Who Wants To Be?
Published on 01/06/2009 - Games and methodologies
Self-management, Communities / Networks, Games, Analogies of digital, Collective decision-making, Collective moderation, Networking, Communication tools
Contributors: The People Speak, Saul Albert
In our experience, most audiences are happy to compromise with this system - simple but potentially expansive.
Stake-holding
It is vital that the decision is important to all participants. If people feel that they are playing without having some stake in the outcome - financial, emotional, or social, they won't be inspired to take part and contribute creatively.
So far Who Wants to Be has been used successfully to decide:
Visit the project website for more examples, videos and write-ups.
Hosting
Hosting the gameshow requires quick thinking, mediation skills, improvisation and humour. It is the most public facilitation role, and potentially the most powerful - so the host has to be careful to facilitate, rather than dominate the discussions.
The audience will be coming up with suggestions thick and fast, and will often need some help to group those suggestions into a decision that can move towards a vote.
For example, the audience faced with a decision about how to spend £1000 might make the following three proposals:
If this is the beginning of the show, the host would be working these into categories, encouraging the audience to come up with more ideas on similar themes, which can be returned to later in detail if necessary. The host might then say: "Ok, those are some great ideas, so do we want to:
The audience can then come up with more ideas in categories A, B, or C. By voting on increasingly specific suggestions, or combining ideas to create interesting compromises, the host can help the audience to work their way towards a final decision at the end of the show.
Visualisation
It helps tremendously if the audience can refer back to suggestions during discussion. Even if it's just someone scribbling down what people shout out on a white-board, having a visual record of the live discussion can generate a wonderful response from a crowd. Having a visual record of which decisions have been made can also help - especially to prevent sudden reverses or changes of direction that contradict previously made decisions.
In past games of Who Wants to Be?, audiences have changed the rules to incorporate an 'adjudicator' role: someone who can watch new votes and refer back to previous decisions to make sure that no contradictions are introduced and the momentum of the process is maintained.
Dramaturgy
The dramaturgy and visual style of 'Who Wants to Be' borrows from many TV gameshow formats. Of course any style or theme could be adopted, but the TV gameshow is instantly recognisable to many and helps to maintain everyone's excitement.
The seating or standing areas should resemble a small amphitheatre so that people see each other. Also everybody needs to see the visualisations (see below). There must be enough space between chairs so that the host or hosts can get to each participant.
Stake-holding
It is vital that the decision is important to all participants. If people feel that they are playing without having some stake in the outcome - financial, emotional, or social, they won't be inspired to take part and contribute creatively.
So far Who Wants to Be has been used successfully to decide:
• What audience-suggested images to collage onto a mural in a community play area.
• How to develop and improve a much-loved public space.
• What to do with a £1000 cash pot of the audience's £10 donations.
• How to develop and improve a much-loved public space.
• What to do with a £1000 cash pot of the audience's £10 donations.
Visit the project website for more examples, videos and write-ups.
Hosting
Hosting the gameshow requires quick thinking, mediation skills, improvisation and humour. It is the most public facilitation role, and potentially the most powerful - so the host has to be careful to facilitate, rather than dominate the discussions.
The audience will be coming up with suggestions thick and fast, and will often need some help to group those suggestions into a decision that can move towards a vote.
For example, the audience faced with a decision about how to spend £1000 might make the following three proposals:
• let's have a dancing competition to decide who gets it!
• let's give it to Cancer Research UK!
• let's rent a flat for a month and cut everyone in the audience a key!
• let's give it to Cancer Research UK!
• let's rent a flat for a month and cut everyone in the audience a key!
If this is the beginning of the show, the host would be working these into categories, encouraging the audience to come up with more ideas on similar themes, which can be returned to later in detail if necessary. The host might then say: "Ok, those are some great ideas, so do we want to:
• A: compete for it,
• B: donate it to a worthy cause, or
• C: spend it on an activity for all of us".
• B: donate it to a worthy cause, or
• C: spend it on an activity for all of us".
The audience can then come up with more ideas in categories A, B, or C. By voting on increasingly specific suggestions, or combining ideas to create interesting compromises, the host can help the audience to work their way towards a final decision at the end of the show.
Visualisation
It helps tremendously if the audience can refer back to suggestions during discussion. Even if it's just someone scribbling down what people shout out on a white-board, having a visual record of the live discussion can generate a wonderful response from a crowd. Having a visual record of which decisions have been made can also help - especially to prevent sudden reverses or changes of direction that contradict previously made decisions.
In past games of Who Wants to Be?, audiences have changed the rules to incorporate an 'adjudicator' role: someone who can watch new votes and refer back to previous decisions to make sure that no contradictions are introduced and the momentum of the process is maintained.
Dramaturgy
The dramaturgy and visual style of 'Who Wants to Be' borrows from many TV gameshow formats. Of course any style or theme could be adopted, but the TV gameshow is instantly recognisable to many and helps to maintain everyone's excitement.
The seating or standing areas should resemble a small amphitheatre so that people see each other. Also everybody needs to see the visualisations (see below). There must be enough space between chairs so that the host or hosts can get to each participant.
