Deeper Connections

What's Taking Up Space?

A 5-minute opener that gives every person in the room two minutes to silently write down what they walked in carrying — a deadline, a hard conversation, an open Slack thread — then share one line each. It surfaces the distractions that would otherwise sit unspoken in the back of the room and slow the next 80 minutes. Use it when half the room has clearly walked in thinking about something else.

Duration

5 mins

Group Size

4-15

Objectives

Surface the distractions participants are carrying into the room

Give permission to name what's not on the agenda

Bring everyone's attention into the present session

Build psychological safety in under 5 minutes

Outcomes

The facilitator knows where the room's attention actually is. Participants feel heard before the work starts. Hidden tension that would slow the session is named and parked. The next 80 minutes get the room they thought they had.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Frame the exercise (20 sec): Tell the group what they're doing, how long it takes (5 min), and what happens to the output (their notes stay theirs unless they choose to share). Make depth-of-share optional.

Silent writing (2 min): Ask participants to write down what's taking up space in their head right now — a deadline, a conversation they haven't had, a worry, anything that walked in the door with them. Hard time-box.

Round-robin share (2 min): Each person says ONE LINE about what's on their list. Others don't comment, react, or try to solve. The job is to name and witness, not fix.

Acknowledge and move (30 sec): "Thanks for naming those. We can't fix any of them in the next hour, but now we know what's in the room. Let's start." Move directly into the agenda.

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Facilitator Tips

Go first. The whole exercise depends on you naming something real in your own one-line share — a real deadline, a real conversation you're avoiding. If you go vague or generic, the room will too. Don't let anyone problem-solve another person's share; cut

Variations

Remote: silent writing in chat (typed but not sent) then everyone posts at the same beat. Larger groups (16+): pair-shares instead of round-robin. High-stakes: frame as anonymous on sticky notes, read aloud by facilitator. Quick version: 90 seconds writing + word-only shares (60 seconds).

Pre-Work

For Facilitators

Review participant profiles and expectations
Prepare all materials and supplies
Test technology and room setup

For Participants

Complete pre-session survey
Review background materials
Prepare examples or case studies

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Materials Required

Paper or sticky notes; pens. Optional: digital whiteboard or shared doc.

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Resources & Templates

Facilitator Guide (PDF)
Participant Workbook Template
Presentation Slides
Printable Materials

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Discussion

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What's Taking Up Space?

Objectives

Outcomes