This activity was great for really getting at the heart of what "empathy" means. Often times, people think they are exhibiting/practicing empathy, when in truth it's sympathy or tolerance. This exercises gets us to practice real empathy by attempting to place ourselves in someone else's shoes. However, the brilliance lies in how the activity highlights the limitations of empathy by using a flower as the object. This led to some really good discussions.

I just facilitated this activity with 2 groups and got a good response -- insights that answered debrief questions I hadn't even gotten to yet. The multicolored flowers were appreciated, but one person noted later that anyone with asthma would not have felt that way. I once used sprigs of fresh rosemary for this activity and think I'll look into fresh herbs or something with less pollen in the future. In the debrief I asked how the activity would have been different if I'd asked about the point of view of participants' chairs. This elicited good humor -- a good way to lighten up the room if needed.

As a gardener, I thoroughly loved engaging in this perspective-shifting activity!  I imagine it would also be quite well-received by students of botany, environmental engineering, and landscape design!  Since it's not about people (overtly) it should also be very good for using when a group of students is in Polarization.