Table of Contents
PDF version of the Table of Contents
Part I: A Methodology for Interactive Meetings
- Introduction
- Who Is This Book for?
- Beyond Icebreakers: The Interactive Meeting Format
- Does This Work with Adults?
- 1. Why Use Interactive Methods?
- Building Relationships and Bringing a Group to Life
- Increasing the Group's Understanding of and Investment in its Mission
- Scenario 1: Connecting to the Mission
- Surfacing Dissension & Building Strong Agreement for Effective Action
- Surfacing and Resolving Dysfunctional Group Dynamics
- Scenario 2: Interaction Surfaces Group Issues
- 2. Working into Interaction
- The Bare Minimum for Meetings
- Steps toward Interaction
- 3. Coping with Resistance and Fear of Failure
- From the Group
- From Yourself
- From the Top
- Scenario 3: Resistance from an Authority Figure
- The Resistance Diagram
- Scenario 4: Resistance Breeds Resistance
- Resistance is Forever
- 4. The Interactive Meeting Format
- A Note about Processing
- Preparation
- Format Overview
- Table 1: The Six-part Interactive Meeting Format
- The Sections in Detail
- The Introduction
- The Names/Warm-up Section
- Table 2: Guidelines for Designing the Names/Warm-up Section
- Scenario 5: Processing a Warm-up Question
- The Springboard Section
- Scenario 6: Balancing Tasks and Group Issues
- The Work Section
- The Summation
- The Evaluation
- 5. Interactive Meetings: Making Them Work
- Arranging the Setting
- The Ideal Setting
- The Less-than-Ideal Setting
- Designing the Agenda
- Clearly Identify the Purposes of the Meeting
- Be Aware of Individual and Group Dynamics
- Choose Appropriate Exercises
- Be Aware of Risk
- Be Subtle
- Keep Your Designs Fresh
- Scenario 7: A Small Change Creates a Fresh Experience
- Create Your Own Exercises
- Scenario 8: Using a Familiar Experience
- Take It Slow
- Keep It Simple
- Be Inclusive
- Facilitating the Meeting
- Remain Aware of Your Purpose
- Give Good Instructions
- Observe the Group's Dynamics
- Know When to Participate and When to Observe
- Enjoy Yourself
- Don't Panic if What You Planned Doesn't Work
- Processing the Exercises
- Format for Processing
- Be Aware of Resistance
- How Much Processing Is Enough?
- Scenario 9: Three Ways to Process Pair Tag
- Use Subtlety in Processing
- Scenario 10: Subtle Processing of a Warm-up Question
- Making It Work for the Long Term
- Be Consistent
- Evaluate Your Work
- Some Final Thoughts about Facilitation
- Template for Planning an Interactive Agenda
- 6. Putting It Together
- The Super Exercises
- Exercises with Movement
- The Agendas
- Agenda 1. A Meeting to Begin Taking Action
- Scenario 11: First Meeting of an Action-Oriented, Ongoing Group
- Agenda 2: A Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Workshop
- Agenda 3: Evaluating an Event
- Agenda 4: A Workshop on Personal Goal-Setting
- Agenda 5: A Routine Staff Meeting
- Agenda 6: Freshman Orientation: Small Group Agenda
- Agenda 7: High School Senior Class Meeting
- 7. The Engaged Learner: Interactive Methods in the Classroom
- Achieving Important Goals through Interaction
- Preparing to Create an Interactive Lesson Plan
- The Setting
- Components of the Interactive Lesson Plan
- Introduction
- Name Exercises
- Warm-up Questions
- Table 3: Warm-up Questions for Specific Learning Goals
- Springboard Exercises
- Work Section
- Summation
- Evaluation
- Frequently Asked Question
- Interactive Lesson Plan: Themes in George Orwellas Animal Farm
- Interactive Lesson Plan: Introducing Percentages
- Creating Springboard or Work Exercises
- There, Their, They're Tag (Homonym Tag)
- Pop It Into Place
- Scenario 12: A Lesson Plan for Dealing with Test Anxiety
- Template for Interactive Lesson Plans
- 8. Choosing Exercises to Serve Your Goals
Exercises listed according to the goals they can help your group to meet: - Interconnection
- Focus
- Introspection
- Communication
- Trust
- Surfacing Group Dynamics
- Group Problem Solving
- Personal Problem Solving
- Leadership
- Organizing
- Planning
- Different Perspectives
- Cultural Awareness
- Creativity
- Visual Arts
- Acting
- Reinforcing Information
- Learning Names
- Reinforcing Names
Part II: Interactive Exercises
- 9. Name Exercises
Seventeen exercises to help people learn each other's names - 10. Warm-up Questions
More than 180 questions in 21 categories: Beyond "Let's go around and introduce ourselves." - All-Purpose Questions
- Time
- Personal and Work Goals
- Remembering Your Life
- Relationships
- Self-Analysis
- Food
- Entertainment
- Seasons/Holidays
- Community/School
- This Group/Program/Organization
- Ending the Group/Reflecting on Time Together
- Event Planning
- Event Outreach or Marketing
- Theme/Message
- Hypothetical
- Envisioning the Future
- Drugs
- Stereotypes/Prejudice/Racism
- Social Class
- Miscellaneous
- 11. Five-Minute Springboard Exercises
Thirty-five exercises that a group can do in five minutes or less - 12. Fifteen-Minutes-Plus Springboard Exercises
Twenty-six exercises that go more in depth - 13. In-Your-Chair Springboard Exercises
Forty-three exercises the group can do without much physical movement - 14. Tag-Style Springboard Exercises
Twenty-eight exercises that wake people up and generate energy - 15. Springboard Exercises for Groups both Large and Small
Fifteen exercises that work with large groups, as well as small ones - 16. The Rest of the Springboard Exercises
One hundred and two exercises that take between 5 and 15 minutes, require some movement (but not tagging), and work with groups of moderate size - 17. Work-Section Exercises
Thirty-five exercises that provide interactive ways to do the work of your meeting or class - 18. Evaluation Exercises
Seven exercises to structure the group's evaluation of its experience
Appendices
- A Written Evaluation Form
- B Adapting Interactive Exercises for Physical Limitations
- C Words for Word Association
- D Creating Visualizations
