Roll out a long piece of paper (5-10 meters) on the floor or on a wall. Draw a timeline representing the period of a project or team experience. Include months and a couple of key events such as highlights and lowlights. If the project is very long - consider including the last 3-6 months.
Have participants capture their experiences. They could include their highlights, lowlights, learnings, challenges, successes, and anything else that was important to them. Give them enough time (15-30 min) to capture their top experiences and place them on the timeline. A creative alternative choice for a face-to-face session is to follow the same guidelines but using magazine cut-outs or drawing rather than use sticky notes.
After the map has been created, ask participants to share their top (1-3) Highs and Lows. The number of Highs/Lows they share is up to the facilitator. It depends on the group size and the time you have. Nominate a time-keeper if you choose.
Optional Final Step. Have the participants reflect individually, in silence, on the experiences they have just shared and heard and chose the most important moment for them. Give about 2-3 minutes for this step. Then, one-by-one, participants place a sticky note or a candle (a tea light) on the moment that has been the most important to them and have them briefly describe why. Continue until all participants have placed a candle and shared.
