The Appreciation Circle is a simple activity that gives participants a chance to show intentional appreciation for their colleagues. It is a great activity to facilitate with teams that are wanting to work better together, and it is equally impactful at the end of a workshop where you want to recognise how participants have contributed to the session. You can also use this activity to demonstrate the power of appreciation in a team environment.
Materials Required: A set of laminated picture cards.
Preparation: Lay picture cards out on the floor and invite everyone to stand around them in a circle.
Set-Up Instructions for Participants:
“I’d like everyone to turn to the right and focus on the person in front of them. While you are focusing on that person, I want you to think about all the things you admire and appreciate about that person. What value do they bring to the team? (Or if it’s not a team—what value have they brought to the workshop?) What characteristics do you want to acknowledge and call out in them?”
How to Facilitate the Activity:
1. Give participants the set-up instructions as above.
2. After 60 seconds of reflection, invite everyone to turn into the circle and choose a picture that represents the person they were focusing on. Once they have picked up the card, they need to find themselves a different spot in the circle.
3. Start the activity by sharing a picture that represents the person you spent the most time with in organising the workshop. Walk across the circle to gift them the picture, then invite them to share the picture they have chosen for ‘their’ person and explain what it means.
4. Repeat the process until everyone has given and received a picture.
Debriefing Questions:
If the purpose of this activity is simply a chance to show appreciation, no debrief is required. However, if you are using the activity to demonstrate the power of appreciation (perhaps in a leadership workshop), you might like to invite participants to reflect on the process and how it made them feel.