Hello friends,
🙌Many thanks for reading The Quest, your weekly round-up of tips and insights to help you design and lead exceptional online sessions that your group members will love.❤️
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Let’s dive right in!
🤔What’s one thing you are bad at?
That was the opening prompt in the first session of an *online course a started a few weeks ago. The instructions were simple. We had 15 seconds to come up with something that “you wouldn’t normally share with others”. One sentence. No explanation required.
I resisted the prompt at first.
My positive psychology reflex wanted to reframe the question into “What’s something you want to be better at.” But I trusted the instructor, so I stuck with it.
My answer surprised me.
Just as my name was called, it suddenly came to me. “I am really bad at finding a first small step to implementing a big idea.” It was the first time I said it out loud. It was an aha! moment.
I learned that I shared many of the same struggles with my classmates.
“Being consistent”.
“Implementing small new habits even when I know I need to”.
“Staying in touch with past acquaintances and friends”.
“Keeping track of my coffee intake” (yep!)
I felt relieved that I wasn’t the only one who was bad at these things. And immediately I felt more connected to the group.
A powerful prompt question can spark aha! moments.
Powerful prompt questions give your group members an opportunity to reflect. They build meaningful engagement. And they create group connection.
How can you craft a powerful opening prompt for your group? That’s our Quest for this week.🔎
👉 5 Easy Tips for Crafting a Powerful Opening Prompt
👉 How to Check In + Check Out from Mischief Makers
👉Two Prompt Question Generators
Plus
👉A Power Prompt for Appreciating Mothers
*Shoutout to Quest readers Kevon and Arvindh over at Building In Public Mastery for the power prompt🙌
💡5 Easy Tips for Crafting a Powerful Opening Prompt
Some people shy away from starting their sessions with an opening prompt because they don’t want to choose the wrong question.
Here is a Twitter thread I just published with 5 tips for crafting a powerful opening prompt.
What’s your favorite prompt question? Join the conversation on Twitter👇
Here’s the summary:
5 easy tips for crafting a powerful opening prompt👇
1/✅Connect it to your session aim
2/✅Tailor it to your specific audience
3/✅Find the right level of risk
4/✅Choose a question that everyone can answer
5/✅Focus the question
What would you add?
🧰How to Check In + Out from Mischief Makers
Power prompts are often part of what facilitators call a “check-in”.
If you want to get better at opening and closing your live sessions, check out how to check in and out with a group from the seasoned facilitators over at Mischief Makers.
It’s part of their Facilipedia toolkit that is full of expertly curated facilitation exercises and techniques.
Thanks to Quest reader Ez Bridgeman for sharing this link on his new facilitation website www.shadowplayground.com.
📇Two Prompt Question Generators
Need some help coming up with the perfect prompt? When I am stuck I like to read through banks of prompt questions. It gives me some inspiration so that I can come up with my own.
Here are two prompt question generators that have given me some ideas:
The weirdest question: If you were a smurf, what smurf would you be? (I can’t even remember the names of the smurfs:).
A prompt I liked: What were you really into as a kid?
💐A Power Prompt for Mother’s Day
I came across this prompt in a New York Times article yesterday.
👉What’s one thing your mom got right?
Write it down or tell her if you can (it doesn’t have to wait for Mother’s Day:)
Here’s what my mom got right: never lose your zest for life.
💌Thanks for reading The Quest
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Creatively yours,
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