Discussion Prompt Ideas
Below is a list of prompts that you can use at any point in your Core meeting journey! This list is not exhaustive. Instead, it is meant to spark ideas and creativity. Use them as is or add your own flair to jazz up your meetings!
PROMPTS TO USE WITH specific FACILITATOR CARDS:
💡Fill in the gap:
Today I am feeling ____, but also ____.
Something I’m putting down as I come into this space is ____.
One reason I came to this meeting today is ____.
One thing that happened since the last time we met is ____
I want to be gentler with myself about ___
A small thing that made me happy recently was ____
I’m coming into this meeting feeling ___
One personal win that I experienced over the last month was ___
One way I invested in myself recently was ___
🗣️ Declarative Pairs:
Today I’m feeling…
I joined Chief because…
Something that’s going well for me lately is…
I prioritized this time for myself in Core today because…
I want to show up during today’s Core meeting as…
I’m feeling uncertain about…
I want to grow professionally by…
I’m proud of myself over the last month because…
I had fun this month when…
✌️ Finger Voting:
On a scale of 1–5…
how are you feeling coming into Core today?
how are you feeling in terms of support and resources in your role?
how would you assess how you’re feeling right now at work?
how distracted are you coming into today’s meeting?
what is your energy level coming into today’s meeting?
🟩 4 Squares:
What is something that challenged you recently…intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, professionally?
What is something your [heart, head, body, community] wants to know?
When I think about the next 6 months [optimistically, pessimistically, logically, emotionally], I feel…
[I, my team, my boss, my community] think(s) my job is...
💭 Silent Reflection:
When I took this job, I thought it was about… I wish people understood my job is really about… Something that would make a positive change and is within my control is…
The emotion I’ve felt most keenly over the last month is… This emotion has influenced the way I… I hope that I leave this meeting with…
What is one thing that you’ve recently learned about yourself? How has this learning affected how you show up in your life? What is one way that you can claim this learning as a superpower?
🤔 I Know, I Wonder:
What are some things you know about your career trajectory over the next five years, and what are some things you wonder?
Thinking back on what I shared in last Core meeting, I know… and I wonder…
Reflecting on what has been a blocker for you recently, what are some things you know and what are some things you wonder?
What do you know about the people on your team and what do you wonder?
When you think about what you want to accomplish over the next year, what do you know and what do you wonder?
What’s top of mind for you? Now I want you to make a list of all the things you know about that topic and all of the things you wonder.
What’s a challenge you’re experiencing at work? What do you know and what do you wonder?
🤗 Thinking & Feeling:
As we close today's session one thing I’m thinking is ____, and one thing I’m feeling is _____.
When you think about a tactical step you’re taking as a result of our discussion today, what are you thinking and feeling?
When you envision how you want to show up in your professional and personal life over the next month, what is one thing you’re thinking and one thing you’re feeling?
When you think about your takeaways from peer advisory, what is one thing you’re thinking and one thing you’re feeling?
One thing I’m thinking and one thing I’m feeling about my role at work.
One thing I’m thinking and one thing I’m feeling about the next six months.
✏️ Vanishing Options:
Write down five professional goals that you have that you want to accomplish by the end of this year?
Write down five personal goals that you have that you want to accomplish by the end of this year?
What are five potential next steps you’ll take as a result of today’s discussion?
Write down five ways you want to invest in yourself over the next month.
What are five ways you want to invest in others over the next month?
What are five things you can do to dive into Chief offerings more?
⏪ Reverse Engineering:
One goal outside of work I want to accomplish is…
One way I want to invest in myself is…
One behavior or thought pattern I want to change is…
One way I want to level up my work by 10% is…
When I envision my life a year from now, I want to be…
Next time we meet, I want x to be true/completed…
By next quarter, I want x to be true/completed…
One goal outside of work I want to accomplish is…
Additional prompts suggested by the Guide community:
[Past] What is one significant change you've experienced in the past year, and how has it impacted you? OR How do you approach challenges differently now compared to five years ago? [Present] What’s one lesson your profession has taught you that you think everyone should learn at some point in their life? [Future] What personal or professional goals are you currently working towards, and how do they align with the changes happening around you? (✍️ Ashley Austin)
As I come into Core tonight: I'm putting down ____________. I want to give ____________. I need ____________. (✍️ Paige Lewis)
The biggest change that has happened since our last Core meeting is ____________. As a result, I'm feeling ____________ but also ____________. (✍️ Paige Lewis)
What request are you not making? Why? (✍️ Jackie Sloan)
The clarity or decision I’d like to walk away with today is _____. (✍️ Sarah Sutton)
What is something that has challenged you at work recently? - as a leader - as an expert - as a colleague - as a human. (✍️ Pam Fox Rollin)
How will you integrate more rest and play into your life? (✍️ Sydney Davis)
What’s clearer to you now? (✍️ Courtney Birch Webster)
How did you feel supported during our CORE meeting (what are you taking)? How did you offer support? (what were you giving)? (✍️ Sydney Davis)
Based on our conversation today, share one Insight, one Idea and one Intention. (✍️ Heather Backstrom)
What do you know now that you didn't know 2 hours ago? (✍️ Teri Reuter)
As we close today's session, what does your head say? What does your heart say? What does your gut say? (✍️ Joy Khoo)
What's one thing you gave to this meeting? What's one thing you are taking away? (✍️ Ginger Legon)
What’s something that has shifted for you during our time together? (✍️ Jackie Hodgins)
With the change of seasons, what change are you embracing? (✍️ Lisa Kleitz)
What song represents what has happened for you since we last met? (✍️ Lynn Pavlis-Jenkins)
What have you done since our last meeting that was courageous? (✍️ Joanne Heyman)
If how you are joining core today was a weather report, what is yours? (✍️ Cheri Bachofer)
What are your "top" songs for driving on the open highway with the top down? (Bonus: create a spotify list for all of your groups based on their responses.) (✍️ Mimi Darmstadter)