Everyone uses the thumb and fingers of one hand to talk about 5 things that describe where they’re at with the team, the project, the organisation, or whatever the group is meeting about.

How to do it

This warmup works just as well remotely or face-to-face, and is an ideal way for everyone to reflect on where they’re at, and what they want to share with the group. Note: it does take a bit of time (around 15 minutes for a group of 6), but it’s really worth it. It builds trust and camaraderie, and sets a positive tone for any meeting.

Ask everyone to share 5 things about their sentiment toward whatever the group is meeting about, holding up their thumb and then each finger, in this way:

• Thumb - Thumbs up! Which part of this project / process / team / organisation / etc do you like?
• Index finger - Pointing. Which direction do you think we should go? What’s the biggest opportunity for us?
• Middle finger - ”˜Screw you’. What annoys you or frustrates you about this?
• Ring finger - Commitment. What are you personally committed to do in this?
• Little finger - Pinky. What’s something that’s small, but important or special in this? Something we should focus on / remember?

Variations

Sometimes it’s easier (and faster) to get everyone to write their thoughts on sticky notes to put in one collective place, rather than going around the group one by one. You can draw a big hand on a whiteboard or big sheet of paper before the meeting (or if you’re meeting remotely, draw a big hand in a digital whiteboard app like AWWhiteboard, Mural or Miro), and add the questions for the thumb and each finger at the tips. Then at the start of the meeting, give everyone 5 minutes to capture their answers on sticky notes (or digital sticky notes) in silence.

It’s important to honour what people have written. Ask each person to talk briefly to what they wrote. Or, give everyone a few minutes to read the collective notes, and then have a discussion about what they observe, what sticks out, and what is important to remember from this activity.

Another alternative: pair people up, and get them to share their ”˜hand’ with each other. You can use the Breakout rooms feature in Zoom for this, if you’re meeting remotely. This allows for some deeper discussion, rather than an all-in discussion.