Ideas for one question
Point the whole room at one question and come away with ideas that are both new and doable, sorted from the ones that are only one or the other.
60 minutes, remote. Serves 8 to 12.
How to run it
-
Check-in
5 minSay what the room will leave with. Then ask: "One word for how you're arriving. Type it in the chat, but don't press Enter until I say go." Say "Go" and read the chat out loud in one pass. It's faster than a round, and nobody answers in the shadow of the person before them.
-
6-3-5 Brainwriting
20 minRounds: three rounds of five minutes
Put the question at the top of the Brainwriting frame and give each person a named sheet: a grid three columns wide. "Write three ideas in the top row of your own sheet. In five minutes you move one sheet to the right and add three more, building on what's there or going somewhere new. No chat." Run three rounds of five minutes, with everyone moving round one ring. When the last round ends, everyone copies the two strongest ideas on the sheet they finish on into the Wall frame, one per sticky.
Board: Frame 1, "Brainwriting": the question at the top and one named sheet per person, three columns wide. Frame 2, "Wall": empty.
-
Post-Up
10 minSparked notes: none
Everyone reads the Wall frame in silence. Then sort it: "Drag notes that are the same idea, or the same kind of idea, next to each other. Anyone can move anything." Label each cluster with a sticky in a second colour. Two notes that say the same thing go one on top of the other, so the wall shows each idea once.
Board: Uses the Wall frame. Have a second sticky colour ready for labels.
-
How-Now-Wow
15 minNotes each person places: two
Draw the two-by-two in the Matrix frame: Originality across the bottom, from ordinary to new, and Ease up the side, from hard to easy. Label the corners Now, How and Wow. "Drag two from the Wall frame, ideas you care about, and place each where you think it belongs. No chat." After that, anyone can move any note once; a note that gets moved twice is worth a conversation, so talk those through. The ideas in Wow go forward, and anything in How that the room won't let go of becomes a question for later.
Board: Frame 3, "Matrix": the two-by-two with Now, How and Wow labelled.
-
Commit: who does what by when
10 minEach result the room produced needs an owner. Owners type "I will [what] by [when]" into the Commitments frame, under the result they own. Read every commitment back out loud. If a result has no owner, say so: "Nobody owns this yet." Type that into the frame too, so it leaves the room as an open item rather than a quiet gap.
Board: Frame "Commitments": one column per result, with space for "I will [what] by [when]".
6-3-5 Brainwriting is Bernd Rohrbach's. How-Now-Wow is from Gamestorming.
90 minutes, in person. Serves 8 to 12.
-
Check-in
10 minSay what the room will leave with and point to the three steps on the wall. Then ask: "In one sentence: what do you need from the next ninety minutes?" Take answers in any order, not round the circle. If someone passes, move on.
-
6-3-5 Brainwriting
25 minRounds: four rounds of five minutes
Split the room into two groups of six (or close to it), each around its own table. Every sheet has the question at the top and a grid three columns wide. "Write three ideas in the top row. In five minutes you pass the sheet to your right and add three more, building on what's there or going somewhere new. No talking." Run four rounds of five minutes. When the last round ends, everyone circles the two strongest ideas on the sheet in front of them and copies each onto a sticky note.
-
Post-Up
20 minSparked notes: up to two each after reading the wall
Everyone puts their two notes on the wall and reads the whole wall in silence. Then sort it: "Move notes that are the same idea, or the same kind of idea, next to each other. Anyone can move anything." Give each cluster a short label on a different-coloured note. Two notes that say the same thing go one on top of the other, so the wall shows each idea once.
In the 90 also: Sparked notes: after reading, and before sorting, everyone adds up to two new ideas the wall gave them. Silent, three minutes.
