How to use the cards#

The cards are best explored in groups of six to eight people. Physical cards work best, but you can also try this online.

Spread the cards on the table and go around the room, allowing each person to choose a card in turn and placing them into three areas:

  1. Actions we shouldn’t take, because we’ve alraedy done them or they don’t suit our building and how we intend to use it in future

  2. Actions we should take

  3. Actions we are unsure about

You’ll want to document what happens without disturbing the game. Here are some ways to do that:

  • Ask one person to take notes.

  • Hand out pens and sticky notes, so each person in turn can write comments on the cards as the group moves on to the next player. At the end, take a photograph of the table and pack up the notes with the comments attached.

  • Record audio snippets for each card summarising what you decided.

Leave time at the end of your session together to think about what happens next.

  • For actions you should take, who should do that, and when?

  • For actions you are unsure about, how will you find more information so you can make a decision? Do you need more time to think about it together or to take the views of other people?

After the session, someone will need to put the notes together into a better record. The rest of the local community and grant funders will want to know not just what you think your organisation should do, but also why. We provide a planning template to help you record this.

One person could take notes about what actions belong in each section, why, and who will do what as a result, possibly directly into the template.