Tips for trainers: fishbowl

This short article, in the ætips for trainersÆ section of the special 50th edition of PLA notes, describes an activity called æfishbowlÆ. The activity enables people from different groups to ask questions of each other and be listened to in a safe way. Each group thinks of all the questions they want to ask the other group on a particular topic. The groups then discuss the questions. One group sits in the middle facing inwards, answering the questions while the other group sits around the outside, listening without speaking. The groups then switch positions. The fishbowl activity can be used with sensitive topics, or to generate dialogue between groups on any topic.