A pair of black gloves on a wooden table, printed with: happy to LISTEN and VOICE temporarily out of order

VOICE TEMPORARILY OUT OF ORDER

Client
Own project
Date
2024, renewed in 2026
Roles
Concept, Experience Design, Rapid Prototyping

A relay experience where the only way to get your voice back is to truly listen

VOICE TEMPORARILY OUT OF ORDER is a relay experience about the art of listening. One person wears a pair of gloves that say their voice is temporarily out of order, and they are happy to listen. The only way to get their voice back is for someone to come and talk to them, while they do nothing but listen.

But the voice doesn’t come back for free. Whoever speaks to them takes over the gloves, and with them the silence. And so the experience passes from person to person, each of them waiting for someone who wants to be heard.

The left glove, printed with: VOICE temporarily out of orderThe right glove, printed with: happy to LISTEN, with a smiley

How it works

Whoever wears the gloves has lost their voice and carries a small booklet of cards. They don’t go looking for a conversation: they wait until someone comes to them. The moment someone approaches, they raise their left glove, “VOICE temporarily out of order”, and then their right, “Happy to listen ☺”. The gloves say all there is to say; the rest of the conversation is theirs to listen to.

Once the other person has shared something real and feels truly heard, the next cards are revealed. The speaker has given the listener their voice back, but lost their own in return. Now it’s their turn to put on the gloves and wait for someone to come to them.

A card in the booklet reading: Thank you for speaking to me. You gave me back my voice. But now I've taken yours. Put on the gloves. Your turn to listenA card in the booklet reading: Let someone come to you. When they do, show your left glove, then your right. And just listen
A card in the booklet reading: Don't rush to get your voice back. See what happens when all you can do is listenA card in the booklet reading: When they share something real, just listen. Once you feel they've been heard, show them the next four cards

Prototyped in 45 minutes

The first version was co-created and rapid prototyped with Mylène Zambon at The College of Extraordinary Experiences in 2024, in just 45 minutes: a lanyard with twelve cards, handwritten on the College’s own cards, starting with “VOICE temporarily out of order” and “HAPPY TO LISTEN”. The rules were simple. The other person has to approach you and start talking, one on one. As soon as they talk about something other than your voice, you steal theirs and hand over the cards.

The twelve handwritten cards of the 2024 prototype laid out on a wooden floor, including VOICE temporarily out of order, HAPPY TO LISTEN and the four rules
The 2024 prototype: the twelve cards, and the experience in the castle courtyard

It gave people the rare opportunity to truly listen to someone without interrupting. So many beautiful stories and personal feelings were shared. One participant even kept the lanyard for an hour, savouring the experience of being “forced” to just listen to others.

For the 2026 edition of the College it returned as a designed version, with printed gloves and a booklet of cards. Want to run it at your next event? Get in touch.

Meet the team