-
How-Now-Wow
20 minNotes each person places: three
Draw a two-by-two on the wall: Originality across the bottom, from ordinary to new, and Ease up the side, from hard to easy. Label the corners: Now (ordinary and easy), How (new and hard), Wow (new and easy). "Take three from the wall, ideas you care about, and place each where you think it belongs. In silence." After that, anyone can move any note once; a note that gets moved twice is worth a conversation, so talk those through. The ideas in Wow go forward, and anything in How that the room won't let go of becomes a question for later.
-
Commit: who does what by when
15 minEach result the room produced needs an owner. The owner writes "I will [what] by [when]" on a card, reads it out and sticks it under the result. Only owners speak. If a result has no owner, say so: "Nobody owns this yet." Write that on the wall too, so it leaves the room as an open item rather than a quiet gap.
In the 90 also: Ask each owner one question: "What could stop this?" One sentence back. If the answer is another person, that person is in the commitment too.
90 minutes, remote. Serves 8 to 12.
-
Check-in
10 minSay what the room will leave with and show the three steps on the board. Then ask: "In one sentence: what do you need from the next ninety minutes? Type it in the chat, but don't press Enter until I say go." Say "Go" and read the chat out loud in one pass. It's faster than a round, and nobody answers in the shadow of the person before them.
-
6-3-5 Brainwriting
25 minRounds: four rounds of five minutes
Put the question at the top of the Brainwriting frame and give each person a named sheet: a grid three columns wide. "Write three ideas in the top row of your own sheet. In five minutes you move one sheet to the right and add three more, building on what's there or going somewhere new. No chat." Run four rounds of five minutes, with everyone moving round one ring. When the last round ends, everyone copies the two strongest ideas on the sheet they finish on into the Wall frame, one per sticky.
Board: Frame 1, "Brainwriting": the question at the top and one named sheet per person, three columns wide. Frame 2, "Wall": empty.
-
Post-Up
20 minSparked notes: up to two each after reading the wall
Everyone reads the Wall frame in silence. Then sort it: "Drag notes that are the same idea, or the same kind of idea, next to each other. Anyone can move anything." Label each cluster with a sticky in a second colour. Two notes that say the same thing go one on top of the other, so the wall shows each idea once.
In the 90 also: Sparked notes: after reading, and before sorting, everyone adds up to two new ideas the wall gave them. Silent, three minutes.
Board: Uses the Wall frame. Have a second sticky colour ready for labels.
-
How-Now-Wow
20 minNotes each person places: three
Draw the two-by-two in the Matrix frame: Originality across the bottom, from ordinary to new, and Ease up the side, from hard to easy. Label the corners Now, How and Wow. "Drag three from the Wall frame, ideas you care about, and place each where you think it belongs. No chat." After that, anyone can move any note once; a note that gets moved twice is worth a conversation, so talk those through. The ideas in Wow go forward, and anything in How that the room won't let go of becomes a question for later.
Board: Frame 3, "Matrix": the two-by-two with Now, How and Wow labelled.
-
Commit: who does what by when
15 minEach result the room produced needs an owner. Owners type "I will [what] by [when]" into the Commitments frame, under the result they own. Read every commitment back out loud. If a result has no owner, say so: "Nobody owns this yet." Type that into the frame too, so it leaves the room as an open item rather than a quiet gap.
In the 90 also: Ask each owner one question: "What could stop this?" One sentence back. If the answer is another person, that person is in the commitment too.
Board: Frame "Commitments": one column per result, with space for "I will [what] by [when]".
60 minutes, in person. Serves 8 to 12.
-
Check-in
5 minSay what the room will leave with. Then ask: "One word for how you're arriving." Take the words in any order, not round the circle.
-
6-3-5 Brainwriting
20 minRounds: three rounds of five minutes
Split the room into two groups of six (or close to it), each around its own table. Every sheet has the question at the top and a grid three columns wide. "Write three ideas in the top row. In five minutes you pass the sheet to your right and add three more, building on what's there or going somewhere new. No talking." Run three rounds of five minutes. When the last round ends, everyone circles the two strongest ideas on the sheet in front of them and copies each onto a sticky note.
