Tokens

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Articulate individual and team intentions by anchoring them to a tangible symbolic object.

Use it when: Use at the start of a project kickoff or team retrospective to help members articulate goals and values.

Skip it when: Skip when the team needs urgent tactical problem-solving or when collecting tactile physical props is impractical.

Group arrangement: Plenary circle for 4 to 8 participants; table groups of 4 to 6 for 9 to 24 participants

Timing: UWT suggested 15-minute runtime based on Teampedia flow for plenary or small groups

Materials and tools

• A wide variety of small, inexpensive objects (at least 2 per participant, such as shells, pebbles, novelty pens, charms, playing cards, fabric scraps, wooden blocks)
• Blank postcards or index cards (at least 1 per participant)
• Pens or markers (1 per participant)
• One central display table or tray

Before participants arrive

1. Gather at least twice as many small objects as participants, plus blank index cards.
2. Spread the objects across a central table so everyone can browse easily without crowding.

Say this to open

Take a look at the objects on the table. Each item can represent a goal, a working style, or a hope you bring to this project. Browse the collection, pick one object that speaks to your focus, and bring it back to your seat.

How to run it

1. Browse and select 3 minutes

   Invite participants to walk up to the table, look through the objects, and select one token that symbolizes their goal or contribution. If someone prefers not to pick a physical token, they can choose an everyday item they already carry or sketch a symbol on an index card.

2. Reflect silently 2 minutes

   Participants sit with their token and decide what it represents for their work on the team. Prompt them to identify one concrete quality or outcome associated with the item. For example, a ruler might mean clear boundaries, or a shell might represent patience.

3. Share in groups 7 minutes

   Run sharing in the full circle for 8 or fewer people, or in table groups of 4 to 6 for larger rooms. Going in turn, each person takes up to 60 seconds to show their token and explain its meaning. Passing or offering a minimal explanation is fully permitted.

4. Debrief and retain 3 minutes

   Bring the room together. Invite 2 or 3 volunteers to name common patterns or complementary ideas they noticed across the tokens. Remind participants they may keep their token at their workspace as a physical reminder.

Debrief questions

• What common patterns or shared intentions did you notice across the different tokens?
• How might keeping this physical object at your desk influence your daily focus?

Finished output: Each participant holds a tangible object representing a declared project goal or value, with work kept private if preferred.

Remote

Send an advance note before the session asking participants to bring one small personal or household object to their desk. In breakout rooms of 4, participants hold their object up to the camera and explain its meaning for up to one minute each.

Hybrid

In-person attendees pick from the display table. Remote attendees select an item from their immediate physical space. Group remote attendees together in video breakout rooms, while in-person attendees form table groups in the room.

Access and participation choices

• Offer tactile, visual, and written options by providing textured objects, cards, and pens.
• Participants may sketch a symbol on paper if they prefer not to use a physical object.
• Participants may pass entirely or describe an object without explaining its personal significance.

If the session gets stuck

Two participants want the exact same physical object.

Provide more than twice as many objects as people. If duplicates are unavailable, invite the second person to pick another item that shares a similar quality or draw the concept on an index card.

Someone struggles to connect an object to a professional goal.

Provide blank index cards where they can write a single target word or draw a simple geometric shape instead.

Terms used here

• Token: A small physical object chosen to serve as a tangible symbol for an idea, goal, or working style.