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: 75447935b36aeab0ce23952676fa196b823dd40f68e8e3e25832437ae1a3f3d1

# Small Disciplines Workshop

Participants complete an arrival micro task, examine ten resilience principles, and test mutual coordination through low-impact physical or seated exercises. The group selects collective team principles and commits to daily micro habits paired with peer check-ins.

**Time:** 120 minutes. 120 minutes across nine steps, matching source duration.
**People:** 4 to 16. Whole room, pairs, and squads. For Step 3 (squads of 3 to 5): 4-5 is 1 squad; 6-7 is two squads of 3-4; 8-10 is two squads of 4-5; 11-12 is three squads of 3-4; 13 is two squads of 4 and one of 5; 14 is two squads of 5 and one of 4; 15 is three squads of 5; 16 is four squads of 4. For Step 4 (small groups): divide into trios; any remainder forms a quad (up to 4 members per group, running in parallel).

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Select collective work principles and commit to individual daily micro habits with a designated accountability partner.
**Use it when:** Use when a team needs shared operating norms, concrete mutual support habits, or renewed momentum after stalled projects.
**Skip it when:** Skip when the group resists military framing or when participants cannot participate safely in physical challenges and non-physical options are unwelcome.

## Materials and tools

- 1 Arrival micro-task card per seat from supplied templates
- 1 Ten Lessons Overview handout per person
- 1 Small Disciplines Planner sheet per person
- 1 Team Support Card per person
- 1 Sheet of scratch paper per person
- 10 Flip chart sheets and markers
- 15 Sticky notes in two colors per person
- 1 Pen per person
- 1 Stopwatch or countdown timer visible to the room
- Blindfolds (optional, up to half the group count)
- Water bottles for participants

## Before participants arrive

1. Print and cut the Arrival Micro-Task Cards; place one card randomly at each seat before arrivals.
2. Write one principle title at the top of each of 10 flip chart sheets and mount them around the room.
3. Clear an open movement area in the room for coordination challenges.
4. Print copies of Ten Lessons Overview, Small Disciplines Planner, and Team Support Card.

## Say this to open

Please take your seat and check the card in front of you. Complete the simple instruction written on your card right now. Once finished, leave everything placed as described.

## How to run it

### 1. Complete arrival task and frame momentum (10 minutes)

Speak the opening script. Once all are seated, ask who completed their card. Explain that starting with a tiny, completed action builds immediate momentum before friction hits. Invite two brief comments on starting a meeting with an already completed task.

### 2. Review the ten principles (15 minutes)

Distribute the Ten Lessons Overview. Summarize each principle in 45 seconds per principle (7.5 minutes total). Give individuals 3 minutes of silent reading to circle two or three lessons relevant to current work friction. Form pairs to compare selections for 4.5 minutes.

### 3. Coordinate in the squad challenge (20 minutes)

Divide into squads of 3 to 5 following the group format rules. Teams complete a sequence where one person holds a static plank or seated posture while teammates complete 10 star jumps or arm raises. Give 2 minutes to plan. Round ends when everyone completes both roles. Debrief in squads for 2 minutes, then take two full room shares.

### 4. Analyze unearned setbacks (15 minutes)

Explain unearned setbacks where preparation was solid but outside events forced a poor outcome. Give 3 minutes for silent writing. Form trios or quads. In all groups running in parallel, each member takes a 2-minute turn to share their experience (6 to 8 minutes total). Use remaining 4 minutes for two whole-room insights.

### 5. Vote and agree on team focus principles (15 minutes)

Distribute 3 sticky notes to each participant. Have people walk to the wall sheets and vote for the top 3 principles the team needs most right now. Tally the notes aloud. Write the top 4 or 5 principles on a blank flip chart titled Our Principles.

### 6. Navigate with partner guidance (15 minutes)

Pair participants. If someone prefers not to be touched or blindfolded, they close their eyes or trace a seated fingertip maze. One partner navigates an indoor walking route using voice commands only. Swap roles after 3 minutes. Take 2 minutes in pairs to discuss communicating clearly through background noise.

### 7. Define the persistence signal (10 minutes)

Present the concept of an explicit signal to call for backup before dropping a critical task. Give 2 minutes of silent reflection. Ask the group for a short phrase or hand signal meaning I need support right now. Have the whole room practice the chosen phrase together once.

### 8. Draft individual planners and pair check ins (15 minutes)

Distribute the Small Disciplines Planner. Give 6 minutes of silent work to pick one micro habit, one principle focus, one teammate support act, and one persistence boundary. Have participants share their micro habit with a partner and book a specific check in day and time next week. Run a quick whip around where each person states their habit in one sentence.

