Quote Cards
We know that there are many ways of participating in a group discussion. Some people are active listeners - they are actively engaged in the conversation but do not need or wish to add their own comments. Some people think of great things to say while they are listening to others speaking but then are unsure of when and how to insert their own comments into the discussion, or perhaps the discussion moves on before they can add their thoughts.
Enter the idea of quote cards. Basically, each person in the group can use a quote card at any time during the discussion to write down a great thought that they have had, or to write down something cool that they have heard someone else say. this way we can "quote ourselves and each other as the meeting and discussion progresses. If you have adult allies or older youth who may tend to take over the discussion, it can sometimes help to ask them to be a "recorder" and rather than speaking themselves, just listen for the "quotables" from youth participants and capture them on paper for the group.
Suggestions for ways to use them:
- Pass out the cards to each participant with a pen each at the beginning of the discussion. Or put them in the middle of the table so that everyone can reach for them if they want to. (This depends on your room set up and how comfortable participants are in "helping themselves" to the cards.)
- Collect the cards at the end of the discussion and either read them out, or have each person read one that is not their own.
- Alternatively, if you have the space, they can be put up on a bulletin board or on a wall so that everyone can read them. If you can do this and leave them up, then they become a wonderful visual record of your discussions that people can refer back to each meeting, see their collective thoughts grow, etc. It also works for other people to see what has been happening in the meetings if they are new or have missed some meetings.
