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Exercises/Divergent Ideation/Crazy 8
Visual Thinking · Divergent Ideation

Crazy 8

Inspired by the Crazy 8’s method, participants are challenged to sketch or outline eight different ideas in eight minutes.

5 to 15 minutesTIME
Medium group (9-25), PairsGROUP SIZE
ActiveENERGY
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 goal: to generate eight unique ideas in eight minutes, with one idea in each section of the sheet.
  2. Reassure participants that artistic skills aren’t necessary; simple sketches or symbols will suffice to convey ideas.
  3. Create a safe and supportive environment, emphasizing that there are no wrong ideas.
  4. Instruct participants to fold their sheet into eight equal sections or draw lines to divide it into eight boxes.
  5. Participants must fill each section with a different idea, aiming for as much variety as possible.
  6. When the timer ends, participants stop sketching regardless of progress.
  7. Allow participants to share their ideas with the group, fostering discussion and feedback.
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 goal: to generate eight unique ideas in eight minutes, with one idea in each section of the sheet.

Create a safe and supportive environment, emphasizing that there are no wrong ideas.

Instruct participants to fold their sheet into eight equal sections or draw lines to divide it into eight boxes.

When the timer ends, participants stop sketching regardless of progress.

Allow participants to share their ideas with the group, fostering discussion and feedback.

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: Crazy 8. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Explain the goal: to generate eight unique ideas in eight minutes, with one idea in each section of the sheet.; Create a safe and supportive environment, emphasizing that there are no wrong ideas.; Instruct participants to fold their sheet into eight equal sections or draw lines to divide it into eight boxes.; When the timer ends, participants stop sketching regardless of progress.. 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. (1 source observed, including Participatory Methods.)
  • 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