Warmups for Meeting Leaders
Bianchi, Sue, Butler, Jan, & Richey, David (1990). Warmups for Meeting Leaders. San Francisco: Joffey-Bass/Pfeiffer.

1) In pairs, give participants one minute to look at a tray containing 20 unrelated objects, then return to their desks and write down all the items they can remember. When all are finished, have them swap papers and grade. The person who gets the highest score wins a small prize.

2) Give each person $100 or $1000 in play money auction off the following values: a comfortable life, equality, an exciting life, family security, happiness, inner peace, national security, a life of pleasure, self-respect, a sense of accomplishment, social acclaim, true friendship, wisdom, world peace, great knowledge, a brief-but-intense love affair, and freedom.

3) In the middle of class, give sheets of paper and have them anonymously write down three words that describe the class session (or class) so far. Have a student collect them in a large paper bag and view them after class (or during, if you’re strong enough!).

4) Give everyone five minutes to write down as many of their problems as they can think of, no matter how small. Then have everyone stand and read their problems out loud all at once in cadence, sitting down after they’ve read the last problem on their list. The last person left standing gets a bottle of aspirin!

5) Give everyone an index card, a safety pin, and a crayon. On the card, they write their name followed by five “ing” words that describe them (e.g., basketballing, guitaring---they don’t have to be real words!). Mingle.

6) Have everyone answer and share their answers to these questions:

a) On Saturdays I like to____________

b) If I had only 24 hours to live, I’d __________

c) If I had a million dollars I’d _____________

d) Secretly, I wish_____________________

e) If I could change the world I’d ________________