Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: 653969bb0ee6565c505c72bfbe5f1747afd43fba7bdcda63c22da88279f2b4b5

# Who I Am by Lineage

Participants introduce themselves by tracing a personal ancestry or mentor lineage as far back as they choose, ending with 'of others.' The group listens without interruption to acknowledge origins and influences.

**Time:** 15 minutes. UWT planned duration based on the Teampedia entry time band of 5 to 15 minutes
**People:** 4 to 24. Whole group circle for up to 12 people, or subgroups of 4 to 6 people for larger rooms

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Share personal ancestry or intellectual influences using a structured lineage sentence.
**Use it when:** Use at community retreats, reflection sessions, or early team meetings where members want to share background influences beyond current job titles.
**Skip it when:** Skip when members prefer strict professional boundaries or where family background might trigger distress, estrangement, or unwanted personal exposure.

## Materials and tools

- Optional scratch paper and pens for participants who want to write names down first
- Timer for facilitator

## Before participants arrive

1. Arrange chairs in a circle without tables, or organize small breakout pods of 4 to 6 chairs if the group exceeds 12 people.

## Say this to open

We will introduce ourselves through lineage. You can trace your maternal line, your paternal line, or an intellectual lineage of mentors and teachers who shaped you. You go back as many generations or mentors as you wish, and conclude with the phrase 'and others.' You may also pass or share only your own name.

## How to run it

### 1. Introduce the format and options (2 minutes)

Explain the three lineage options: matrilineal ancestry, patrilineal ancestry, or mentor and life influencers. Provide the spoken pattern clearly: 'I am [Name], child/student of [Name], who was child/student of [Name], of others.' Remind everyone that sharing is optional.

### 2. Silent recall and note-taking (3 minutes)

Give participants quiet time to recall names and decide which path to use. Allow individuals to jot names on scratch paper if helpful.

### 3. Share lineage statements (7 minutes)

Go around the circle or have participants share in pods of 4 to 6. Each person speaks their lineage statement without cross-talk or commentary. If someone says 'pass,' move immediately to the next person with neutral acknowledgment.

### 4. Debrief (3 minutes)

Facilitate a short discussion using two selected questions. Take three or four volunteer comments from the room.


## Debrief questions

- What did you notice about the different ways people chose to trace their background?
- How does hearing the names of mentors or ancestors change how you see the people in this room?

**Finished output:** Spoken round of introductions identifying participants' self-selected ancestral or mentor lineages.

## Remote

Run in main room or video breakout rooms of 4 to 6. Post the sentence frame in the shared text chat. Call on participants one by one or let them pass in chat.

## Hybrid

Seat in-person participants near a central microphone and camera. Alternately call on one room participant and one online participant so turn-taking remains balanced.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants can choose biological family, adoptive family, or professional mentors, or simply say 'pass' without giving a reason.
- Participants may post their statement in text chat rather than speaking aloud.

## If the session gets stuck

**A participant cannot recall names beyond their parents or feels uncomfortable discussing biological family.**

Remind the group that the mentor and influencer option is fully valid, or that naming just one person followed by 'and others' meets the exercise structure.

**A participant begins telling extended stories about each ancestor, taking too much time.**

Gently interrupt and ask them to finish the naming chain so everyone has equal time to share.


## Terms used here

- Matrilineal: Tracing descent through the female line, such as mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed on Teampedia under the title 'Who I Am - by Lineage,' where it is noted as adapted from women's gatherings.

Retained the core introductory lineage mechanic, 'of others' phrasing, and mentor alternative from Teampedia. Added explicit subgroup sizing for groups over 12, a dedicated silent preparation step, and explicit choice boundaries to protect privacy.

[Teampedia](https://www.teampedia.net/wiki/Who_I_Am_-_by_Lineage)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/who-i-am-by-lineage/