50 shiny cards in a linen bag, a bit smaller than a traditional deck of cards. Each card holds a question. This was the gift we produced at AUDE and offered at the end of 2019 to our customers – and to ourselves. 

Instead of a Netflix series 

The questions play the most important part – questions to yourself; about dreams, motivation, needs, relations with others, way of being and thinking, way of working. From seemingly simple questions such as: “Who do you like working with most?” or “How do you find inner peace?” to those requiring a longer consideration: “How does your courage manifest?”, “How did the past influence the way you are today?”, “What has been your biggest sacrifice?” Each card encourages one to look inside oneself. 

This self-analysis can be done alone, but the idea was rather to draw the cards in a group and tell others about oneself in a different way. To replace chatting about last holidays or a great series on Netflix with exchanging views that tell more about us, that reach deeper and help us understand ourselves and others. 

Ula Radzińska, originator of the idea, called the AUDE card game “Here And Now.” “I was inspired by a 2018 IKEA television spot in which families were brought to one table and were trying to tell one another about their past, likes and dreams and it turned out they knew little about one another.”

Life rushes by and we think we talk a lot with one another – we communicate a lot via a growing number of channels. These talks help us work faster and more efficiently. The cards can be a pretext to dialogue for a better work with another – real – person. I think these are not questions that come to our mind just like that and the answers can be really interesting. I wanted the cards to be a starting point for a conversation about ourselves. They can be a warm up, or a long journey.

Evenings at home or business workshops

Indeed, it turns out the cards open up the players. Anna Durajska, communication manager at ATLAS Group, was one of the first users: “I tried out the game the day I got it because I liked it so much. 😊 I played with my 14-year-old son, who likes talking about emotions, feelings, human relationships. We had a great time, but also a moment of reflection… My son didn’t answer some of the questions because he was embarrassed – we left them aside and drew other questions. The game brings people closer together, it is its major asset.

Deepening relationship with your family is not the only way the cards can be used. You can just as well use them at work. “They were a great ice-breaker at a creative workshop for several people,” says Monika Sońta, corporate coach. “The team members knew one another by their names, but they were at an early stage of the project, and in addition three of them had worked together before and knew each other very well. I looked through the cards before we started and I chose 35 cards I felt were most adequate for the situation. I got rid of the ones that were touching upon too deep relations. Everyone drew three cards and could decide which question to answer. Judging by the dynamics of the meeting I would say the cards will be great as a warm up at meetings of up to 12 people prior to getting down to the business topic, and their greatest advantage is their minimalistic design and the fact you can get rid of the cards that do not fit the context of the project or the relations within the team.

So… When was the last time you cried?