-
Post-Up
10 minSparked notes: none
Everyone puts their two notes on the wall and reads the whole wall in silence. Then sort it: "Move notes that are the same idea, or the same kind of idea, next to each other. Anyone can move anything." Give each cluster a short label on a different-coloured note. Two notes that say the same thing go one on top of the other, so the wall shows each idea once.
-
How-Now-Wow
15 minNotes each person places: two
Draw a two-by-two on the wall: Originality across the bottom, from ordinary to new, and Ease up the side, from hard to easy. Label the corners: Now (ordinary and easy), How (new and hard), Wow (new and easy). "Take two from the wall, ideas you care about, and place each where you think it belongs. In silence." After that, anyone can move any note once; a note that gets moved twice is worth a conversation, so talk those through. The ideas in Wow go forward, and anything in How that the room won't let go of becomes a question for later.
-
Commit: who does what by when
10 minEach result the room produced needs an owner. The owner writes "I will [what] by [when]" on a card, reads it out and sticks it under the result. Only owners speak. If a result has no owner, say so: "Nobody owns this yet." Write that on the wall too, so it leaves the room as an open item rather than a quiet gap.
60 minutes, remote. Serves 8 to 12.
-
Check-in
5 minSay what the room will leave with. Then ask: "One word for how you're arriving. Type it in the chat, but don't press Enter until I say go." Say "Go" and read the chat out loud in one pass. It's faster than a round, and nobody answers in the shadow of the person before them.
-
6-3-5 Brainwriting
20 minRounds: three rounds of five minutes
Put the question at the top of the Brainwriting frame and give each person a named sheet: a grid three columns wide. "Write three ideas in the top row of your own sheet. In five minutes you move one sheet to the right and add three more, building on what's there or going somewhere new. No chat." Run three rounds of five minutes, with everyone moving round one ring. When the last round ends, everyone copies the two strongest ideas on the sheet they finish on into the Wall frame, one per sticky.
Board: Frame 1, "Brainwriting": the question at the top and one named sheet per person, three columns wide. Frame 2, "Wall": empty.
-
Post-Up
10 minSparked notes: none
Everyone reads the Wall frame in silence. Then sort it: "Drag notes that are the same idea, or the same kind of idea, next to each other. Anyone can move anything." Label each cluster with a sticky in a second colour. Two notes that say the same thing go one on top of the other, so the wall shows each idea once.
Board: Uses the Wall frame. Have a second sticky colour ready for labels.
-
How-Now-Wow
15 minNotes each person places: two
Draw the two-by-two in the Matrix frame: Originality across the bottom, from ordinary to new, and Ease up the side, from hard to easy. Label the corners Now, How and Wow. "Drag two from the Wall frame, ideas you care about, and place each where you think it belongs. No chat." After that, anyone can move any note once; a note that gets moved twice is worth a conversation, so talk those through. The ideas in Wow go forward, and anything in How that the room won't let go of becomes a question for later.
Board: Frame 3, "Matrix": the two-by-two with Now, How and Wow labelled.
-
Commit: who does what by when
10 minEach result the room produced needs an owner. Owners type "I will [what] by [when]" into the Commitments frame, under the result they own. Read every commitment back out loud. If a result has no owner, say so: "Nobody owns this yet." Type that into the frame too, so it leaves the room as an open item rather than a quiet gap.
Board: Frame "Commitments": one column per result, with space for "I will [what] by [when]".
Comments & Discussion
Add a Comment
Recent Comments (3)
This workshop was incredibly effective for our remote team! We adapted it slightly for a virtual setting and it worked wonderfully. The key was breaking into smaller breakout rooms.
Great resource! One tip: prepare all materials the day before to avoid any last-minute rushes.
Used this for our quarterly planning session. The structured approach really helped us stay on track!