Collaboration begins here 

In-person sessions begin at 8:30 am and run through 4:00 pm.

Create a welcoming, low-pressure entry point to begin the session. As participants arrive, check them in through a manual process rather than a QR code in order to accommodate those who didn't pre-register.

It is helpful to have a startup checklist to normalize social expectations:

• Wear a name tag
• Introduce yourself to other participants
• Meet team members you don't already know
• Familiarize yourself with the space, like where the water fountains and restrooms are, a dedicated workspace with tables, whiteboards, and markers will be available for each team. Breakfast and lunch are also provided to the participants.

When introductions are complete, encourage connection quickly with an icebreaker activity. The Potluck—one of our favorites—builds familiarity and comfort among participants who have never met to create a better foundation for the collaborative work ahead.

In this activity, each student draws their favorite food on a large sheet of paper shared by the team, as if they are bringing a dish to a potluck meal. As students explain their drawings, team members learn about one another's backgrounds, preferences, and experiences.

Once everyone is settled, team workbooks are distributed, and each team opens the shared copy and provides their names and majors on the document, which is both practical and also allows the team to further get to know one another.

Large screens are utilized by the facilitator to guide the participants through the day using a presentation that mirrors the sheets in the workbook. The facilitator version includes only a few additional slides used for storytelling examples, including the Fish Is Fish and Zika case illustrations used during the session to prompt reflection and discussion.