Tell Me Something Good

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.

Group arrangement: Whole-group sharing limited to 3 volunteers, with remaining members asking questions and clapping.

Timing: Based on the 5 to 15 minute range observed in The Teacher Toolkit, structured for an 8-minute check-in.

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.