# 02. Intention Setting *[**Here**](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dM3loT2V6ERmTb1Kfj72sLtVm4G4AiLT/view?usp=sharing) are the Intention Setting slides from your Examina training. Consider reviewing and sharing these slides with your Council before facilitating gameplay.* # Intention Setting Objective This deck invites us to explore the question: "What do I want to have happen in my life?” by reflecting on what commitments we want to make in the near-term future. By the end of the game each player will come away with a personally meaningful and actionable intention that they will commit to. # Intention Setting Process There are three rounds in gameplay. Each round is focused on a guiding question: - Round 1: What do I want to happen in school, work, and life? - Round 2: What actions might I take to bring my intentions to life? - Round 3: How can we support each other to make our intentions rewarding, actionable, and challenging? # Set Up **Materials**: Index cards and pens for each player. A timer. There are three different types of cards and each is used for the three rounds of the game. Separate the cards into three piles, going from left to right on the field of play:  - Round 1: Intention Sparks  - Round 2: Action Sparks - Round 3: Support Questions ![[3.png]] # Round 1 - Intention Prompts ##### The purpose of this round is for players to identify an intention that they are drawn to and that would impact their life for the better in the near-term future. #### Play Your Cards 1. Deal three Intention Spark cards to each player. **NOTE:** The Intention Setting (all green side) should be facing each player. See image below. 2. **The player who most recently cooked a meal goes first.**  On their turn, each player selects one card from their hand and plays it in the center of the table with the green side up, creating the field of play. Play continues clockwise until each player has played one card. - **How do players choose a card?**  Players should choose a card with an intention that they think they or others may choose. - **What if a player doesn’t have a card they want to play?** Anyone can choose to pass and draw a new card. > [!INFO]+ Facilitator Note > The “Play Your Cards” phase involves simply choosing cards for the field of play, not responding to prompts on cards. This phase sets up the next phase where players will respond and share to the prompts selected for the field of play.  #### Select & Share  3. After all cards are on the field, each player will choose one intention from the field of play to explore for the rest of the gameplay. 4. Players take turns sharing their chosen intention and why they chose it. Then, they are invited to flip the card over and respond to one of two questions about their intention.  - **How do players choose a question?** Players choose a question that helps themself and/or the group better understand why the intention is important and what they might need to do to pursue it.  - **NOTE:** Players can choose the same intention as another player. 5. When players are finished responding to the questions, invite them to flip the card back over so that the green side is up.  6. Round 1 ends when each player has chosen an intention. Discard all cards and continue to Round 2. ![[4.png]] # Round 2 - Action Sparks ##### The purpose of this round is for each player to identify a specific action they could take to achieve their intention. #### Rapid Fire Round 1. Deal four Action Spark cards to each player.  2. **The player to the left of the player who went first in Round 1 will go first.** Players take turns playing cards. For each card, players take turns finishing the sentence on the Action Spark card by sharing a potential action they could take related to their chosen intention in Round 1.  - **Why share so many potential actions?** In this round, the goal is to get as many ideas on the table - players are not committed to these actions.. All ideas are good ideas; share a weird, fun, or impossible action idea to get the brainstorm going.  - **What if a player doesn’t have a card they want to play?** Anyone can choose to pass and draw a new card. 3. Round 2 ends when each player is ready to move forward with one of their action ideas. Discard all cards and continue to Round 3. # Round 3 - Support Questions ##### The purpose of this round is to work together to modify our intentions to ensure they are rewarding, actionable, and challenging.  1. Deal four Support Questions cards to each player. 2. **The player to the left of the player who went first in Round 2 will go first.** This player is the *focus player*. Other players are *support players*. In this round, support players will play Support Questions to help the focus player modify their intention.  3. Taking turns, support players play one Support Question for the focus player in a round. Support players work together to play Support Questions to help shape the intention to be rewarding, actionable and challenging for the focus player. - When a support player plays a Support Question, they read the question aloud to the focus player in the form of a question (i.e. “How might you…?”). Then, the focus player answers to the best of their ability.  5. After all support players have played a Support Question, the focus player is asked: “Are you ready to commit to this intention?” If they are not, another round of Support Questions can be played. 6. Once a focus player commits to an intention, the player to the left of them becomes the new focus player.  7. Play continues until every player has been supported as the focus player. Discard all cards and continue to the closing.  > [!INFO]+ Setting Purposeful Intentions > The goal of support players is to ensure that the focus player’s intention is: > - **Rewarding:** It is something the focus player wants to do and achieving it would benefit them in some way. > - **Actionable**: It is focused on a specific action to take (rather than an outcome). > - **Challenging:** The difficulty of the intention matches how rewarding it is. The more rewarding an intention, the more challenging it should be. # Closing 1. Hand an index card to each player.  2. Invite them to write the intention they are committing to on their card. This should include: what action they will take, and when they will attempt this action.  3. The player to the left of the player who went first last round will go first. Playing turns declaring the intention they wrote down on their card. 4. As a Council, decide when and how you want to follow up with each other about this intention. Examples: - The Council follows up via text or email in seven days.  - Pairs decide to meet up for coffee in the next week to share how their intention attempt went.  - The Council follows up on their intentions when they meet again for their next Examina session.  5. Play ends when each person knows when, how, and with whom they will follow up with their intentions.  # Game Variations ### Adjusting for Group Size **For groups of four players or fewer**: In each “Play Your Cards” round, players can play until there are four prompts on the field of play.  **For multiple groups of 4 players:** In each round, adjust the number of cards dealt to each council based on the number of councils and cards available. You may need to skip the “Play Your Cards” phase and deal cards directly onto their field of play. Use the table below to find how many cards you can deal depending on group size. | Examina Councils <br>4 players per council | Round 1<br>21 cards total | Round 2 <br>54 cards total | Round 3 <br>21 cards total | | ------------------------------------------ | ------------------------- | -------------------------- | -------------------------- | | 1 council | 16 cards/council | 16 cards/council | 16 cards/council | | 2 councils <br> | 16 cards/council | 16 cards/council | 16 cards/council | | 3 councils<br> | 16 cards/council | 10 cards/council | 16 cards/council | | 4 councils<br> | 12 cards/council | 8 cards/council | 12 cards/council | ### Game Focuses We invite you to focus your Intention Setting gameplay on personal intentions when you are beginning your journey with your Examina Council. For subsequent play sessions with this deck, consider exploring different focuses such as: professional intentions, time-bound intentions (by tomorrow, next weekend, next month, or season/semester/three months), or ideate on commitments around a shared intention.