Talking about shoes

Having a general discussion for participants to introduce themselves contributes to whakawhanaunatanga.

Talking about shoes is non-threatening and a conversation that people can engage in. Even if they don’t wear shoes, that can be a great conversation.

Rich and and interesting things can come out of the conversation and humour can be woven through the group.

You can also “gleam the gold” of responses to use for further conversation or topics to build financial capability.

Using the technique

Group the participants in twos or threes and ask them to talk about their shoes.

When sharing back in the whole group, people can introduce their partner by giving information about them and their shoes.

Variations

Use any topic from what the participants bring to the session. It could be:

• T-shirts
• phones
• rings
• tattoos; or
• hairstyles.