Hobbies (mime)

Purpose. Builds name and personality recall through repetition and physical action.

When to use. In the first 15 minutes of a session, once names are known and the group is settling in.

Best for. Any group size, in person.

• No materials to gather; just read through the steps once before you run it.

Room setup. Arrange chairs (or ask people to stand) in a single circle so everyone can see each other.

Virtual setup. This works best in person. If you must run it virtually, have each person mime on camera instead of in a circle.

Hybrid setup. Include remote participants in the same chain order, miming on camera for their turn.

Materials.

1. Ask everyone to sit or stand in a circle.
2. Explain the format: each person mimes a hobby they enjoy, no talking, for the group to guess.
3. The first person mimes their hobby, and the group guesses.
4. The next person first re-mimes the first person's hobby, then adds their own for the group to guess.
5. Each following person repeats everyone's mimes before them, in order, then adds their own.
6. Continue until the last person has repeated the whole chain and added their own.

Learning outcome. Participants leave able to recall several colleagues' hobbies, having seen and repeated each one multiple times.

• No materials needed
• Debrief questions ready
• Timer set for 20 min
• Circle formation ready