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: a99e4a535f2ac2e685b9756c7953fec3047d60f1d5d6d36f671a493d0a04a306

# Tell Me Something Good

Participants take turns sharing brief positive personal or work updates, answer a peer follow-up question, and receive three synchronized group claps.

**Time:** 8 minutes. Based on the 5 to 15 minute range observed in The Teacher Toolkit, structured for an 8-minute check-in.
**People:** 4 to 24. Whole-group sharing limited to 3 volunteers, with remaining members asking questions and clapping.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Acknowledge recent positive events or small wins to mark the start or close of a session.
**Use it when:** At the start of a meeting, workshop, or class period to check in before diving into agenda topics.
**Skip it when:** During acute organizational crises, critical retrospectives, or solemn discussions where personal cheer feels out of place.

## Materials and tools

- A whiteboard or slide showing sample open-ended follow-up questions

## Before participants arrive

1. Display the sample follow-up questions where everyone can read them.
2. Ensure everyone understands that sharing is voluntary.

## Say this to open

We are going to start with Tell Me Something Good. I will invite three people to share a quick highlight from life, work, or family. After each person shares, one other person will ask a short open-ended follow-up question. Once all three have shared, we will give three synchronized claps together.

## How to run it

### 1. Frame expectations (2 minutes)

Explain the boundary: share a brief highlight, not a long story. Emphasize that good things do not need to be purchased achievements; everyday wins work best. For example: 'My garden tomatoes finally ripened' or 'I finished drafting a tough project proposal.' Point out the sample follow-up questions.

### 2. Hear three highlights and questions (4 minutes)

Ask for three volunteers or call on participants who agreed in advance. Speaker 1 shares their highlight in under 30 seconds. One peer asks an open-ended follow-up question from the board (or one of their own), and Speaker 1 answers briefly. Repeat for Speaker 2 and Speaker 3. If someone is called on and prefers not to share, let them say 'Pass' without explanation and ask another person.

### 3. Execute three group claps (1 minutes)

Lead the room in three unison claps to acknowledge the contributions. Say: 'Three claps for good news. Ready: one, two, three.' Everyone claps sharply three times together.

### 4. Transition debrief (1 minutes)

Ask one brief closing question to transition into the main agenda, inviting one or two quick spoken reactions from the room.


## Debrief questions

- What is one positive detail you heard today that stuck with you?
- How does hearing small daily wins affect your readiness to work together?

**Finished output:** Three brief shared highlights heard by the group and closed with shared applause.

## Remote

Run via video meeting. Invite three volunteers using raised digital hands or chat. Speakers unmute to share. One peer types or unmutes a follow-up question. For the applause, have everyone unmute or show hands on camera for the three synchronized claps.

## Hybrid

Alternate turns between in-person and remote participants (e.g., two in-person, one online). Ensure remote voices project through room speakers so peers can ask follow-up questions directly. Remote participants clap visually on camera or unmute together.

## Access and participation choices

- Volunteers only: participants may decline to speak without giving a reason.
- Non-vocal clapping alternatives: participants may snap, use digital applause reactions, or wave jazz hands if clapping causes discomfort.

## If the session gets stuck

**A speaker begins telling a long, meandering story.**

Politely jump in: 'Thank you! Let us pause right there so we can hear an open-ended question about that highlight.'

**No one raises a hand to volunteer.**

Provide 30 seconds of silent thinking time, offer a prompt like 'something you ate or watched recently,' or share a facilitator example first.


## Terms used here

- Open-ended question: A question that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no, prompting more detail.

## Participant material: Sample Follow-Up Questions

Use one of these or invent your own:
- What was your favorite part of that?
- How did that come about?
- What made that stand out to you?
- Who was there with you to celebrate?
- What did that feel like when it happened?

## Sources and adaptation

Observed on The Teacher Toolkit website as a classroom opening routine.

Retained the exact protocol from The Teacher Toolkit: three volunteer speakers, open-ended peer follow-up questions, and three synchronized claps. Added explicit timing, an opening script, hybrid adjustments, and access accommodations.

[The Teacher Toolkit](https://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/print-tool/tell-me-something-good)

[The Teacher Toolkit](https://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/tell-me-something-good)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/tell-me-something-good-the-teacher-toolkit/