short, recorded audio story that conveys a specific idea using dialogue and sound cues.
**Use it when:** Use during communication, storytelling, or advocacy sessions when participants need to translate an abstract topic or message into concrete narratives without relying on visual aids.
**Skip it when:** Skip when the working environment cannot accommodate multiple groups rehearsing and recording sound simultaneously without disruptive background noise.

## Materials and tools

- One printed Radiodrama Planning Sheet per team
- One smartphone or digital audio recording device per team
- Assorted sound-making objects per team (such as scrap paper, keys, plastic cups, empty bottles, bubble wrap, pens)
- 4 sheets of blank scrap paper and 2 pens per team for drafting scripts
- 1 central playback speaker with Bluetooth or aux connection for whole-group listening
- 1 kitchen timer or digital clock visible to the room
- For remote or hybrid delivery: an internet-connected device and headphones per participant, breakout rooms, a shared script document and planning sheet per team, and a shared folder for finished audio.
- For remote or hybrid delivery: a tested recording method that captures all team voices and live sound effects, plus shared playback with system audio.

## Before participants arrive

1. Test the central speaker and verify the facilitator device can receive and play recorded audio clips.
2. Distribute sound objects, planning sheets, paper, and pens to separate workstations spread far enough apart to minimize acoustic bleed.
3. Before remote or hybrid delivery, test document access, recording of all team voices and effects, file transfer, and shared playback. Give in-person participants from different teams separated quiet places for rehearsing and recording.

## Say this to open

Today each team will create and record a two-minute radiodrama that brings a chosen message to life using only voice, timing, and physical sound effects. Sound alone can evoke clear images in a listener's mind. Form your teams, agree on a central message or event, draft your script, rehearse the sound cues, and capture one clean take.

## How to run it

### 1. Brief and form teams (5 minutes)

Deliver the opening script. State the shared theme or invite teams to pick an issue. Divide participants into teams of 3 to 6 following the group format rules, capping the room at 4 teams. Direct each team to a dedicated workstation with sound objects, planning sheets, and paper.

### 2. Script and role assignment (15 minutes)

Teams outline a beginning, middle, and end running under two minutes using the planning sheet. Members assign roles: narrator, character voices, Foley artist, and sound technician. Scripts must specify spoken words alongside exact physical sound cues.

### 3. Rehearse and test sounds (10 minutes)

Teams rehearse lines aloud while practicing sound effects near the recording microphone. For example, crumpling paper close to the mic simulates walking on dry leaves. Teams adjust distance and volume so voices remain distinct from background noises.

### 4. Record audio track (10 minutes)

Teams record their radiodrama in one live take using their recording device. If time allows, they record a second take and pick the clearer version. Each team transfers their single two-minute audio file to the facilitator via messaging app, local transfer, or shared drive.

### 5. Listen to radiodramas (12 minutes)

Play every team's recording across the central speaker in turn (up to 4 teams, 2 minutes each). Allow each team 30 seconds before playback to announce their title and central concept.

### 6. Debrief audio narrative (8 minutes)

Facilitate a whole-room discussion on how vocal delivery and sound design conveyed meaning. Take 3 to 4 contributions using the debrief questions.


## Debrief questions

- Which sound effect or vocal shift most clearly conveyed an action or emotion without words?
- Where did your team have to simplify the story because visual cues were not available?
- How did the division of roles help or hinder recording a clean take within ten minutes?

**Finished output:** A set of completed, recorded two-minute audio files demonstrating narrative structure and acoustic effects.

## Remote

Use the same teams of 3 to 6 and the same one-to-four-team allocation as the group format. Put each team in a breakout room with a shared script document and planning sheet. Participants make live sound effects near their microphones or use sound pads. A designated team member records the complete live take using the tested recording method. Submit one two-minute file per team to the shared folder; play every file with system audio during the existing listening stage.

## Hybrid

Assign the full roster to teams using the group format, regardless of location. Everyone joins their assigned breakout room on an individual device with headphones, including people in the room. Use the remote script, live recording, file-transfer and playback procedure. Give different teams separated quiet spaces. Test that every teammate can hear the others and that the recording captures their voices and effects. Remote participants may choose any of the same speaking or production roles. Keep the total at four teams or fewer.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may choose non-speaking production roles such as scriptwriter, sound effect creator, or recording technician.
- Any participant may pass on performing or speaking without giving a reason.
- Provide written transcripts or captions of recorded audio for deaf or hard-of-hearing participants.

## If the session gets stuck

**One team's sound effects drown out the actors' spoken dialogue.**

Remind the team to place the voice actor closer to the microphone and move the sound effect object at least two feet further back.

**Teams spend all their planning time debating plot points and risk missing the recording window.**

Give a five-minute warning before the recording phase. Tell teams to cut down to three clear beats: the starting situation, a sudden disruption, and the resolution.


## Terms used here

- Foley: Everyday physical props manipulated live to reproduce realistic sound effects for a recording.

## Participant material: Radiodrama Planning Sheet

TEAM NAME:
RUN TIME TARGET: Under 2 minutes

CORE MESSAGE / SITUATION:
[What is the central point or conflict?]

ROLES:
Narrator / Voices:
Foley (Sound Effects):
Sound Tech (Recording):

SCRIPT STRUCTURE:
1. Beginning (Set the scene with 1 voice and 1 ambient sound):
[Dialogue / Sound Cue]

2. Middle (The turning point or conflict arrives):
[Dialogue / Sound Cue]

3. End (Resolution or punchline):
[Dialogue / Sound Cue]

FOLEY CHECKLIST:
- Object 1: [e.g., keys shaking for door unlocking]
- Object 2: [e.g., knuckles on desk for knocking]

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in the Participatory Methods library (2025 entry).

Retained the core mechanic from Participatory Methods: small teams writing, performing, recording, and presenting an auditory story. UWT set a 60-minute time structure, clarified full group sizing from 4 to 24 participants across 1 to 4 teams, and provided a reproducible planning sheet. The full-roster digital team allocation, equipment checks and hybrid delivery procedure are UWT adaptations.

[Participatory Methods](https://participatorymethods.com/activities/radiodrama/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/radiodrama/