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Exercises/Relationship Mapping/Spoons - A lateral thinking game - Facilitation Method
Relationship Mapping

Spoons - A lateral thinking game - Facilitation Method

Spoons - A lateral thinking game - Facilitation Method is a relationship mapping exercise that helps participants build useful connections and understand how people, roles, or ideas relate.

5 to 15 minutesTIME
Medium group (9-25)GROUP SIZE
ActiveENERGY
In personSETTING
Medium cognitive loadCOGNITIVE LOAD
Strengthens Network Design This relationship mapping exercise strengthens Network Design, one of the eight Gathering Effectiveness pillars.

How to run it

  1. This activity boosts group energy by encouraging creative thinking and engagement. It works well after intense work sessions and provides a playful break.
  2. Arrange the group in a circle of chairs for visibility.
  3. Introduce two spoons, pens, or markers to be passed around.
  4. Explain that there is a rule determining how the objects are passed: 'crossed' or 'uncrossed'.
  5. Participants must deduce the rule based on the passing method.
  6. Workshop Weaver Features Resources BlogPricing 🇺🇸 Start Free Energiser Spoons A lateral thinking game This activity boosts group energy by encouraging creative thinking and engagement.
  7. 1 Arrange the group in a circle of chairs for visibility.
  8. 3 Explain that there is a rule determining how the objects are passed: 'crossed' or 'uncrossed'.
  9. 6 Continue until everyone understands and can apply the rule themselves.
  10. 7 The rule is based on whether the person has their legs crossed or uncrossed when they pass the items.
Live facilitator

Run this exercise live

The facilitator console stays in this browser. Its QR handoff is a short-lived participant snapshot containing only public exercise instructions, phase, prompt, and timer state.

Prompts to use +

This activity boosts group energy by encouraging creative thinking and engagement. It works well after intense work sessions and provides a playful break.

Arrange the group in a circle of chairs for visibility.

Explain that there is a rule determining how the objects are passed: 'crossed' or 'uncrossed'.

Workshop Weaver Features Resources BlogPricing 🇺🇸 Start Free Energiser Spoons A lateral thinking game This activity boosts group energy by encouraging creative thinking and engagement.

1 Arrange the group in a circle of chairs for visibility.

3 Explain that there is a rule determining how the objects are passed: 'crossed' or 'uncrossed'.

Run this with your AI assistant +

Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Adapt this exercise for my exact room. Exercise: Spoons - A lateral thinking game - Facilitation Method. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: This activity boosts group energy by encouraging creative thinking and engagement. It works well after intense work sessions and provides a playful break.; Arrange the group in a circle of chairs for visibility.; Explain that there is a rule determining how the objects are passed: 'crossed' or 'uncrossed'.; Workshop Weaver Features Resources BlogPricing 🇺🇸 Start Free Energiser Spoons A lateral thinking game This activity boosts group energy by encouraging creative thinking and engagement.. Return a concise facilitator script with timing, wording, safety notes, and remote/in-person adjustments.

Origin unverified

  • Where we observed it: The current corpus has one observed source organization: Workshop Weaver. (1 source observed, including Workshop Weaver.)
  • What that means: we track where an exercise has been observed in public sources. We do not claim to know who created it, or how popular it is.
  • No efficacy claims: appearing in this library is not a claim that the exercise is proven effective. Facilitator judgment and context decide whether it works for a given room.
  • Corrections: if you have evidence of an earlier or more accurate source, read our methodology and trust boundary and tell us.

Pairs well with