A few years ago I was with a great teacher friend of mine, Lance Bridges, when he received a phone call from his daughter who had been on a day trip with some friends. I heard Lance ask his daughter, “Honey, what was your HIGH (favorite part) of the trip?” I then heard him ask, “What was your LOW (least favorite part) of the trip?”

Since that day I have incorporated this strategy in numerous ways:

ONE ON ONE INTERACTIONS

I have used this in leadership with my leadership team. After events, I will ask the leader of the event, “What was your HIGH (favorite part) of the event?” I  will then ask, “What was your LOW (least favorite part) of the event?”

ICEBREAKER OF A CLASS

When I am teaching a class of any age I will often start out by asking the question, “What was your “High Low” from this past week?” I will then go around the room and have participants answer one by one. This gives me tremendous knowledge to what is going on in the lives of the participants of the class.

RECAP OF A CLASS

You can also use this strategy to recap what you have taught. You simply ask participants to give a high and a low of what they have just learned or experienced.

IMPORTANT TIP

The key is you cannot criticize his or her lows of the event or activity. This will cause them to shut down. Allowing them to speak freely will give you a wealth of information.

So, what was your “High Low” from this past week?