Description
By taking people out of the meeting environment, changing the setting and bringing in new elements, ‘a change of scene’ is a tool that internalises the power of a refreshing break.
Target Audience
- Adult citizens
- Teenagers
You can do it with all those groups, but we did it with professionals from different fields like public engagement or the cultural and creative sector.
Benefits
Benefits
To stay inspired and maintain good energy at an event, it can be fruitful to look for formats that shake up the routine and add novelty to the process. Especially before major decisions or breakthroughs are made, it can be useful to do something completely different like going on an excursion, field visit or do reflection walks. It refreshes the mind and gives people time to ponder over the implications of a decision.
Preparations
By taking people outside and encouraging them to walk or wander in small groups, participants seem to feel inspired to open up their minds and dare to
come up with innovative and radical ideas. Besides the anecdotal evidence, there is also scientific proof that (even indoors) walking increases creative thinking up to 60%. Participants at workshops also acknowledged that they experience inspiration when walking in a beautiful landscape.
A facilitator can prepare a change of scene by putting five or six questions for discussion on laminated cards which small, loosely defined groups can take with them on a predefined route. When a line of thought or interaction has run its course, group composition can be adjusted and discussion cards exchanged.
