--- title: "Visual Icebreaker: Show and Tell" description: "Participants present a personal or everyday object and tell a short story about what it represents. Small groups take turns sharing before a quick whole-room debrief." last_updated: "2026-09-07" canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/visual-icebreaker-show-and-tell/" --- # Visual Icebreaker: Show and Tell Participants present a personal or everyday object and tell a short story about what it represents. Small groups take turns sharing before a quick whole-room debrief. **Time:** 15 minutes. UWT plan allocating 15 minutes total. The source notes individual turns take under 5 minutes. **People:** 4 to 24. Small groups of 3 to 4 people; a single group of 4 or 5 when total attendance is 4 or 5. ## Choose this exercise **Purpose:** Introduce participants through a concrete physical or digital object that anchors a concise personal story. **Use it when:** Use at the start of a workshop or retreat to ease initial speaking tension using a tangible focus. **Skip it when:** Skip during emergency response meetings or when the agenda requires immediate technical work. ## Materials and tools - 1 physical object or digital photo per participant - 1 visible timer for the facilitator - 5 to 8 spare everyday objects (such as pens, notebooks, mugs, or sticky notes) placed on a central table ## Before participants arrive 1. Optionally inform participants before the session to bring an everyday object or photo tied to a short story. 2. Place spare neutral office items on a central table for anyone who did not bring an item. ## Say this to open Welcome. We will start with a brief show and tell. Take out the item you brought, pick something in your pocket or bag, or choose a photo on your phone. You will have two minutes in your small group to show it and share the story behind it. Focus on what it means to you. You are welcome to pass or choose a neutral work item if you prefer. ## How to run it ### 1. Introduce task and form groups (2 minutes) Explain the timing and ground rules using the opening script. Divide participants into groups of 3 to 4, or a single group if total attendance is 4 or 5. Direct anyone without an item to the spare objects on the table. Remind participants that turns are up to 2 minutes each. ### 2. Share objects in groups (8 minutes) Participants take turns showing their item and sharing its story while others listen. In groups of 3 or 4, each person speaks for 1.5 to 2 minutes. In a group of 5, each person speaks for about 1.5 minutes. Call time at 2-minute marks to keep turns moving. ### 3. Reflect in small groups (2 minutes) Ask small groups to spend 2 minutes noticing any common themes, unexpected contrasts, or surprising details that came up during their rounds. ### 4. Debrief with full room (3 minutes) Reconvene the full room. Invite 2 or 3 volunteers to share how focusing on an object affected how they told or listened to stories. Close the exercise on time. ## Debrief questions - How did focusing on a concrete object change the way you told your story? - What common themes or contrasts appeared across the objects in your group? - How did holding or viewing an item affect your attention as a listener? **Finished output:** Every participant shares an object-anchored story or chooses to pass, establishing early introductions across all groups. ## Remote Ask remote participants to pick any physical object within reach or show a photo on screen. Split the meeting into breakout rooms of 3 to 4 people. Run an 8-minute countdown timer. Bring everyone back to the main room for debrief via voice or chat. ## Hybrid Create dedicated all-remote breakout rooms and all-in-person small groups to maintain clear audio and sightlines. Remote participants show objects to their cameras, while in-person participants show physical objects at their tables. Conduct the 3-minute debrief in the unified main room. ## Access and participation choices - Participants may use any neutral desk item, such as a pen or sticky note, instead of a personal artifact. - Participants can describe an object from memory if showing one is inconvenient. - Anyone may decline to share a personal narrative and simply name the object or pass entirely. ## If the session gets stuck **A participant forgot to bring an object and feels put on the spot.** Invite them to select any spare item from the central table or pick an everyday object within reach like a keychain or notebook. **One participant talks well past their 2-minute mark.** Call out time checks every 2 minutes across the room and prompt groups to pass the floor to the next speaker. ## Terms used here - Visual focus: A tangible object or image used to anchor attention, reducing speaking anxiety. ## Sources and adaptation Observed in Relationship Makers Handbook, page 457. Retained the show-and-tell storytelling mechanic and object focus from Relationship Makers Handbook page 457. UWT standardized the process into a 15-minute format with defined group sizes, an opening script, explicit pacing prompts, and access choices. Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/visual-icebreaker-show-and-tell/