Peaks and Valleys

The Peaks and Valleys exercise gives groups a simple visual way to share each person's unique view on the highs and lows of an experience. Groups use this exercise to help visualize events over time and see how each person's experience differs.

To use this technique, teams draw a timeline representing the event they're evaluating on a whiteboard. Then, individuals take turns drawing a line that charts their personal highpoints and low points during the event.

You can use this technique for events of any length. For example, he picture below shows participants sharing their evaluations of a half-day workshop, and we also recommend this technique as part of the first step in retrospectives covering longer projects or even full years. Groups have also used this exercise to share peaks and valleys from their personal life as part of a team-building exercise or as a precursor to uncovering shared common values.