In case you’re searching for a simple yet effective tool that can spark creativity, help with giving feedback and even boost the bonding of your participants, this might be a tool for you.

What is metaFox deep pictures?

metaFox Deep Pictures is a tool that aims to combine pictures with relevant questions on postcards – 52 of them in one set. 

Each postcard has a picture intended to spark inspiration (on the front side) and a question to trigger reflection (on the back). The deck can be a useful tool for reflection, sharing or discussion. As a wise man once said: A picture is worth a thousand words, with these 52 pictures the only limit in conversation is the imagination of the person holding it.

“In training sessions, especially when related to personal development, trainers often seek to support the reflection and contemplation processes of their participants. The metaFox deep pictures can be a powerful tool to trigger this kind of process.”

~metaFox team

How can you use metaFox deep pictures in a training?

There are numerous ways to use this tool in training – here are seven ways to spark your imagination. Some of them include only one side of the card, some of them include both:

1. Icebreaker

Put cards on the table with pictures facing up, and ask them to mingle around the table and find a card that will help them to introduce themselves, e.g. to choose a card that will help them to share something:

   – About them, something personal.

   – About their motivation, why are they on the training.

Bear in mind to limit the time for this quest, to speed up those that are indecisive.
Once they find the picture ask them to share their info about them and why did they choose that card, and how is that card related to something about them or their motivation.

2. Sharing expectations

Again, with cards on a table (or even on a floor) ask participants to think about their expectations from the training session and to choose one picture that will depict their expectations from the training, where do they see the value and what do they want from the training.

3. Giving feedback

Give participants a task to choose one card for other participants. Depending on the group size it can be that:

   – Each participant chooses one card for every other participant in the room (for small groups, e.g. up to 5 participants), or

   – you divide participants in pairs and they each provide feedback for a person in a pair, or

   – participants are deciding who they are giving feedback to, but you decide the number of max. cards they can take.

How to share feedback?

   – Stand in a circle and people one-by-one share cards and tell why they choose that card for that person.

   – Participants can write the feedback on a background and then give the card so each participant can keep the feedback they received

To prevent the lack of focus you can provide the question for guidance, keeping the stage of group dynamics and the goal of a feedback round in mind. The question can be something like Which picture best describes that person?; Which picture do you associate with that person and why?; Which picture best describes the way this person does *insert something*.

4. Debriefing

Have you already used the 4F model for debriefing in your training? If yes, this tool can help you to make this debriefing even more fun and engaging, and if not this is the chance to use a new tool and a new model in your training.

Debriefing is definitely one of the most important parts of any training session or any learning experience and by using this tool in a way that each participant chooses a picture for one (e.g. Feeling) or all four stages will help them to reflect about the learning and share that with other participants.

5. Showing the difference

Another way to show to share “biggest learnings”, or to visualize the change that happened with the training you can ask participants to choose two pictures:

   – First picture to represent them before the training

   – Second picture to represent them after the training

In the second part, ask participants not only to share their learning, but their intention to apply the learning in their life/work.
You can also add the third picture that will depict them in their life after they apply the learning, in this way they will show the real value and impact the training had.

6. Trust building: one picture, one question

Each team or group is made of individuals that can be quite different from each other, and showing how different perspectives can be and then understanding or accepting those differences as something that enriches everyone, is one of most important things when it comes to group dynamics.
Pick a card (or ask one participant to draw one) and turn the picture towards the participants and then read the question and ask participants to answer the question.
You can choose one question that you find relevant, or ask more than one question and later share and discuss answers.

7. Setting the intention

From time to time people do training, go to webinars and take courses, but somehow they never apply the learning and the whole thing somehow ends up pointless. To set a clear intention once the training is done can help participants to boost their determination and increase the odds for applying what they learned.
By using metaFox deep pictures you can ask participants to choose one card that they associate with the impact that applying could have, and write their intention for applying what they learned.
You can ask them to keep that private, share in pairs, share with a group or even to define the timeline and seal the intention in an envelope and open it on a certain date to see if they achieved their intention and kept the promise.

This sounds cool, but your workshops are online these days?

metaFox team created metaFox online to help you create authentic connections in the virtual world. With this tool you can choose between six different categories and create your own card.
Each category has few predefined questions, or you can write your own. After you define your question, you can share the link with participants and each participant can choose an image that goes best with the question you asked.

Did this spark your imagination?

Do you have other ideas how to use metaFox deep pictures or metaFox online in your trainings? Feel free to share in the comments or directly via the contact form.

🥇Do you want to excel as a trainer online and master the ways to engage, motivate and guide learners? Sign up for Trainers Toolbox virtual learning course and discover all the different ways you can do that!

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