Back of the Napkin
Here are some reasons: To introduce people to each other and/or to facilitate networking amongst them.
How to run it
- There is at least 1 problem statement/open-ended question per game session.
- Each team writes and/or draws their answer on a napkin.
- Each answer appears on one side of the (folded) napkin.
- Players write their names on the other side of the napkin.
- Optional : Players may enter as many solutions as they want, however, each submission has to be from a different team.
- Optional : Each team must be comprised of at least 2 people who have just met or are just meeting.
- As a facilitator/organizer, why might you play this game? Here are some reasons:
- Optional: Players may enter as many solutions as they want, however, each submission has to be from a different team.
- Optional: Each team must be comprised of at least 2 people who have just met or are just meeting.
- (See strategy section for discussion of different team sizes.) No limit to the number of teams other than what the organizer wants.
Run this exercise live
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What participants need now
Materials:
This is a participant-safe snapshot, not a response form. It sends nothing back to the facilitator.
Prompts to use +
Each team writes and/or draws their answer on a napkin.
Each answer appears on one side of the (folded) napkin.
Players write their names on the other side of the napkin.
Optional : Each team must be comprised of at least 2 people who have just met or are just meeting.
As a facilitator/organizer, why might you play this game? Here are some reasons:
Optional: Each team must be comprised of at least 2 people who have just met or are just meeting.
Run this with your AI assistant +
Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.
Adapt this exercise for my exact room. Exercise: Back of the Napkin. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Each team writes and/or draws their answer on a napkin.; Each answer appears on one side of the (folded) napkin.; Players write their names on the other side of the napkin.; Optional : Each team must be comprised of at least 2 people who have just met or are just meeting.. Return a concise facilitator script with timing, wording, safety notes, and remote/in-person adjustments.
Origin unverified
- Where we observed it: The strongest current observations come from Gamestorming; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (2 sources observed, including Gamestorming, SessionLab.)
- What that means: we track where an exercise has been observed in public sources. We do not claim to know who created it, or how popular it is.
- No efficacy claims: appearing in this library is not a claim that the exercise is proven effective. Facilitator judgment and context decide whether it works for a given room.
- Corrections: if you have evidence of an earlier or more accurate source, read our methodology and trust boundary and tell us.