Terrible Presents - Knowmium: The Un-Training Consultancy
Terrible Presents - Knowmium: The Un-Training Consultancy is a structured group exercise for closure and transfer: it helps participants close the session and carry learning into the next action.
How to run it
- Ask Participant A to think of a present Participant B would want to receive, and vice versa. Be sure they don't tell the other person. The present could be for a birthday or holiday and something that would really help or benefit the person.
- Now ask the participants to throw out that great gift and to think of a terrible present for the other person. It should be something they would not want to take, like something that would be a burden or a bad fit for their tastes.. Again, don't reveal the present yet.
- Participants have 1 to 2 minutes each to convince their partner to accept the present. Ideally, they will use persuasive techniques and actually get commitment, not a forced "well, ok."
- Now ask the participants to throw out that great gift and to think of a terrible present for the other person.
Run this exercise live
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Materials:
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Prompts to use +
Ask Participant A to think of a present Participant B would want to receive, and vice versa. Be sure they don't tell the other person. The present could be for a birthday or holiday and something that would really help or benefit the person.
Now ask the participants to throw out that great gift and to think of a terrible present for the other person. It should be something they would not want to take, like something that would be a burden or a bad fit for their tastes.. Again, don't reveal the present yet.
Participants have 1 to 2 minutes each to convince their partner to accept the present. Ideally, they will use persuasive techniques and actually get commitment, not a forced "well, ok."
Now ask the participants to throw out that great gift and to think of a terrible present for the other person.
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: Terrible Presents - Knowmium: The Un-Training Consultancy. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Ask Participant A to think of a present Participant B would want to receive, and vice versa. Be sure they don't tell the other person. The present could be for a birthday or holiday and something that would really help or benefit the person.; Now ask the participants to throw out that great gift and to think of a terrible present for the other person. It should be something they would not want to take, like something that would be a burden or a bad fit for their tastes.. Again, don't reveal the present yet.; Participants have 1 to 2 minutes each to convince their partner to accept the present. Ideally, they will use persuasive techniques and actually get commitment, not a forced "well, ok."; Now ask the participants to throw out that great gift and to think of a terrible present for the other person.. Return a concise facilitator script with timing, wording, safety notes, and remote/in-person adjustments.
Origin unverified
- Where we observed it: The strongest current observations come from Knowmium; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including Knowmium.)
- 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.