Fill in the Gap on Zoom
Share a sentence that contains an important gap. Then instruct the group that you’ll be calling on one person to say the whole sentence with the gap filled in, before they call on another participant to do the same, until everyone has shared. Repeat with new prompts as many times as you’d like.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Verbally share a sentence with an important gap, and copy/paste it into the chat at the same time for better clarity.
- Explain to your participants that they will be repeating the sentence, but filling in the gap themselves.
- Instruct them to call on the next person “virtual popcorn” style after they share their statement.
- Check in for understanding or clarifying questions.
- Call on the first participant to fill in the gap, gently pushing back if they don’t say the whole sentence (“It’s important for you to say the whole sentence here, not just the gap.”). Nudge them to call on the next participant if they forget.
- Once everyone has shared, you can repeat with a new prompt, move to debriefing, or do the same prompt with new rules (e.g., “Let’s do the same prompt, but now answer it as though we’re speaking from [Some Constituent’s] point of view.”)
Prep
Have your prompts (with the gap: __) ready to copy-paste.
Context
This activity thrives with a smaller group. If you have more than, say, 15 participants, you might want to limit participation. For example, instead of doing virtual popcorn, inviting people to “raise their hand” and be called on to participate, “If you have a gap that’s very different from what’s been shared so far.”
Substituting Apps
If you're using apps other than Zoom, here are the specific things your software will need to be able to do:
Zoom allows participants to "raise their hand,” or otherwise signal a want to participate.
Author
Activity by Sam Killermann
Co-developer of Facilitator Cards and co-author of Unlocking the Magic of Facilitation. Longtime facilitator of gender/sexuality education.
