FRAMEWORK© challenges participants to solve a puzzle using only verbal communication. As they share, prioritise, and remember information under pressure, the exercise reveals how teams organise themselves, how leadership and listening behaviours emerge, and how working memory limits what a group can hold and process.
+ Main topic: Effective communication and coordination
+ Related topics: Workload management; cooperation; personality awareness; attitudes and behaviours; self-assessment and self-critique; human performance and limitations; (shared) information acquisition and processing
+ Training length: 60 – 70 minutes
+ Included: 3 different sets of cards (print and laminate yourself), PowerPoint slides, Trainer instructions for exercise, lesson plan with instructor notes
+ Number of participants: 2 – 16 per card set (up to 48 participants working in 3 different groups)
+ Access: Instant download after payment
*Images that depict exercise process are AI-generated
Ready to run
Scales to group of up to 48
Highlights listening & leadership patterns
FRAMEWORK© spreads 32 information cards across the group, so no one holds the full picture. Participants must share, prioritise, and remember what they hear, using only verbal communication. The exercise reveals how teams organise themselves, how leadership and listening behaviours emerge, and how working memory limits what a group can hold and process.
Three different card versions are included, so you can repeat the exercise with the same group without repetition, or scale it up by running parallel groups.
For detailed facilitation guidance and a full bank of debrief questions, refer to the trainer manual included with your purchase.
Format
Trainer handbook delivered as instant-access PDF. Three sets of 32 information cards.
Group size
2 – 16 participants per card set (up to 48 participants working in 3 different groups)
Materials
3 different sets of cards (print and laminate yourself), PowerPoint slides, Trainer instructions (incl. briefing and debriefing).
Distribute the 32 information cards among the participants, so no one holds the full picture.
Solve the puzzle together using only verbal communication.
Observe how the group shares, prioritises, and remembers information under pressure.
Use the structured debrief questions to explore information processing, listening, and how working memory shapes group performance.
Distribute the 32 information cards among the participants, so no one holds the full picture.
Solve the puzzle together using only verbal communication.
Observe how the group shares, priorities, and remembers information under pressure.
Use the structured debrief questions to explore information processing, listening, and how working memory shapes group performance.
We have gathered the most frequently asked questions from our customers to help you in the best way possible
Participants experience the practical limits of verbal information-sharing and working memory, while also surfacing leadership, listening behaviours, and personality differences within the team.
FRAMEWORK© works well when you want to address shared information acquisition and processing, cooperation, communication, or workload management. It also serves as a strong entry point into discussions on personality, team dynamics, and human performance and limitations.
Yes. The exercise is fully developed and ready to use. The trainer manual provides step-by-step facilitation guidance, the exact instructions to give participants, and a full bank of debrief questions organised by learning focus.
Yes. The manual includes a structured bank of debrief questions covering information processing, team coordination, communication and listening, leadership, and personality styles – so you can tailor the discussion to your specific focus.
Technically, each card set can support up to 32 participants, but we recommend keeping groups between 2 and 16. Beyond that, too many voices competing to be heard tends to make the exercise overly complicated and harder for the group to reach a successful outcome. With three card versions available, you can run up to 48 participants across three simultaneous groups.
No. While the exercise connects naturally to CRM topics such as shared information processing, cooperation, and effective communication – and works well as a practical exercise within our CRM Trainer Core course – it works equally well in any setting where teamwork, listening, and workload management matter.
