Welcome to My World

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Compare external perceptions of a colleague's workflow with their actual work steps, dependencies, and friction points.

Use it when: Cross-functional teams, multi-department kickoffs, or handoff reviews where people misunderstand what adjacent roles actually do.

Skip it when: Teams where everyone holds the exact same job role with identical procedures, or during high-conflict performance disputes.

Group arrangement: Pairs; if numbers are odd, form one trio or have the facilitator pair up.

Timing: Gamestorming suggests 30 to 60 minutes; this 40-minute plan provides balanced drawing and partner discussion time for up to 20 people.

Materials and tools

• 1 pad of 3x3 inch sticky notes
• 1 thick marker per participant
• 2 blank sheets of flip-chart or ledger paper per pair
• 1 roll of low-tack masking tape

Before participants arrive

1. Place flip-chart paper and markers at work tables or wall stations around the room.
2. Ensure wall or table space allows pairs to draw side-by-side without crowding.

Say this to open

Write one specific task or ongoing responsibility from your job on a sticky note and place it on your shirt. Next, find a partner whose written task you know the least about or feel curious about. Once paired, you will each silently draw what you imagine your partner does to accomplish that task, using simple boxes, circles, and arrows. Do not interview them yet.

How to run it

1. Label and pair 5 minutes

   Each person writes one clear job duty on a sticky note (example: 'Compile monthly vendor invoices' or 'Draft user release notes') and sticks it to their shirt. Participants circulate and form pairs with someone whose posted duty is unfamiliar. If an odd number remains, the facilitator pairs with the remaining person or creates one trio where partner tasks rotate.

2. Silent workflow sketch 10 minutes

   Working in silence, each person sketches on their paper what they assume happens from start to finish for their partner's duty. Participants may use boxes, lines, stick figures, or short text notes. No questions or interviewing allowed during this stage.

3. Present sketches to partners 10 minutes

   Set a timer for 5 minutes per partner. Partner A walks Partner B through their sketch, explaining what steps, tools, and handoffs they guessed. Partner B listens without interrupting until the timer sounds, then switch roles for another 5 minutes.

4. Compare reality and mark friction 10 minutes

   Pairs spend 10 minutes annotating both drawings together. The duty owner marks missing steps, crosses out incorrect assumptions, and highlights real points of ease, friction, or external delays directly on the sheet.

5. Whole-room debrief 5 minutes

   Reconvene the room. Ask two or three volunteer pairs to share one specific surprise where the perceived process differed sharply from the real process.

Debrief questions

• What step in your partner's actual process was completely invisible to you?
• Where did your partner point out friction or delays that outsiders never see?
• What is one handoff or request you will handle differently based on what you saw today?

Finished output: Paired workflow diagrams annotated with actual steps, misconceptions, and friction points.

Remote

Use a digital whiteboard with pre-set paired frames. Participants type their role responsibility onto a virtual sticky note in a common gallery, choose a partner, and move into breakout rooms. Each person creates their silent flowchart using simple shapes on their assigned frame, then returns to share screens, annotate, and mark friction areas before returning to the main room.

Hybrid

In-person pairs work on paper while remote pairs work in dedicated breakout rooms on a digital whiteboard. To ensure parity during the debrief, alternate shares between an in-person pair holding up their sheet and a remote pair screen-sharing their board.

Access and participation choices

• Participants uncomfortable with drawing may write structured step-by-step text outlines or bulleted flow lists instead.
• Anyone may choose a routine, non-sensitive operational task to avoid disclosing confidential or high-stakes duties.
• Participants may pass on speaking during the whole-room debrief and focus entirely on the partner exchange.

If the session gets stuck

Participants start talking and interviewing each other during the silent drawing step.

Remind the room that the power of the activity comes from confronting our blind guesses. Ask everyone to preserve total silence until the reveal timer begins.

A participant claims they cannot draw diagrams.

Reassure them that simple text boxes, numbered lists, or stick figures are completely sufficient. Neatness does not matter.

Terms used here

• Workflow: The sequence of operational steps, approvals, and handoffs needed to complete a specific task.