06 Comfort Continuum

Exercise

Comfort Continuum

Synopsis

This exercise goes deeper into participant’s attitudes towards discussing sex and pleasure. It enables participants to discuss their boundaries and comfort zones and learn from each other’s levels of confidence.

Objective

To explore participants’ comfort with talking about sex and pleasure

Approximate Time

30 Minutes

Materials Needed

None

Steps

Ask everyone to stand up and when they do so draw an imaginary line down the middle the room.

Explain that this is a continuum which ranges from completely agree at one end of the line to completely disagree at the other. You can stick sheets of paper accordingly at each end of the continuum.

Explain that you will call out a series of statements and that participants should place themselves immediately on the line in relation to how they feel in response to the statement.

When everyone has placed themselves on the line, participants should have a brief conversation with whoever is standing nearest to them as to why they have each placed themselves where they are.

When this conversation dies down call out the next statement.

• I feel relaxed at the prospect of talking about sex and pleasure during this workshop

• I think I know more than enough already about sex and pleasure

• Sexual pleasure matters more to men than to women

• Pleasure is the main reason why people have sex

Tips for trainers

You can try a variation on this exercise by asking specific participants at different parts of the line to share in plenary why they are placed where they are. This enables a broader discussion with the group and more opinions to be aired, as well as ensuring that people at opposite ends of the spectrum are also able to hear each other’s views.

A different version of this exercise asks the participants to sit along the line according to how masculine or feminine they are with one end being extremely masculine and one end extremely feminine. Of course biological gender does not have to be the defining factor.