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Imaginary Ball Game (deutsch: Imaginäres Ballspiel)

The “Imaginary Ball Game” is a creative method for playfully gathering ideas around a chosen topic. Using an imaginary ball and spontaneous associations, participants pass on words or ideas that can later be used or developed further.

Organisation

  • Duration
    Short (up to 30 minutes)
  • Complexity
    Simple
  • Group size
    4 to 10 persons

This activity is not suitable online.

Description Long

Everyone stands in a circle. An imaginary ball is thrown from one person to another and caught. As a warm-up, the ball is tossed back and forth a few times until everyone gets the hang of it. Next, the facilitator introduces a word related to the topic – for example, “underground”. The ball is thrown to another participant while calling out the word “underground”. The receiver catches the ball, repeats the word, and then calls out a related word – such as “earth” – before throwing it to someone else. That person repeats “earth” and adds a new word – for example, “sun” – and so on. One person in the group writes down all the words on Post-its throughout the game. At the end, each participant selects one word from the collection. These selected words can be used in a follow-up workshop.

Preparation

  • The room should be large enough for the group to stand in a circle.
  • You'll need materials such as Post-its or a flipchart to record the words.
  • Choose a suitable topic or starting word in advance to spark creativity.

Execution

  1. The facilitator explains the process and goal of the game.
  2. To begin, participants pass the imaginary ball around the circle without using any words, simply to practise the movement.
  3. The facilitator then introduces a topic or starting word.
  4. The game begins when the ball is thrown along with the first word. The receiver says a related word and passes the ball on.
  5. One person records all the words while the game is in progress.
  6. At the end, each participant selects one word that can be used in a follow-up workshop.

Hints from experience

  • Care should be taken to ensure that everyone is equally involved and that there are no long pauses.
  • For larger groups, several smaller circles can be formed, which later bring their words together.
  • Choose a topic that is flexible and inspiring, such as “future”, “journey” or “weather”.

References

This method is based on the Follow-on Word Technique and has been enhanced by incorporating the physical activity of the imaginary ball game.