The “Chairs of Power” tool opens up discussions of the dynamics of power, helping participants see the various ways power is shaped, how it can shift, and even opening up challenges to prevailing understandings of what power is and what we as individuals or as groups should strive for in relation to power.
Set up 4 chairs, 3 in a row with one off to one side facing across the other 3 (see photo below for initial set-up).
Basically there are three stages in using the tool.
First, invite discussion about the empty chairs–which is the most powerful, and why? There is no right or wrong answer, just encourage thoughtful discussion. When participants identify a chair as the most power, ask “why?” Invite other opinions.
Second, put people in the chairs, specifically those who spoke out first for each chair in the discussion. How does having specific people in the chair change our awareness of power? Invite the observers to comment first, then get input on each person in the chair now that they are in this particular position.
Third, invite each one in the chairs to move their chair in such a way as to increase their power. After each move, invite the larger group to comment about what they noticed, then the others in the 3 chairs, and finally the person who moved. Let each person make a move. Then you can invite anyone from the larger group to take the place of one of the people in a chair and show a different action, debriefing in the same way.
After the discussion seems to have reached a good spot for concluding share briefly a mini theory piece “3 Types of Power”–Power Over, Power With (other people), and Power Within (inside ourselves). Notice how these different ways of experiencing and expressing power showed up in the Chairs of Power exercise.
