Show and Tell

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Collect and compare diverse participant perspectives on a topic through concrete representative objects.

Use it when: Use during project kickoffs, team realignments, or stakeholder discovery sessions when you need participants to articulate how they see a shared situation.

Skip it when: Skip when participants have had zero advance notice to select an artifact, or when the meeting requires immediate technical execution with no room for reflective alignment.

Group arrangement: Individual presentations to the full room for up to 8 participants; divide into two roughly equal subgroups of up to 8 (such as 5 and 6 for 11 people) if attendance reaches 9 to 16.

Timing: Source indicates 30 to 60 minutes; 35 minutes accommodates up to 8 individual presentations in full group or two parallel cohorts plus room debrief.

Materials and tools

• 1 whiteboard or flipchart stand
• 4 dry-erase markers in distinct colors
• 1 digital timer
• Pad of 3x3 inch sticky notes
• Digital whiteboard platform (for remote or hybrid sessions)
• Digital stylus or drawing tool (for remote or hybrid facilitator)

Before participants arrive

1. Send a message 24 to 48 hours before the session requesting each person bring an artifact, image, or everyday object that represents their perspective on the focal topic.
2. Write the focal topic prominently across the top of the whiteboard or digital canvas.
3. Keep 5 to 6 spare office items or neutral printouts on hand for anyone who arrives without an artifact.

Say this to open

Welcome. Today we will examine our views on our central topic using the items you brought. When it is your turn, take up to two minutes to show your artifact and explain how it connects to our work. I will draw a simple doodle of your object on the board and write down a key phrase. You can also describe an idea without an object or pass.

How to run it

1. Frame the exchange 3 minutes

   State the central prompt clearly. Remind participants that any item works, whether literal, symbolic, or an everyday tool. Establish the two-minute speaking boundary per person. Let people know that simple stick figures or icon doodles will represent each item on the board.

2. Present artifacts and map 20 minutes

   Invite participants to share one at a time. For groups of 9 to 16, divide into two roughly equal subgroups of up to 8 (for example, split 11 into 5 and 6) with a second flipchart or separate board section. As each person presents, the facilitator or subgroup scribe draws a fast doodle of the artifact and notes one key phrase beside it. Keep each turn under two minutes.

3. Cluster emerging themes 5 minutes

   Step back to view the board together. Ask participants to identify overlaps, tensions, or recurring ideas across the sketched items. Draw boundary lines or color-coded circles around connected items to form thematic groups.

4. Debrief the collection 7 minutes

   Facilitate a short discussion using the debrief questions. Hear reflections from 3 to 4 volunteers across the room within the remaining time limit.

Debrief questions

• What common patterns or shared concerns appeared across the different artifacts?
• Which perspective highlighted an angle you had not considered before?
• How do the themes on this board inform our next steps on this topic?

Finished output: A whiteboard or shared canvas displaying quick sketches of all presented artifacts alongside written themes and clustered perspectives.

Remote

Participants hold their physical object up to the webcam or paste a digital image onto a shared digital whiteboard. The facilitator sketches an icon next to each item using digital pen or basic shape tools. Presentations follow a pre-posted speaker order in the chat.

Hybrid

In-person speakers show their artifact to the room camera; remote speakers show items on webcam or share a screen photo. The facilitator maintains a shared digital whiteboard projected in the room so all participants see the drawn items in real time.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may describe a mental image, show a digital photo from a phone, or pick a supplied spare item instead of bringing a personal possession.
• Anyone may pass on presenting and instead contribute observations during the clustering and debrief steps.

If the session gets stuck

A participant forgot to bring an artifact.

Offer an everyday item from the room such as a pen, notepad, or mug, or invite them to pull up a representative image on their phone.

The facilitator feels insecure about sketch quality.

Stick to basic geometric shapes like circles, boxes, and stick figures with text labels, or let the presenter doodle their own icon on a sticky note.

Terms used here

• Artifact: A physical or digital object selected to stand for an idea, experience, or viewpoint.