Let’s Draw Together!
This exercise is suitable for many kinds or groups. The exercise is designed to be done online.
The group size is minimum two participants. The exercise is suitable also for larger groups, when it’s possible to divide the group into several breakout rooms (participants in smaller groups should be 2-7).
To be able to carry out the exercise you need a video meeting service (such as Zoom or Teams) and an online tool such as the Google Jamboard.
The goal of the exercise is to practice/enhance co-operation and stimulate creativity. The exercise is good for supporting the group process. It also helps everyone feel comfortable to draw despite of previous drawing experience or special skills. It is usually a lot of fun too!
The exercise will take about 10 minutes in breakout rooms (depending on the number of participants) + 5-10 minutes for looking at the drawings together in art exhibition and short discussion about the exercise.
Instructions for the facilitator of the exercise
Before the group session:
At first the facilitator signs into Google Jamboard and creates a new Jamboard document clicking the big plus-button in the right bottom of the screen.
Then the facilitator writes the numbers of the groups in Jamboard pages so that every group has its own page. You can add text to Jamboard with the text tool (on the left of the screen) . You can add pages by clicking the arrow in the middle on top of the page. Practice how to use Jamboard so that you can give instructions to the participants.
In the group session:
The facilitator shares the link to the Jamboard document in the chat and ensures that everybody has access to it. The facilitator shares the screen and shows the participants how to use Jamboard.
The participants are asked to make a drawing together in turns and using the pencil tool in Jamboard (on the left of the screen). The one whose birthday is coming next is the person who starts the drawing. That person starts the drawing by using the pencil tool and choosing a color.
Then the person draws a line that can be long, short, straight, angled, round, making a pattern. Next participant in the group continues the line the previous participant has made and the third one continues the line the second one made. This goes on for so long until the group members together decide that the drawing is finished, and everybody has had the chance to participate. Remember that in Jamboard the line is not visible to other participants in real time. It becomes visible when the participant, whose turn it is, stops drawing.
After giving the instructions above and showing how to use Jamboard, the facilitator divides the participants into breakout rooms and asks them to remember the number of their group. The group uses the page in the Jamboard which has the number of the group.
After finishing the drawing, the group discusses the drawing. What do I see in the drawing? What does it express or tell? What does it suggest? Then the group decides a name for the drawing. Time for the drawing and discussion varies depending on the size of the group (2-7 participants). After suitable time the facilitator calls the participants back to the main session. The facilitator shares the screen, and each group presents their drawing and the name of it.
The exercise can be made also live so that the participants are divided into smaller groups with a large piece of paper, pencils, crayons or watercolors and paintbrushes. The drawings should be made in silence without much conversation and without negotiating what or how to draw next.
After the exercise the group can reflect and discuss for example about:
– How did the exercise make me feel?
– Was it easy to decide the name of the drawing?
– Did I see the drawing differently than others?
– Did I try to continue in the same style as the previous drawer or did I choose my own way?
– How did I integrate my drawing to the others´ – did I adapt my way or did I lead others? What did I perceive about our interaction?
– How did it feel to draw together instead of drawing by yourself?