Brainstorming

Choose this exercise

Purpose: To generate an uncensored pool of options for a defined challenge and organize them into prioritized directions.

Use it when: Use this early in a project or problem-solving cycle when a group needs a broad range of creative options before selecting a path forward.

Skip it when: Skip this when the team already has an abundance of competing proposals, when rigid technical constraints leave only one possible option, or when immediate execution planning is required.

Group arrangement: Individual silent generation followed by table groups of 3 to 5, then whole-room clustering

Timing: Participatory Methods specifies 30 to 60 minutes for 6 to 20 people; this 45-minute plan balances divergent writing, thorough clustering, and voting.

Materials and tools

• 1 pad of 3x3 inch sticky notes per person (in-person)
• 1 dark marker per person (in-person)
• 2 flip chart stands with paper or 1 large whiteboard (in-person)
• Masking tape (if mounting paper to walls)
• Dot stickers (3 per person, for purely in-person delivery)
• Online whiteboard platform (such as Miro or Mural, for remote and hybrid)
• Digital voting pins or dot stamps (3 per person on the digital platform)
• 1 countdown timer for the facilitator

Before participants arrive

1. Post the central challenge question in prominent block letters at the front of the room and on the digital canvas.
2. Distribute sticky note pads and markers to each seat, or prepare digital note templates on the shared online whiteboard.
3. Clear central wall space or configure the plenary frame on the virtual board for clustering.

Say this to open

Today we are tackling our challenge question: How can we address this prompt? Our primary goal is quantity without debate. We will observe four core rules: defer all judgment whether praising or criticizing, aim for sheer volume, put one clear thought on each note, and build freely on the ideas of others. Clarifying questions about the prompt are welcome right now; evaluation happens later.

How to run it

1. Introduce rules and challenge question 5 minutes

   Read the challenge question aloud and deliver the opening script. Check that everyone understands the scope of the challenge. Answer clarifying questions about scope, holding back any discussion of specific solutions.

2. Generate individual ideas 8 minutes

   Ask participants to write their ideas silently on sticky notes, one complete thought per note. Offer a neutral example: if the prompt is about workplace waste, write 'install reusable mug station' rather than merely 'mugs'. Call out the time remaining at 4 minutes and 2 minutes.

3. Share and post in small groups 10 minutes

   Divide participants into subgroups of 3 to 5. In-person tables read their notes aloud to their table and mount them on a table flip chart sheet. Remote breakout rooms read their notes aloud and group them on their designated breakout board section. Group members may write and post new notes immediately whenever another person's idea sparks a thought.

4. Cluster notes into themes 12 minutes

   Bring table sheets to the central wall, or shift focus to the shared digital canvas. Invite 2 volunteers from each small group to move similar notes together under broad category headings (such as Policy, Communications, or Physical Setup). Remote volunteers move digital notes on the shared canvas in parallel. The rest of the room observes, pointing out duplicate concepts or natural groupings.

5. Prioritize with dot voting 5 minutes

   Give each in-person participant 3 dot stickers, or remind remote participants to use 3 digital voting pins on the shared canvas. Instruct everyone to place their 3 votes on the individual ideas or clusters they find most viable or promising. Participants may place all 3 on one card or distribute them across three separate notes.

6. Debrief and next steps 5 minutes

   Review the categories and individual notes that received the most dots. Invite 2 or 3 participants to comment on notable patterns or surprises. Record the top 3 selected directions as the tangible output for immediate team follow-up.

Debrief questions

• Which high-vote idea surprised you the most, and why?
• Looking at the final board, where did building on someone else's idea lead to a novel option?
• What is one clear blind spot or missing theme across these clusters?

Finished output: A clustered board of participant-generated sticky notes arranged into labeled thematic categories, with top-priority directions marked by voting dots.

Remote

Run on an online whiteboard (such as Miro or Mural). Provide a frame displaying the central prompt and pre-formatted sticky notes. Participants write silently for 8 minutes, enter breakout rooms of 3 to 5 to read notes aloud and cluster local themes, then return to the main plenary where volunteers merge clusters into broad categories before everyone places 3 digital voting pins.

Hybrid

All participants use personal devices to post onto a single shared online whiteboard displayed on the physical room screen. Remote participants join a virtual breakout room to read notes aloud to each other while room tables speak locally. During whole-room clustering and voting, room and remote participants move digital notes and place digital voting pins simultaneously on the shared board.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may dictate ideas to a peer scribe, write by hand, or type notes into the shared workspace.
• Dot voting allows silent expression of preference without verbal defense.
• Any participant may pass during verbal sharing rounds or decline to place their voting dots without explanation.

If the session gets stuck

A participant evaluates or criticizes an idea during the generation phase.

Intervene immediately: 'Remember our guideline for this round: all evaluation is paused. Write down an alternative suggestion on a new note instead of assessing that one.'

Notes submitted are vague single words like 'training' or 'software'.

Remind the room mid-round: 'Make sure each note has an action verb and an object so anyone reading it later understands the exact proposal.'

Terms used here

• Divergent thinking: A style of thinking aimed at generating many varied possibilities rather than searching for one single correct answer.
• Dot voting: A lightweight prioritization tool where participants place a set quota of adhesive dots or digital stamps on their preferred items.