One Word

Purpose. Frames the mindset for the topic before diving into the real content.

When to use. As a flexible warm-up, or to fill a few spare minutes before a session officially starts.

Best for. Small groups, in person or online.

• No materials to gather. Decide in advance what topic you want the group to reflect on, for example “our team culture” or today's session theme.

Room setup. Cluster seating into small islands of 3–6 people, spaced enough apart that groups don't overhear each other.

Virtual setup. Run this over video call using breakout rooms for small groups, and the main room for whole- group sharing.

Hybrid setup. Give remote participants an equal way to take part, for example a shared digital whiteboard or chat thread.

Materials.

1. Decide on the topic you want the group to reflect on before you start, for example “our team culture” or the theme of today's session.
2. Split participants into small groups of 3–6 (skip this step if your whole group is already small).
3. Give everyone a minute or two of quiet thinking time to come up with ONE word that describes the topic for them.
4. Ask each person to share their word within their small group.
5. Bring the room back together and invite a few people to share their word, and a brief reason why, with everyone.

Learning outcome. Participants leave with a shared, quick snapshot of how the group sees a topic, right before digging into it further.

• No materials needed
• Topic decided in advance
• Timer set for 10 min
• Groups of 3–6 planned if needed