Hand-signals
Make turn-taking and requests easier to notice.
5 minutes · Adapt to your group; source does not state a numeric capacity
Use this activity in the Studio →Source timing: not specified. Planning range is an estimate; adapt it to the actual group. Source group guidance: not specified. This describes the playing group, not a maximum attendance for the whole event.
Intention / Goal
Make turn-taking and requests easier to notice.
Materials
Visible signal key
Facilitator & access notes
Do not assume that gestures mean the same thing across groups. Avoid humiliating signals for disagreement or speaking too long. Setup time is estimated.
How to facilitate it
- Agree a small set of gestures with explicit meanings, such as wanting to speak or requesting clarification.
- Demonstrate each gesture and offer an equivalent spoken or written signal.
- Use the signals consistently, checking that newcomers and anyone who cannot see the room can follow.
Reflection prompts
- Notice: What did this activity reveal about how we work together?
- Carry forward: What would you like to try next?
Credit & lineage
Seeds for Change (documented version; original creator not established).
Concise original Playformation facilitator wording based on the Seeds for Change guide. Consent/access alternatives and estimated planning defaults are identified; this is not a claim of original authorship.
Anti-copyright: you may copy, adapt, use and distribute this adapted entry, provided the resulting work remains anti-copyright. Source: https://seedsforchange.org.uk/resources
Seeds for Change: Hand-signals ↗
Seeds for Change facilitation tools PDF, page 16 ↗
AI did the initial research. We’re sorry for any inaccuracies. Suggest an edit ↗