Draw It Out

I use this activity in an educator's workshop that focuses on sustainability and community, but it can certainly be adapted.

-Give each person a piece of paper and a felt pen.
-Give them two minutes only to create a symbol, icon or diagram that illustrates (insert your content here)
For example: You have two minutes to draw a symbol or icon of how you feel about the community you live in. It can be a negative or positive feeling, just pop it down in a symbol or icon. Drawing skills don't apply. Please don't write any words or letters.

-Then have the group divide into small groups and hold up their papers to show others in the group The others guess where the person lives.

Debrief:

Who had a symbol that no one figured out?
Who lives in the same community? Let's see your symbols. How are they the same, how are they different. (example: one person has a tree and another has a used syringe)
What do all the symbols tell you about this group?

Now I can see using this activity for a variety of tasks:

your job, your reason for being in the workshop, direction in life, computer skills that you already have, concern you have etc.

Try it, you might like it. Just remember limit the time to a few minutes and use big fat felt pens so the participants don't get hung up on artistic abilities or lack thereof.