Matchstick discussion
Make unequal speaking frequency easier to notice and rebalance.
15 minutes · Any number of people
Use this activity in the Studio →Source timing: not specified. Planning range is an estimate; adapt it to the actual group. Source group guidance: Any number of people. This describes the playing group, not a maximum attendance for the whole event.
Intention / Goal
Make unequal speaking frequency easier to notice and rebalance.
Materials
Counters or unlit matches, Container, Timer
Facilitator & access notes
Use counters rather than lit matches. Time is estimated and depends on the discussion; avoid treating the counters as a measure of someone’s value.
How to facilitate it
- Agree a topic, a discussion window and the same small number of counters for everyone.
- Ask participants to surrender one counter each time they contribute.
- When someone has used their allowance, ask them to listen until others have had their opportunities; agree beforehand whether counters can be shared.
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: Matchstick discussion ↗
Seeds for Change facilitation tools PDF, page 20 ↗
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