exercise · all tools
Hot Seat
A volunteer takes the chair and names the intensity they want — mild, medium or spicy — and the group asks probing questions to match, 'interested, not interesting' ones that keep the focus on the person answering. Four to ten minutes each, ended on a high note. The manual traces the form to Vic Baranco's Morehouse community in the 1970s, and lists a rapid-fire Inquisition, a gentler Spotlight, a Dead Seat and a Hot Mic among its variations.
- The Inquisition variation stands the group in a close circle round a seated person for three minutes of rapid fire, with poking allowed only if they agree to contact; the manual built it for 'shock value', which is a description, not a recommendation
- The manual suggests grounding any version with 'what I get about you is…' at the end; after Inquisition that is not optional
Practical
- Time
- 15-45 min
- Group
- 3–∞ · small-group
- Settings
- in-person, online
- Mechanisms
- dialogic-encounter, feedback-mirroring
- Change scope
- state → skill · repeatable
Instructions
- Where
- authrev.org/ar-games-manual — Authentic Relating Games Manual, paid
- Availability
- In the source document — the instructions live inside the material linked, on its terms
- Licence
- CC BY-SA 4.0 (Authentic Relating Games Manual)
Source link checked 31 Aug 2026 — unchanged since we recorded it on 29 Aug 2026
This directory describes and points home; the instructions stay with the people who made them.
Origin
Dates to Vic Baranco and the Morehouse community (1970s); this form from Authentic World. Spotlight by Michael McDonald (Relational Alchemy), Dead Seat by Micah Sutton (Austin), Hot Mic by Naveed Heydari (Authentic Denver), Inquisition by the Austin community — Morehouse / Lafayette Morehouse lineage; carried into Authentic Relating (Authentic Relating Games Manual, 2025 edition)
In this directory via Authentic Relating Games Manual
Related: Curiosity (deepens)
Variations in the manual: Thank You (a stop signal), Inquisition, Spotlight, Dead Seat, and Hot Mic.
status: checked · added 2026-08-31