Carousel

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Collect and synthesize participant facts and viewpoints across several questions on a single topic.

Use it when: Use during discovery or framing when a single topic splits into several distinct sub-questions that need whole-group input.

Skip it when: Skip when the topic requires sequential problem-solving where later answers depend strictly on earlier answers.

Group arrangement: 4 equal teams of 2 to 6 people, rotating through 4 physical stations.

Timing: Evidence specifies 15 to 60 minutes with 2 to 3 minutes per station and 5 to 10 minutes of review; 25 minutes accommodates a standard 4-station rotation.

Materials and tools

• 4 flipchart sheets or wall poster pads
• 1 roll of low-residue painter tape
• 4 pads of self-adhesive notes (76 x 76 mm)
• 12 to 24 chisel-tip felt markers
• 1 countdown timer
• 1 shared digital whiteboard tool (for remote or hybrid delivery)
• 1 laptop or internet-connected device per remote attendee and 1 laptop per in-person station (for hybrid delivery)

Before participants arrive

1. Identify 4 focused sub-questions about the core topic using what, when, or how phrasing.
2. Write one question at the top of each of the 4 flipchart sheets.
3. Tape the 4 sheets spaced around the room perimeter to prevent sound bleed between stations.
4. Place a pad of sticky notes and markers beside each flipchart.
5. For hybrid setups, place one laptop running the digital whiteboard at each physical station.

Say this to open

We have posted four questions around the room to explore different facets of our topic. You will work in small groups and rotate through all four stations on a strict timer. At each stop, read what is already posted, then write your group's facts, ideas, or observations on sticky notes and post them. Write legibly so the next team can build on your notes.

How to run it

1. Form teams and orient to stations 3 minutes

   Group participants into 4 teams (2 to 6 people per team). If the count does not divide evenly, distribute spare participants so all teams remain between 2 and 6. Assign each team to one starting station. Read aloud each station's question to verify understanding before starting the timer.

2. Rotate through station prompts 12 minutes

   Run 4 rotations of 3 minutes each. Teams discuss the question at their current station and post sticky notes with their facts, examples, or opinions. For example, if the prompt asks 'What causes delay in intake?', write 'Missing signature on referral form' rather than a vague note like 'bad forms'. At the 3-minute chime, call rotation. All teams move clockwise to the next station, read what previous groups wrote, and add new points or build on existing notes. Conclude when all 4 groups have visited all 4 stations.

3. Gallery walk review 6 minutes

   Allow participants to walk freely between all 4 stations individually or in pairs. Have them read the accumulated contributions across the room and note points of strong consensus, contradictions, or unexpected patterns.

4. Debrief core insights 4 minutes

   Gather the whole room. Call on 2 or 3 participants to highlight notable commonalities or surprises observed across the posters. Document these recurring points on a central board.

Debrief questions

• Which themes or ideas appeared consistently across multiple stations?
• Where did you notice clear differences of opinion or conflicting data?
• What missing angle or unanswered question should we investigate next?

Finished output: Four completed station flipcharts filled with categorized participant observations, plus a synthesized list of cross-cutting themes.

Remote

Create a shared virtual whiteboard with 4 designated frames corresponding to the 4 questions. Assign participants into 4 breakout rooms. At the start of each 3-minute round, direct each breakout room to work on a specific frame, rotating frame numbers clockwise every 3 minutes. Return to the main room for a 6-minute silent reading gallery walk on the board, followed by verbal debrief.

Hybrid

Maintain exactly 4 stations. Set up a physical flipchart and a dedicated station laptop showing the matching frame on the shared digital whiteboard at each station. Assign remote participants into virtual breakout teams or integrate them into in-person station pods via the station laptops. The in-person team scribe enters physical sticky notes onto the digital frame, and transcribes remote chat sticky notes onto the physical flipchart so both cohorts see identical boards.

Access and participation choices

• Participants can post handwritten sticky notes, contribute verbally to a group scribe, or observe quietly.
• Provide chairs at each station or designate a seated base where a participant receives digital duplicates or station prompts brought over by a partner.
• Any participant may opt out of speaking during station discussions without explanation.

If the session gets stuck

Groups spend the entire 3 minutes reading previous notes and run out of time to post their own.

Instruct groups to assign one reader who scans aloud immediately upon arrival while others prepare markers.

Later groups find that all obvious answers are already on the sheet.

Direct incoming groups to add concrete examples, nuance, edge cases, or counter-arguments to existing notes rather than trying to invent brand-new broad categories.

Terms used here

• Gallery walk: An unstructured period where participants walk around the room reading posted charts like exhibits in an art gallery.