### 9. Commit to team principles and close (5 minutes)

Have a volunteer read Our Principles aloud from the master sheet. Decide on one practical team action for the coming week. Hand out Team Support Cards; participants write their name and persistence signal, then exchange cards with a peer. End in a circle where each person says: I will make my bed by doing [chosen micro habit].


## Debrief questions

- Which principle selected by the group addresses your daily work friction most directly?
- What difference did verbal support make during the coordination and guidance steps?
- How will you handle your daily micro discipline if your routine breaks next week?

**Finished output:** A posted sheet of 4 or 5 team principles, completed individual Small Disciplines Planners with scheduled peer check-ins, and exchanged Team Support Cards.

## Remote

Run in an online video platform with breakout rooms. Replace physical planking in Step 3 with a digital relay where one person holds an active audio hum or steady screen-share timer while teammates complete a shared checklist. For Step 6 partner guidance, prepare a 10x10 spreadsheet grid with columns A-J and rows 1-10; shade 8 cells black as obstacles, place START at A1 and TARGET at J10. The navigator closes their eyes while their partner verbally commands cursor moves one cell at a time. Replicate flip chart voting on a shared digital whiteboard.

## Hybrid

Pair in-person attendees with each other for physical coordination, and place remote attendees together in virtual breakout rooms. Replicate the 10 flip chart sheets on an online whiteboard so in-person tallies and remote sticky notes combine in real time.

## Access and participation choices

- Offer seated posture holds, arm raises, or wall sits as standard options alongside floor planks.
- Allow closed eyes or navigating a paper maze instead of blindfolds.
- Participants may keep personal setback details private and discuss only generic workflow adjustments.

## If the session gets stuck

**Participants treat the relay in Step 3 as an intense athletic race.**

Remind squads that steady rhythm, clear handoffs, and safety are the goals, not pure speed.

**People choose daily habits that are too large and fail quickly.**

Ask participants to shrink the habit scope until it takes under two minutes to finish.


## Terms used here

- Sugar Cookie: A training metaphor for an adverse outcome occurring despite proper execution, requiring composure rather than self-blame.
- Make Your Bed: A tiny, reliable micro task completed early in a shift to create instant momentum.

## Participant material: Arrival Micro-Task Cards

CARD A: Align your chair so it sits square with the edge of the table.

CARD B: Place your pen horizontally across the top edge of your notepad.

CARD C: Place your phone face-down in the center of the table.

CARD D: Place your scratch paper neatly against your left side.

## Participant material: Ten Lessons Overview

1. Start with a small win: Begin each day with one completed micro task.
2. Find people to paddle with you: Team coordination beats solo efforts.
3. Judge people by their heart, not appearance: Respect dedication over status.
4. Keep moving forward when knocked down: Face unearned setbacks with steady composure.
5. Do not be afraid to fail: Extra practice rounds build capability.
6. Take calculated risks: Address difficult obstacles directly.
7. Stand up to bullies: Deal with intimidating interpersonal friction early.
8. Rise to the occasion in dark moments: Keep focus when operational pressure spikes.
9. Give others hope: Maintain morale during demanding work.
10. Never give up: Establish clear rules to avoid quitting prematurely.

## Participant material: Small Disciplines Planner

1. My Daily Micro Discipline (takes under 2 minutes):
   _____________________________________________________
2. Selected Principle for this Month:
   _____________________________________________________
3. One Way I Will Support a Teammate this Week:
   _____________________________________________________
4. My Persistence Commitment (what I will not quit on):
   _____________________________________________________
5. Peer Accountability Partner: _______________________
   Agreed Check-in Date and Time: ____________________

## Participant material: Team Support Card

Name: ________________________________________________
My Persistence and Support Signal: ____________________
Best way to contact or nudge me: _____________________
Held by Peer: ________________________________________

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in WorkshopBank as 'Small Disciplines Workshop', drawing on William McRaven's public addresses on training lessons.

Retained the nine-step 120-minute design and ten principles from the WorkshopBank source. Adjusted Step 2 timing to 45 seconds per principle so explanation and pair reflection fit within 15 minutes. Clarified squad math for Step 3 across all numbers from 4 to 16, and clarified parallel group timing in Step 4. Added scratch paper to materials list. Detailed the spreadsheet navigation grid structure for remote delivery in the remote section.

[WorkshopBank](https://workshopbank.com/tools/small-disciplines-workshop)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/small-disciplines-workshop-workshopbank/