Surfacing current experiences in a structured, anonymous way acknowledges the reality of what team members are feeling. This practice builds psychological safety, allowing individuals to feel heard without judgment, and promotes shared understanding of the team’s current state that can set the stage for future team dialogue.
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Preparing for This Activity
- Anticipated Duration: 10–20 minutes
- Preparation Level: Low
- Suitable for: In person and remote meetings
- Materials:
- 8 ½ x 11 paper
- Pens
- Target (optional)
- Virtual whiteboard
Roadmap
Frame the conversation by explaining:
- Today we’re going to start with a quick activity to help us understand what’s present in the room.
- Share that often, when teams experience uncertainty, change, or conflict, there are feelings that can go unspoken — but they still influence how we work together.
- Today we want to foster a space to surface those feelings anonymously, so we can acknowledge them and use them as helpful information to determine how to move forward effectively.
Instructions
Keep it short and visual. Here are simple instructions.
This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.
1. Identify Current Emotions
- On separate sheets of paper, write 1–3 feelings or emotions you’re experiencing (one per sheet).
- Be honest. There are no right or wrong responses.
2. Fold & Fly
- Fold each sheet into a paper airplane.
- Not everyone may remember how to fold an airplane. Acknowledge this and encourage people to help remind each other.
- When ready, send your airplanes to the front of the room.
3. Collect & Read
- The facilitator will collect and read the feelings anonymously.
- Ensure the order in which the paper planes are being picked up and read does not reveal who wrote them.
- Shuffle the paper planes as you collect them.
- Make sure no handwriting or identifying details can be recognized by others.
- Listen and notice what’s present in the room.
- Themes, patterns, unique contributions.
4. Reflect Together
- Debrief and discuss:
- What do you notice?
- What’s in the space right now?
- How is this helpful for us to notice and name?
- How can we hold all of this as we move forward together?
Closing Thoughts
Consider the following facilitation tips as you guide this exercise:
- Set the tone. Emphasize psychological safety and confidentiality.
- Return to working agreements. Highlight specific agreements that are pertinent.
- Keep it anonymous. No names, no judgment—just acknowledgment.
- Timebox: 10–20 minutes total.
- Optional visual:
- Draw a large circle with concentric rings on flipchart or whiteboard at front of room.
- Label it team name +Hangar (e.g., Team XYZ Hangar).
- Explain: “A hangar is a safe place where planes land for care and maintenance. This represents a space where our current feelings and experiences can land and be acknowledged — so we can use them as information to move forward together.”