COMMUNITIES
TRANSFORMING
After all groups have finished mounting their sequences, the facilitator conducts a 10 - 20 minute debriefing about group members’ experience
participating in this exercise. The facilitator can ask a member of each group to describe briefly how they decided upon the particular order
they chose, whether it was easy or difficult to develop group consensus, which steps seemed hard to place, or any new steps they added to
the sequence on blank cards. If many small groups participate in the exercise, the facilitator should not try to compare all the groups with one
another. Rather, each group should be allowed to present one or two highlights from their planning session rather than describe the entire
process or sequence. In winding up the discussion, the facilitator can point out any unusual differences in the sequences developed by
different groups or emphasize similarities between groups’ planning sequences.
its own “planning deck” and instructed to place the cards in the order needed to plan and implement a Community Action Team campaign.
Facilitators should allow approximately 20 - 40 minutes for these small group discussions. When groups have decided upon a sequence for
their decks, they mount their sequence of cards on a strip of masking tape for all to view.
Instructions: At the start of the exercise, group members divide into small groups of 3 - 8 members each. Each small group is provided with
page. A “planning deck” is a set of 16 cards that can be shuffled, stacked or rearranged in any order. Each card is pre-printed with a concrete
“action step” that group members can take to launch a local public awareness campaign or action event. . Four cards are left blank so that
group members can add their own ideas. To create the planning decks, the facilitator can simply make photocopies of the template, cut the
copies into squares, and paste each square onto an index card. It is a good idea to make all the cards the same color. When different colors
are used within one deck, participants tend to think the colors mean the cards belong in a pre-determined sequence. The exercise works best
with small groups of 3 - 8 people each. Larger groups should be broken down into smaller groups at the start of the exercise. Facilitators
should prepare one deck for each of the smaller groups. Final preparation involves hanging several long strips of masking tape on the wall of
the meeting room. The strips should be hung vertically, 8 - 12 inches apart from one another, with the sticky side facing out.
Preparation: To prepare for this exercise, the facilitator should create one or more sets of “planning decks,” using the template on the next
Materials Needed: 3” x 5” index cards (or slips of paper), roll of masking tape and “Planning Deck” template from the next page.
Community Action Team activity off the ground.
Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to help group members think sequentially and concretely about steps they can take to get a
Planning Deck Exercise
COMMUNITIES
TRANSFORMING
Evaluate.
Celebrate!
Identify potential allies
and sources of opposition.
Increase your membership.
Define the outcomes
desired.
Exercise created by Janey Skinner. Published in How to Facilitate Community Action Teams. © 2000, Marin
Abused Women’s Services.
Do some kind of public protest,
direct action, or display
regarding the issue.
Talk to some friends about
your ideas for community
mobilization.
Envision a transformed
future.
Train members on the issue.
Plan who will do what
in order to accomplish
your goals.
Write a letter to the editor
or an Op-ed piece for the
newspaper.
Build support within your
organization for your team’s
plan of action.
Pick a “winnable” issue.
Meet with local decisionmakers to voice your concerns.
Raise money.
Put up a poster or flyer to
recruit people for community
mobilization activities.
Template for Planning Deck Cards