Concerns in a Hat
Concerns in a Hat is an ideation warm-up exercise for divergent ideation: it helps participants open up more possible ideas before choosing a direction.
How to run it
- Distribute a sheet of paper note card, etc
- Instruct them to anonymously write a worry or concern that they have
- After everyone is done writing a concern/worry LQFOXGLQJ the leaders , collect each sheet into a large hat Shuffle the sheets and pass out one per person
- Take turns reading one concern aloud, and each reader should attempt to explain what the person who wrote the concern means
- Do not allow any sort of comments on what the reader said
- Simply listen and go on to the next reader
- After all concerns have been read and elaborated, discuss as a whole group what some of the common concerns were
Run this exercise live
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Prompts to use +
Distribute a sheet of paper note card, etc
Instruct them to anonymously write a worry or concern that they have
After everyone is done writing a concern/worry LQFOXGLQJ the leaders , collect each sheet into a large hat Shuffle the sheets and pass out one per person
Take turns reading one concern aloud, and each reader should attempt to explain what the person who wrote the concern means
Do not allow any sort of comments on what the reader said
Simply listen and go on to the next reader
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: Concerns in a Hat. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Distribute a sheet of paper note card, etc; Instruct them to anonymously write a worry or concern that they have; After everyone is done writing a concern/worry LQFOXGLQJ the leaders , collect each sheet into a large hat Shuffle the sheets and pass out one per person; Take turns reading one concern aloud, and each reader should attempt to explain what the person who wrote the concern means. 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 Relationship Makers Handbook; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including Relationship Makers Handbook.)
- 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.