--- title: "Stacking Books" description: "Participants gather three to five books from their immediate space, arrange them into a deliberate stack or sequence, and explain the narrative or personal connection formed by the titles." last_updated: "2026-09-07" canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/stacking-books-knowmium-the-un-training-consultancy/" --- # Stacking Books Participants gather three to five books from their immediate space, arrange them into a deliberate stack or sequence, and explain the narrative or personal connection formed by the titles. **Time:** 15 minutes. 15 minutes suggested by UWT based on the 5 to 15 minute source band. **People:** 4 to 24. Individual gathering followed by small breakout groups of 3 to 4 people, concluding with brief full-group highlights. ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Share individual perspectives, interests, or topical insights through a curated physical or digital sequence of book titles. **Use it when:** Use during virtual or in-person workshop warm-ups, team check-ins, or storytelling modules when participants have access to personal reading materials or digital book images. **Skip it when:** Skip when participants are in bare conference rooms without books or internet access, or when time does not permit physical movement. ## Materials and tools - 3 to 5 physical books per participant (or digital search access) - Webcam or camera phone for showing stacks - Digital slide deck or shared whiteboard (optional for image uploads) ## Before participants arrive 1. Prepare a personal stack of 3 to 4 books to demonstrate the prompt. 2. If running online, ensure participants know they can turn cameras on or upload cover images to a shared slide. ## Say this to open Look around your space and grab three to four books. Stack them so their titles read in an order that says something about your week, tells a mini-story, or shows a current interest. For example, stacking 'Deep Work', 'Quiet', and 'Into Thin Air' might mean you are seeking focus amidst chaos. You will share your stack with three peers in small groups. ## How to run it ### 1. Introduce and demonstrate (2 minutes) Speak the opening script. Show your pre-arranged stack of books to the camera or room. Read the titles top to bottom and explain the short link or narrative in under thirty seconds. ### 2. Gather and sequence (3 minutes) Participants step away from their seats or browse their shelves to find 3 to 4 titles. They place them in a specific vertical stack or horizontal row. People without books search for title images online or list titles on a scratchpad. ### 3. Share in small groups (7 minutes) Divide participants into groups of 3 to 4 (in breakout rooms or room clusters). Each person takes 90 seconds to hold up their stack, read the titles in sequence, and share their short explanation. Peers may ask one quick question if time permits. ### 4. Whole-room debrief (3 minutes) Reconvene the full group. Invite 2 or 3 volunteers to share an unexpected story or sequence heard in their breakout. ## Debrief questions - What unexpected themes or connections surfaced across your group's titles? - How did the physical sequence of titles change or shape the story you decided to tell? - Which book mentioned today would you want to borrow or explore further? **Finished output:** A shared set of curated book stacks and short spoken narratives heard by small groups. ## Remote Run via video meeting platform. Participants display their stack directly to their webcam. Participants without physical books paste 3 book cover images or text titles onto a shared slide or whiteboard canvas. Use breakout rooms of 3 to 4 people for the sharing step. ## Hybrid In-person attendees hold physical books together in a room circle while remote attendees work in dedicated virtual breakout rooms. For the final debrief, alternatingly call on one in-person pair and one remote volunteer who shares their webcam or slide. ## Access and participation choices - Participants may use magazines, notebooks, digital book covers, or pure text titles instead of physical printed books. - Anyone may pass on speaking personal details by describing the stack as a fictional narrative or simply reading the titles aloud without explanation. ## If the session gets stuck **A participant has no books in their immediate space.** Invite them to search online for three titles they know or love, paste the covers onto a blank slide, or write the titles in the meeting chat. **One participant takes too long detailing the plot of each book.** Remind groups before breakouts begin that each turn is limited to 90 seconds, focusing only on how the titles connect together rather than full plot summaries. ## Terms used here - Book sequence: An intentional ordering of book spines where the titles read consecutively to form a phrase, theme, or narrative. ## Sources and adaptation Observed in Knowmium by Joshua Davies, who notes Darwin Antipolo conducting it on LinkedIn with credit to Sarah Urist Green and Nina Katchadourian's 'Sorted Books' project. Retained the core mechanic of collecting books, stacking them in sequence, and interpreting the titles as documented by Joshua Davies on Knowmium. UWT structured the facilitation flow into small breakouts of 3 to 4 people to fit 15 minutes, set explicit turn timers, and added digital/plain text accessibility choices. [Knowmium](https://knowmium.com/tools/2020/11/4/stacking-books) Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/stacking-books-knowmium-the-un-training-consultancy/