Method guide · Progress through phases
Pair introductions
Use to introduce people through uninterrupted paired speaking, while leaving the choice of wider sharing with the person concerned.
- People
- 10–30
- Base procedure time
- 20 minutes
- Recording
- No record
Purpose: Begin together; Explore through dialogue.
English guide
Text acceptance is not approval of this rendered page, its media, or publication.
How this method works
Take turns speaking in pairs, then let each person choose how they are introduced to the whole group. Participants pair with someone they do not know well and use the same question to discuss why they came or what they expect. While one speaks, the other listens without evaluation, advice or questions. Swap roles at the time signal. If whole-group sharing takes place, the person chooses to introduce themselves, have their partner introduce them or not share. Even when a partner introduces them, let the person check and correct the content. Do not use this where speaking together is itself unsafe for the relationship, or where people cannot choose the scope of sharing.
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.
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- Form pairs0–2 minutes from the start (2 minutes)
Action: Form. Participation: Everyone or small groups.
No record
- Check the question and sharing scope2–4 minutes from the start (2 minutes)
Action: Check. Participation: Everyone or small groups.
No record
- Let the first person speak and the second listen4–10 minutes from the start (6 minutes)
Action: Speak. Participation: Everyone or small groups.
No record
- Swap roles and use the same question10–16 minutes from the start (6 minutes)
Action: Speak. Participation: Everyone or small groups.
No record
- Choose self-introduction or partner introduction16–20 minutes from the start (4 minutes)
Action: Choose. Participation: Everyone or small groups.
No record
Facilitation steps
- For 2 minutes, pair with someone you do not know well. If the number is odd, make just one group of three.
- For 2 minutes, partners check the introduction question and the scope of what may be shared with the whole group.
- For 6 minutes, the first person speaks while the second listens without evaluation, advice or questions.
- For 6 minutes, swap roles and speak again using the same question and listening approach.
- For 4 minutes, if sharing with the whole group, choose self-introduction or partner introduction and let the person correct the content.
If something changes
If
After 2 minutes of forming pairs, at least one person has not been able to choose a partner.
Then
Let the person choose a group of three, pairing with the facilitator, observation or passing.
If
Just before whole-group introductions, even one pair has not had the person check the introduction content.
Then
Stop that pair’s introduction. Return the choice to the person: switch to self-introduction or do not share.
If
During the dialogue, even one signal requests stopping or leaving.
Then
Stop that pair’s dialogue without asking why, and let the person choose another group, observation or leaving.
Preparation
Materials
- Question cards: one per pair
Room and setup
- Enough distance for partners to hear each other.
Adjust for people and time
Following the original source’s intended group, do not use this format with fewer than 10 people; use a brief whole-group round instead. For 10–30 people, run pairs simultaneously and make just one group of three only when the number is odd. For 31 or more people, divide the participant count by 30 and round up for the number of zones, then distribute people evenly with 15–30 in each zone. Do not consolidate introductions across zones; align only the question and the right to pass.
Safety and non-applicable situations
The person chooses whether and how to share with the whole group, and can check and correct a partner’s introduction. Do not interrupt listening with evaluation, advice or questions. Stop for any stop or exit signal without asking why, and offer the stated alternatives. Do not use this in unsafe relationships or where the sharing scope is not the person’s choice.
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.
- For an odd participant count, the source creates one group of three but specifies only two 6-minute speaking rounds. It does not state a third person’s speaking allocation. The translation retains the timings and does not invent an extra round or divide the time.
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.
- Seeds for Change Facilitation Tools: Pair introductions
https://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/tools#pair
anti-copyright adaptation; changes made
- Conditions applying to anti-copyright
https://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/resources
anti-copyright
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.
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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.