Guide your first 10-minute ALOHA activity
A simple introduction for a small group, classroom, family, or team. Start with learning the values, then offer a low-pressure opportunity to reflect. Use one physical die or the online die; no second die is needed.
Before you begin
Open Practice Online in Teaching Mode. Have the five ALOHA values guide available. Invite participants to listen, speak, write, or pass; do not require personal disclosure. Choose a familiar, low-stakes situation, such as welcoming someone new or responding when plans change.
Minutes 0–2 · Learn
Introduce Akahai (kindness), Lōkahi (unity), ʻOluʻolu (agreeableness), Haʻahaʻa (humility), and Ahonui (patience). Explain that Aᵏ and Aʰ are different faces and △ is the ALOHA Pause: consider all five values. These die symbols are a contemporary learning aid.
Minutes 2–5 · Roll and remember
In Teaching Mode, roll once. Ask: “Which value does this symbol represent?” Let people recall before selecting “Reveal value.” Read the meaning together. Repeat if time allows. For △, invite the group to name all five before revealing the ALOHA Pause.
Minutes 5–8 · Reflect
Offer one low-stakes scenario: “A new person joins your group and seems unsure how to participate.” Switch the same die to Practice Mode, roll once, and read the reflection question. Allow quiet thinking first, then invite optional sharing. If △ appears, consider the situation through all five values.
Minutes 8–10 · Apply and close
Ask: “What is one small action you could take in this situation?” Invite a word, written note, or silent intention. Thank participants; do not grade answers or require a promise. Remind them they can continue learning with the same die.
Facilitator’s closing reminder
Guide the process rather than deciding what ALOHA means for someone else. Keep participation voluntary. If the situation is sensitive or conflict escalates, pause rather than pushing for resolution. The purpose is familiarity and thoughtful practice, not certification or a guaranteed outcome.
Hold the process. Do not become the answer.
Facilitation is about creating respectful conditions for reflection. Your role is to guide the structure, protect participation choices, and make room for people to consider ALOHA for themselves.
Begin with personal practice
Before guiding others, become familiar with Akahai, Lōkahi, ʻOluʻolu, Haʻahaʻa, Ahonui, and the ALOHA Pause.
Learn the values first. Use Teaching Mode to build recall. Practice applying the values to your own situations before introducing the method to a group.
Facilitator posture
You guide the process. You do not decide what ALOHA should mean for someone else.
Your responsibility is to make room for reflection, maintain the structure, and recognize when the practice should pause or stop.
Do
- Ask one question at a time
- Let silence work
- Listen without rushing to interpret
- Make room for different perspectives
- Offer opportunities to speak without requiring them
- Notice impact, responsibility, and what needs attention
Do not
- Debate or cross-examine
- Correct people toward your interpretation
- Force participation or disclosure
- Let one voice control the conversation
- Rush toward a solution
- Use ALOHA language to avoid a difficult truth
Group agreements
Set expectations before the practice begins.
- Listen fully
- Speak from personal experience
- No fixing or unsolicited advising
- Participation and personal disclosure are voluntary
- Treat what others share with care and discretion
- Discomfort may be present. Disrespect is not acceptable.
A useful opening line
“We are here to practice ALOHA, not to perform it or prove that we have the right answer.”
The facilitated flow
Keep the structure simple and move slowly enough for people to reflect before responding.
Arrive
Create a brief pause before beginning. A moment of quiet can help the group shift out of reaction and into attention.
Frame the situation
Present one clear situation. Avoid unnecessary identifying details and explain what the group is being asked to reflect on.
Roll, recall, and reveal
Roll once. Invite participants to recall the ALOHA value represented by the symbol before revealing its name and meaning.
Reflect
Ask the matching reflection question. Give people time to think. Participants may speak, write, listen, or pass.
Integrate
Invite people to name an insight, action, responsibility, or question they want to carry forward.
Close
Confirm any agreed next steps or follow-up. Thank participants and close without reopening the conversation for another round of debate.
Closing question
What will you carry forward from this?
Use the value as the lens
These are Share Aloha Now practice questions. They are application prompts, not definitions of the values themselves.
Aᵏ · Akahai
What does kindness look like here, and what truth needs to be expressed with tenderness?
L · Lōkahi
What would support unity here without forcing agreement?
O · ʻOluʻolu
What would cooperation look like while keeping the response honest and respectful?
H · Haʻahaʻa
What changes if we listen first and soften our certainty?
Aʰ · Ahonui
What requires time, and what steady action can we take without forcing the outcome?
△ · ALOHA Pause
What do Akahai, Lōkahi, ʻOluʻolu, Haʻahaʻa, and Ahonui ask of us before we act?
When the triangle appears
The triangle represents ALOHA as an integrated whole. It does not represent Lōkahi alone. Pause and consider the situation through all five values before continuing.
Manage the room
If one voice dominates
Acknowledge what was shared, then make space for others. You can invite additional perspectives without requiring anyone to speak.
If conflict rises
Slow the pace. Return to the agreements and the value being considered. Pause or stop if respectful participation is no longer possible.
If people want the facilitator’s answer
Return to the reflection question. The facilitator supports the process rather than deciding the conclusion.
Know when to stop
Completing every step is not more important than using good judgment.
Pause or stop when:
- Participation no longer feels voluntary
- The group becomes unsafe or disrespectful
- The situation is moving beyond the facilitator’s skill or role
- A participant needs support that this practice cannot provide
- Continuing would create more pressure than reflection
Ethical use
Know the limits
- Do not force participation or personal disclosure
- Do not diagnose, label, or shame people
- Do not use ALOHA to pressure agreement
- Do not promise confidentiality you cannot guarantee
- Pause or stop when the practice no longer fits
- Do not use this practice as therapy, mediation, crisis response, or professional advice
- Use appropriately trained professional support when the situation requires it
Cultural responsibility
- Do not reduce ALOHA to a slogan or branding device
- Use the values and language with care
- Distinguish established value meanings from Share Aloha Now practice prompts
- Approach the practice with humility
- Continue learning about the lineage and cultural grounding
Facilitator standard
If you are unsure what to do, pause. Do not continue simply to finish the process.
Keep building your own practice
Facilitation becomes stronger when the values are familiar enough that you can focus on the people and the process rather than remembering the mechanics.
Continue using the die yourself. Practice recall. Notice how different values change what you see in the same situation.
Before leading a group
- Know the five ALOHA values
- Understand the ALOHA Pause
- Try several individual practices
- Review Getting Started
- Read Cultural Grounding
- Know the boundaries of your role
Hold the process with care.
Know the values. Make room for reflection. Protect participation choices. Ask one honest question at a time.