Select and Facilitate Community Event Activities
Examples of community building activities for events and tournaments, plus how to choose one, plan its timing and materials, run it and debrief it.
Contents
Community building activities are short, structured ways for people at a meeting, event or tournament to share ideas, meet one another and agree on next steps. Common examples include paired conversations, ideas boards, small-group priority sorting, optional introduction rounds and mixed volunteer teams. The right choice depends on what the session needs to produce, who is in the room and how many minutes you have. This guide lists practical options, shows how to choose one, gives a sample 15-minute plan with a debrief, and ends with a readiness checklist sorted by responsibility.
Examples of community building activities
Each option below is an organizer choice. Match it to a purpose rather than picking it because it sounds engaging.
- Paired exchange: partners discuss one prompt, such as a priority for the next community event, then a volunteer from each pair reports one agreed point.
- Ideas board: each person writes, draws or dictates a suggestion, and the group sorts contributions under headings the participants approve.
- Small-group priority sorting: groups of three to five rank a short list of proposals and explain their top choice.
- Optional introduction round: each person gives their name and one sentence on why they came, with a clear option to pass.
- Open agenda item at a community meeting: a timed slot where attendees raise topics that the organizers did not put on the agenda.
- Mixed volunteer teams: setup, check-in or cleanup crews drawn from different clubs, teams or neighborhoods, so people work alongside someone new.
- Mixed-team friendly round: an informal round at a tournament where players are drawn across teams, kept separate from official results.
- Post-event debrief: a short session where volunteers and participants name what worked, what to change and who will follow up.
Choosing the right activity
Start from the result the session must deliver. If you need a decision, choose an activity that produces a ranked or agreed output, such as priority sorting. If you need a wide range of ideas, choose one that collects individual contributions, such as an ideas board. If people are new to each other, choose a low-pressure format like a paired exchange. Write down the outcomes you intend. Do not present them as measured results.
Record each proposed activity on a selection worksheet so you can compare options side by side and spot missing details before the event.
| Worksheet field | What to record |
| Purpose | What the activity should produce, such as a list of ideas, a shortlist or named owners for next steps |
| Audience | Who will take part, including likely group size and familiarity with each other |
| Group arrangement | Pairs, small groups, whole room or individual work |
| Participation choices | How people can contribute (speaking, writing, drawing, dictating) and how they can pass |
| Materials | Prompt cards, note board, markers, sticky notes, seating |
| Minutes available | The total time, broken into explanation, activity, reporting and debrief |
| Facilitator | The named person who runs the activity and keeps time |
| Access arrangements | Any requested arrangements, such as seating, large-print prompts or a scribe |
| Safeguarding review owner | The person who checks the activity against your organization's or venue's safeguarding requirements |
Safeguarding and accessibility obligations come from your organization, venue or local rules, not from the activity format. If minors or vulnerable adults will take part, confirm those requirements with whoever sets them before you finalize the plan.
Illustrative example: a 15-minute paired exchange
The plan below is an illustrative example for a community meeting that needs input on upcoming event priorities. Adjust the minutes to fit your agenda.
| Segment | Minutes | What happens |
| Explain | 2 | The facilitator explains that the exchange is optional, gives the prompt and states how points will be shared |
| Pair discussion | 4 | Partners discuss one community-event priority using a prompt card |
| Report | 5 | A volunteer from each pair shares one point the partners agreed may be shared; a note-taker writes it on the board |
| Debrief | 4 | The group reviews the board, notes common themes and identifies next steps that need an owner |
- Materials: prompt cards with the discussion question, a note board or flip chart, markers.
- Participation: anyone may contribute individually instead of in a pair, or pass entirely.
- Sharing rule: before reporting, each pair agrees what may be shared with the room.
Alternative: an ideas board
An ideas board suits groups where some people prefer not to speak in front of the room. Invite each person to write, draw or dictate a suggestion through an agreed route. That might be sticky notes, a volunteer scribe or a submission box. Then group the contributions under headings the participants approve, rather than headings the facilitator imposes.
Running the debrief
Whichever activity you choose, the debrief turns contributions into usable output. Use three questions:
- Which themes do participants recognize across the contributions?
- What remains different or unresolved?
- Which proposed next step needs an owner, and who will take it?
Keep suggestions separate from decisions. Record ideas from the activity in one list, and record only the items the meeting formally adopts in another. This prevents participants from assuming every idea on the board has been approved.
Steps to plan and run the activity
- 1. Define the output the session needs: ideas, a shortlist, a decision or named owners.
- 2. Pick an activity whose instructions and output fit that purpose.
- 3. Complete the selection worksheet, including timing, materials, facilitator and access arrangements.
- 4. Have the safeguarding review owner check the plan against applicable requirements.
- 5. Prepare materials and write the prompt exactly as the facilitator will read it.
- 6. Run the activity, keeping to the time allocated for each segment.
- 7. Debrief, recording suggestions and adopted decisions separately.
- 8. Share the adopted decisions and next-step owners with participants after the event.
Readiness checklist by responsibility
| Responsibility | Check | Done when |
| Event lead | Purpose and intended output are written down | The worksheet purpose field states what the activity must produce |
| Event lead | A facilitator is assigned | A named person has confirmed they will run and time the activity |
| Facilitator | Instructions and prompt are final | The prompt text is printed on cards or ready to read aloud |
| Facilitator | Timing fits the agenda slot | The segment minutes add up to the time available |
| Facilitator | Participation and pass options are clear | The explanation script states how to contribute and how to opt out |
| Materials volunteer | Supplies are ready | Prompt cards, board, markers and seating are at the venue before the session |
| Access contact | Requested arrangements are in place | Each request on the worksheet has a confirmed arrangement or a reply to the requester |
| Safeguarding review owner | Plan reviewed against applicable requirements | The reviewer has signed off or listed required changes |
| Note-taker | Recording method is set | Separate lists for suggestions and adopted decisions are prepared |
| Event lead | Follow-up is assigned | Each adopted next step has a named owner and the summary has been sent to participants |
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