As part of a workshop it is common practice to do an exercise that not only helps people to get to know each other, but also to create awareness of identity formation, values, norms and rituals, and the power of culture. In this exercise, participants in a workshop get to know each other by drawing their situation at the dinner table when they were a child. What did the table look like, who were sitting at the table and how were they sitting? The outcome is often an amazing variety of drawings: from simple floor plans tot complete 3d drawings. The result is a lively conversation with often amazing insights.
Learning goals
- To create awareness of the role of values as developed in the formative years.
- To gain insight in different rules, norms and rituals at the dinner table, to get insight in food rituals (especially when in a culturally diverse group).
- To gain insight in how easily we make inferences about other people based on rudimentary information.
Target group
This activity is aimed at students in tertiary education and professionals.
Materials
For this activity you need flipover sheets and felt tips.
Time
Time needed depends on the size of the group. The following is recommended:
- Draw (10 minutes)
- Discussion of each drawing (5 – 10 minutes per person)
- Discussion in pairs (40 minutes)
- Plenary debrief (anything from 10 to 30 minutes)
Organization of the activity
First make sure that there is psychological safety. People can draw what they want to draw, and are free to disclose what they want to disclose to others.
Aks people to draw the dinner situation when they were a child (age 6 -10). What did the table look like? Who were sitting at the table, how where they sitting, any details you would like to provide can be added (like what was on the table, or where the table was located in the house). After all the drawings have been made (depending on group size), they are displayed on the wall/ whiteboard one by one.
All participants describe what they see, what strikes them, what they think the family situation is;
Then the owner of the drawing tells what inferences were correct, incorrect, what the real situation was. And what struck them in what was being said about their drawing.
After all participants have had their turn of being the center of attention, the group splits up in pairs.
Each of the pair gets 20 minutes to discuss each other’s drawing, addressing the following questions:
- Look at the drawing, are there any additions based on the discussion in the group?
- Which values and norms do you recognize in your own drawing? You can often express them in slogans or sayings (*like act normal, etc)
- What values have you taken along in life?
- What values/ norms have you resisted or rejected?
- How do you see this in your own behaviour?
- Which effect can this have on others? Like family, friends, colleagues
End the activity by a group debrief.
Author and affiliation
Dr. Ankie Hoefnagels, Professor Global Competence
Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, Maastricht, the Netherlands