The 10-Minute Exercise That Turns Strangers into Storytellers
In my Teaching Artistry workshops, I sometimes say something unusual to the group:
“Find a partner.
You’re about to take them on a journey.”
There are no slides.
No handouts.
No theory.
Just imagination.
Within minutes, the room transforms.
People begin walking slowly across the space, describing places that only they can see.
A childhood garden.
A beach they visited years ago.
A street where they once played.
Their partner listens carefully, asking questions, stepping into the imagined world.
What begins as a simple activity quickly becomes something much deeper.
A Tour of an Invisible World
One participant becomes the guide.
The other becomes the guest.
The guide takes their partner on an imaginary tour of a place they know well—somewhere meaningful, often connected with positive memories.
Perhaps:
- the playground where they spent hours as a child
- a favourite park or street
- a family home or back garden
As they speak, the pair move through the room as if they are actually there.
“Over here is the old oak tree.”
“This is where we used to sit.”
“Careful—there’s a small stream just ahead.”
The guest listens, asks questions, and follows.
Not judging.
Not analysing.
Just entering the story.
After ten or fifteen minutes, they swap roles.
Another journey begins.
What Makes This So Powerful
On the surface, this exercise is about imagination and storytelling.
But something else happens too.
Participants start discovering unexpected things about each other:
- memories that shaped them
- landscapes connected to joy or belonging
- details that reveal personality and history
Within half an hour, the group feels different.
Strangers become people with stories.
And the room becomes full of invisible places.
The Skills Beneath the Activity
Exercises like this quietly develop important abilities for teachers:
- attentive listening
- clear communication
- improvisation
- empathy
- imagination
When guiding the tour, participants must keep the story alive.
They describe spaces, objects, sounds, and feelings.
When listening, they must stay curious and present.
They learn that communication is not just about speaking clearly—it’s about inviting someone into your world.
The Questions That Follow
After the journeys end, we reflect together.
Participants often share surprising insights:
- What did it feel like to guide someone through your memories?
- What was it like to follow someone else’s story?
- Could you clearly picture the places described?
- What emotions surfaced while telling or hearing the story?
And perhaps the most interesting question:
What made some journeys feel vivid and alive?
The answers almost always involve attention, imagination, and trust.
The same qualities that make great teaching possible.
Why This Matters for Teachers
Teaching is often framed as delivering knowledge.
But much of it is actually about guiding people through experiences.
We invite learners to imagine new possibilities.
To explore unfamiliar ideas.
To step into worlds they cannot yet see.
In many ways, every lesson is a journey.
And teachers are its guides.
Exercises like Take Me on a Journey help educators rediscover this fundamental truth.
This Is the Kind of Work We Explore
In the Performative ELT community, we explore many activities like this—simple, embodied exercises that reveal deeper insights about teaching, communication, and human connection.
They are not just warm-ups.
They are mirrors.
They help teachers reflect on:
- how they communicate
- how they listen
- how they invite others into learning
If that resonates with you, you’re warmly invited to join us.
The community is free, and full of educators exploring creative and performative approaches to teaching.
👉 https://performativeelt.com/free-community-6779
Because sometimes the most powerful professional development doesn’t begin with a lecture.
It begins with a simple invitation:
“Take me somewhere you remember.”
