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Exercises/Divergent Ideation/Brainstorming
Prompted Conversation · Divergent Ideation

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a prompted conversation exercise for divergent ideation: it helps participants open up more possible ideas before choosing a direction.

15 to 30 minutesTIME
Medium group (9-25)GROUP SIZE
ActiveENERGY
In person, RemoteSETTING
High cognitive loadCOGNITIVE LOAD
Strengthens Participation Architecture This divergent ideation exercise strengthens Participation Architecture, one of the eight Gathering Effectiveness pillars.

How to run it

  1. Explain the objective of the exercise and the importance of generating ideas without restrictions in the first phase.
  2. Share the basic rules to ensure a safe and creative environment.
  3. Formulate the question or describe the problem the group will address.
  4. Ensure all participants understand the context and scope.
  5. Participants share their ideas aloud, writing them on paper, whiteboards, or digital tools.
  6. Encourage participants to think creatively and build on others’ ideas.
Live facilitator

Run this exercise live

The facilitator console stays in this browser. Its QR handoff is a short-lived participant snapshot containing only public exercise instructions, phase, prompt, and timer state.

Prompts to use +

Explain the objective of the exercise and the importance of generating ideas without restrictions in the first phase.

Share the basic rules to ensure a safe and creative environment.

Participants share their ideas aloud, writing them on paper, whiteboards, or digital tools.

Encourage participants to think creatively and build on others’ ideas.

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: Brainstorming. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Explain the objective of the exercise and the importance of generating ideas without restrictions in the first phase.; Share the basic rules to ensure a safe and creative environment.; Participants share their ideas aloud, writing them on paper, whiteboards, or digital tools.; Encourage participants to think creatively and build on others’ ideas.. 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 Participatory Methods; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (2 sources observed, including Participatory Methods, 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.

Pairs well with