Design Storyboards

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Map out a visual, step-by-step facilitation architecture for a meeting, specifying group configurations, microstructures, timings, and backup tactics.

Use it when: When planning high-stakes meetings, workshops, or reviews where standard open discussion or static slide presentations usually produce passive attendance or run over time.

Skip it when: When an immediate operational crisis requires instant unilateral command or when the meeting format is already locked by legal or formal governance rules.

Group arrangement: Working in pairs or small groups of 3 to 4 people, with rapid 1-2-All sharing cycles.

Timing: UWT 50-minute format based on the source basic range of 25 to 70 minutes.

Materials and tools

• Scratch paper (1 sheet per person)
• One blank storyboard grid template per subgroup or pair (printed on 11x17 paper or drawn on flip chart paper)
• 1 pad of 2x4-inch sticky notes per subgroup
• 2 black markers per subgroup
• Wall tape for mounting templates
• Liberating Structures card decks or menu sheets (optional reference)

Before participants arrive

1. Draw the storyboard grid headers on flip-chart paper or hang pre-printed template sheets on the wall.
2. Place scratch paper, sticky notes, and markers at each design station.

Say this to open

Most meetings fail because the structure is invisible or left to chance. Today we are designing a concrete storyboard for an upcoming meeting or workshop. In pairs and small groups, you will map out exact steps, group configurations, timing, and backup methods so people can interact productively.

How to run it

1. Define purpose and baseline 5 minutes

   Explain the goal: map an upcoming session step by step. Have each participant write down on scratch paper the primary purpose of the target meeting and the standard format typically used for it (for example, a 60-minute presentation with open Q&A).

2. Critique and refine purpose 8 minutes

   Participants form pairs or trios. Critique the baseline format against the stated purpose. Identify where the standard approach fails (such as only one person talking or no clear action items). Refine the purpose statement onto a single sticky note placed at the top of the storyboard template.

3. Identify participants and roles 5 minutes

   Pairs determine who must attend to make the meeting effective. Clarify required voices versus optional observers. Write attendee categories on sticky notes and place them under the target audience header.

4. Design core sequence 10 minutes

   Break the meeting into 2 to 4 sequential steps. For each step, pairs brainstorm which microstructure or interaction format (such as silent writing, pairs, or small table breakouts) serves that step's specific purpose. Enter the time, group size, physical or digital space setup, and instructions on the storyboard grid.

5. Add facilitators and backup plans 10 minutes

   For each planned step, write down one designated facilitator and one concrete backup plan (for example, switching from individual spoken sharing to written cards if time runs low). Add evaluation questions in the designated column on the storyboard to measure whether each step achieved its goal.

6. Review storyboards across pairs 7 minutes

   Pairs post their storyboards on the wall. Conduct a silent gallery walk where participants circulate to inspect other boards and add sticky-note comments about timing realism or alternative backup ideas. For groups with 8 or fewer people, replace the silent walk with 1-minute verbal pitches per pair.

7. Debrief design insights 5 minutes

   Facilitator poses the debrief questions to the full room. Up to 3 participants share one backup plan or timing adjustment they made based on peer feedback.

Debrief questions

• Which transition between meeting steps looks most fragile or likely to run out of time?
• What is one specific backup plan you established if an exercise stalls?
• Does every required voice have an active role rather than just a seat in the room?

Finished output: A fully populated storyboard chart detailing session steps, microstructures, timing, group sizes, facilitator assignments, and backup plans for an upcoming meeting.

Remote

Display a shared digital whiteboard or spreadsheet divided into the storyboard columns. Place attendees into breakout rooms of 2 to 4 people. Each group fills out their assigned storyboard frame using digital cards.

Hybrid

Provide a shared online spreadsheet or whiteboard grid mirror to both in-person and remote participants. Pair in-person members together at wall charts and remote members into video breakout rooms with shared access to the digital board.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may write silently on sticky notes or offer ideas verbally to a partner.
• Anyone may pass on speaking during the whole-room sharing rounds.
• Groups can sketch simple icons or stick figures instead of writing long descriptions.

If the session gets stuck

Participants plan an agenda that is entirely presentations with ten minutes of Q&A at the end.

Prompt the team to identify which microstructures break the presentation into pairs or small-group sensemaking every ten to fifteen minutes.

Groups run out of template space trying to plan multi-day events.

Direct them to design only the first 90-minute block or single key session today.

Terms used here

• microstructure: A specific, small-scale interaction format or facilitation method (such as 1-2-4-All or a small breakout) that dictates how people interact.
• storyboard: A visual step-by-step grid mapping out time, space, grouping, facilitator roles, and interaction patterns for a session.