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A Suitcase, a Flower

Open collective intelligence session by anchoring yourself in the Present

Pratique

Aim

“A suitcase, a flower” is a check-in exercise: it allows you to start a collective intelligence session by inviting the members of the group to express themselves on negative and positive elements.

Instructions

Time needed: 10 to 30 minutes

In this exercise, the suitcase represents a negative aspect or event in the participants’ lives that they wish to “forget” or in any case set aside for the duration of the session. The flower symbolises a positive element of their life that gives them energy to approach the session.

Key steps

As a facilitator, you invite each participant in turn to share their chosen suitcase and/or flower in one minute. In this way, the group members start the session aware of each other’s state of mind.

Taking turns to share in this way allows you to better understand the state of mind of the group as a whole and understand the reasons why some people could be low on energy.

Tips and Advice

• Feel free to use what overall feeling comes out of this exercise to make the transition to the next stage of the meeting or workshop you are facilitating.
• Remind participants of the importance of being non-judgmental and aware of their impact on the group (making sure everyone has a chance to speak, differences of opinion, etc.).