Facilitation Game – The Sailor’s Priority Compass

A facilitation game to chart your priorities

Objective of the Facilitation Game

The Sailor’s Priority Compass game provides a creative approach for teams to evaluate tasks and organize them based on urgency and importance. By utilizing four nautical metaphors—Delegate (urgent but less important), Decide (important but less urgent), Do (both urgent and important), and Delete (neither urgent nor important)—teams can classify their tasks efficiently. The visual compass, featuring a sailor, painting brush, sailing icon, and grocery shopping icon, helps participants see where to focus their efforts, delegate responsibility, or eliminate distractions.

When to Use This Facilitation Game Play

Use The Sailor’s Priority Compass when:

• Team members need to align on which tasks take precedence.
• You’re refining a project backlog or need a structured approach for workload distribution.
• Teams require a method for distinguishing high-impact activities from time-wasters.
• You’re preparing for a sprint or strategic planning session and need to streamline activities.

This game play is excellent for goal-setting, resource allocation, and any situation where time management and priority setting are crucial.

Facilitation Game Setup

Materials Needed:

1. Priority Compass Graph Template (with “Urgent-Non-Urgent” and “Important-Not Important” labels and the four quadrants: Delegate, Decide, Do, and Delete)
2. Post-its (for writing down tasks)
3. Dot votes (for prioritizing tasks)
4. Timer (for each phase to keep the game moving)
5. Dice (for random selection of participants in some phases)
6. Markers
7. Flipchart or board

You can purchase facilitation charts for this game at Visual Thinking School Charts.

Game Phases

1. Casting Off (Brainstorming Phase)

Objective: Generate a list of tasks or ideas relevant to the current project or discussion.

Game Mechanics:

• Distribute post-its to each participant, asking them to write down tasks, project steps, or ideas one per post-it.
• Set a timer for 5 minutes to encourage quick brainstorming.
• Place all post-its in the center of the table, creating a “task pool” for later categorization.

This phase ensures that each team member’s perspective is included and that a wide variety of tasks is documented.

2. Charting the Compass (Categorization Phase)

Objective: Place tasks on the Priority Compass based on urgency and importance.

Game Mechanics:

• Draw a large Priority Compass with the “Urgent-Non-Urgent” and “Important-Not Important” axes. Label the quadrants with the metaphors:
• Delegate (Urgent but Not Important) – a sailor with a first aid kit
• Decide (Important but Not Urgent) – a painting brush
• Do (Urgent and Important) – a sail icon
• Delete (Not Urgent and Not Important) – a shopping bag
• Take turns selecting a post-it from the task pool and placing it in the quadrant where it fits best. Participants discuss briefly if needed.
• Use a dice roll to select the next person to categorize a task to keep the game fair and lively.

For a helpful guide on task prioritization frameworks like this, see this time management.

3. Navigational Voting (Prioritization Phase)

Objective: Identify top-priority tasks in each quadrant.

Game Mechanics:

• Give each participant three dot votes to allocate to tasks they believe should receive the most focus or immediate action.
• Set a timer for 3 minutes to prevent overthinking, allowing participants to place their dots quickly.
• The tasks with the most dots in each quadrant are marked as top priorities.

This phase provides a visual cue of the team’s consensus, making it easy to see which tasks stand out as essential actions.

4. Setting Sail (Action Planning Phase)

Objective: Develop an action plan for each top-priority task.

Game Mechanics:

• Assign action items based on the priority quadrant:
• Do: Teams outline next steps for each task, assigning ownership.
• Delegate: Decide on suitable team members to handle tasks, recording any necessary resources.
• Decide: Schedule each task with clear deadlines or future review dates.
• Delete: Make a commitment to eliminate low-impact, time-consuming tasks.
• Use a dice roll to assign roles for any undecided tasks, keeping the activity inclusive.

Document the action steps on a flipchart or board to ensure accountability and follow-through.

Wrap-Up and Reflection

Reflect on how the priorities were allocated and if the metaphors helped simplify decision-making. Discuss any surprises, and take note of any insights to guide future tasks.

The Sailor’s Priority Compass is a unique approach to organizing and aligning tasks, using a nautical metaphor that’s both fun and functional. By visually separating tasks into delegate, decide, do, and delete, teams can focus on what’s most important, delegate smartly, and let go of non-essentials. For more visual facilitation techniques and methods, consider exploring our Visual Facilitation Certification Course at Visual Thinking School Courses. To get your own facilitation charts and make your sessions even more engaging, visit Visual Thinking School Charts.

courseadmin

Piyuesh is the founder of Visual Thinking School, Netherlands. He is passionate about empowering organizations and classrooms with Visual Thinking Skills. He conducts trainings onBusiness Sketchnotes™ , Classroom Sketchnotes™, Visual Business Storytelling™, Graphic Facilitation™

In his free time, piyuesh likes practicing Aerial Yoga, Acro yoga, Krav Maga and Pole workouts.

He can be reached out at his Instagram and Linkedin