Deep Speak

Have you experienced the transformational power of the right question at the right time? Questions can change people’s lives.

The Deep Speak cards invite us to explore some of life’s big questions.

In this new edition, there are even more questions about the issues and topics that are important to young people and adults alike—the environment, gender diversity, culture, identity and social issues.

Deep Speak is divided into six suits with 20 cards in each suit. The suits are identified by different colours on the backs of the cards.

Openers: these questions are generally more light-hearted and are great for building rapport and trust, which is why they are perfect to use when you are meeting with a group or an individual for the first time.
Identity: use this suit to support people to delve into how they see themselves and the stories they tell (themselves and others) about who they are.
Relationships: focusses on how people connect with the important people in their lives. Also valuable for exploring what gets in the way of people making meaningful connections with others.
Values: use these cards to understand what is important to people and what motivates them in their lives.
Emotions: great for exploring how people notice, interpret and manage feelings and body signals.
Beliefs: use these cards to explore the ‘big’ questions – what do people believe and why?
Facilitators can use the colour coding to make a quick selection of cards if they wish to focus the discussion on a particular theme.

Perfect for teachers, counsellors, psychologists, social workers, parents…and anyone who wants to have meaningful, explorative conversations with young people and adults.

Includes a booklet full of activities and ideas for using the cards.

“I have recently added the Deep Speak cards to my workshops to practise listening. In this exercise listeners are allowed to speak by affirming what has been said or asking a relevant question, but they are not to hijack the speaker’s story with their own. This activity allows for two-way communication: acknowledging and questioning—without interrupting.  I asked people to choose a question that they were comfortable to speak to for one minute. At the end of the activity each person read out to the group the question they had chosen. By the curious looks on people’s faces, I could tell there were many more conversations to be had!” Nicole Ellerton (Victoria, Australia)

“To really connect with a person, you need to find some common interests—talk, share stories and do things together regularly. Whether it is one-on-one or in a group, the Deep Speak cards will provide opportunities to do just that.” Jo Haythorpe Residential Care Program Manager and author of Deep Speak foreword.