The Character Traits Book Club Toolkit
From Reading to Reflection: 3 Essential Practices
"Books don't just tell us stories about characters—they reveal how character traits shape decisions, relationships, and the paths people take through their lives, offering mirrors for our own character development."
This free toolkit provides three practical exercises designed to help you use reading as a vehicle for exploring and developing your own character traits through the experiences of fictional and real-life characters:
- The Character Observation Exercise: Guides you to identify and analyse character traits in the people you read about, developing your ability to recognise how traits shape choices and outcomes.
- The Comparative Reflection Practice: Helps you connect characters' trait-based decisions to your own experiences, using their journeys as prompts for self-discovery and character development.
- The Reading Discussion Framework: Provides structure for meaningful conversations about character traits with others, whether in formal book clubs or informal discussions, deepening insights through shared perspectives.
Throughout the toolkit, examples from professionals who have used books as tools for character exploration illustrate how intentional reading can illuminate your own traits and professional development.
This resource stands alone as a practical tool, with deeper exploration available in School of WorkLife's The Longest Way Round: A Journey of Character.