Method guide · Progress through phases
One-word Story
Build an improvised story by listening and adding one word at a time, with passing and optional word-recording.
- People
- 2–20
- Base procedure time
- 10 minutes
- Recording
- Shared record
Purpose: Begin together; Build working relationships.
English guide
Text acceptance is not approval of this rendered page, its media, or publication.
How this method works
A method for jointly creating an improvised story by moving around a circle in one direction, each person adding only one word. Use it when speaking at length to new people feels burdensome, participants compete with their own ideas without taking up what others say, or the group wants to disrupt predictable outcomes a little. Participants listen to the existing flow and pass it on briefly; particles or the equivalent of punctuation also count as one word. Do not insert explanations, corrections, or consultation. On a turn when someone cannot speak, they pass only the passing card to the next person. At the end, each group's improvised story and a short title chosen by everyone remain. It is not suitable for assessing vocabulary or Japanese-language ability, or for forcing participation without accommodating speech difficulties. Only groups that want to do so record the words, and no word is treated as a failed word.
Phase schedule
Minutes are cumulative from the start of the base plan, not a live timer. Read scaling for any additional time. Phase controls do not advance automatically.
Use the arrow keys, Home or End while these controls have focus. The complete phase schedule remains below, including without JavaScript.
- Show the agreements0–1 minutes from the start (1 minute)
Action: Show. Participation: Everyone.
Recording not separately specified for this phase
- Continue the first round1–4 minutes from the start (3 minutes)
Action: Continue. Participation: Groups of 2–5.
Shared record
- Turn the second round4–7 minutes from the start (3 minutes)
Action: Turn. Participation: Groups of 2–5.
Shared record
- Place the ending7–9 minutes from the start (2 minutes)
Action: Place. Participation: Groups of 2–5.
Shared record
- Leave a title9–10 minutes from the start (1 minute)
Action: Leave. Participation: Everyone.
Shared record
Facilitation steps
- For 1 minute, show the four agreements: one word per person, turns in one direction, passing allowed, and no corrections.
- For 3 minutes, the starter places one word, and whoever receives the passing card takes up the flow and adds only one word.
- For 3 minutes, the starter begins the second round with one word that changes place or time, and the group continues in the same order.
- For 2 minutes, go around once from the person who receives the ending card, each placing one word in turn towards an ending.
- For 1 minute, each group gives its story a title of no more than five words and records it on the whole-group collection strip.
If something changes
If
During one round, at least half the participants pass.
Then
Stop speaking. Each person writes one word they want to use on paper; the starter reads one sheet and resumes.
If
During one round, the same person speaks two or more words on 2 occasions.
Then
Place the passing card in front of the speaker, and return them to the listening role until they receive the card.
Preparation
Materials
- One passing card per group to indicate whose turn it is
- One strip of paper per group for the story words, plus one for whole-group collection
- One writing implement per group for the recorder
- One ending card per group
Room and setup
- Circles of 2–5 people, with a size difference of no more than 1 person
- One floor or table surface per group where the passing card can circulate
- One whole-group collection surface for the groups' titles
Adjust for people and time
With 2–5 people, use one circle. With 6–20, split into circles of 2–5 with a size difference of no more than 1 person, placing one passing card, paper strip, and ending card in each circle. With 20 people, run four stories simultaneously and afterwards collect only each group's title on one whole-group collection sheet. Groups that do not want to record words leave only a title.
Safety and non-applicable situations
Allow passing without explanation, do not correct words or label them failures, and record story words only if the group wants to. Do not use this to assess vocabulary or Japanese-language ability or force participation without accommodating speech difficulties.
Historical translation and source notes
These original notes are retained verbatim with their fixed source versions. This historical label does not resolve a source-specific concern or establish current acceptance.
- The guide makes recording story words optional, while a branch requires everyone to write a word when at least half pass. The source does not specify a writing opt-out or alternative for that branch; no extra rule has been invented.
Manuscript's recorded references
These translate the original manuscript's source and rights claims. They remain separate from any current-page notice below; they do not establish new verification.
- Stephen Kraft: One-word Story
https://openpracticelibrary.com/practice/one-word-story/
Adaptation under CC BY 4.0; changes made
- CC BY 4.0
Current-page licence notice
A Taiwa no Fumen adaptation based on the Open Practice Library practice identified below. The manuscript's recorded references and the source page checked for this notice are shown separately.
Changes: explanations, timings, instructions, materials and branches were edited for this site. The English edition translates that Japanese manuscript; it is not a verbatim translation of the original practice.
The checked source footer names CC BY 4.0 but links to CC BY-SA 4.0. The official site source code contains the same mismatch. This has not been confirmed with the rights holders. This notice does not change the terms of the original material.
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Credits on the checked source page
- Named contributors on the source page: Stephen Kraft
- Contributors listed in the official practice source (repository handles): @skraft-redhat
Source page checked on 2026-10-17: One-word story.
Source lineage
CC BY-SA 4.0 — this site's adaptation and translation contributions · Legal code · Official source policy
This material-specific notice does not itself establish publication clearance. Preserved manuscript references above remain separate from the current page's credits and licence evidence.
Diagram, print, and video language
Original Japanese guide, diagram, and print view. Their labels and print text have not been translated; an English print edition is not provided here.
English video-library navigation. Original Japanese audio, subtitles and transcripts remain labelled Japanese resources. Their translations are separate later work. No remote player is embedded here.
The manual English phase controls are a navigation aid, not a live facilitation timer. Interactive diagram motion remains pending.
Editorial provenance
Japanese source status and logs are provenance only. They do not mean this English text or interface was field-tested. Historical fixed-text acceptance and hold records remain specific to their recorded versions; displaying them neither asserts current acceptance nor resolves source-specific restrictions.