Draw a Cup

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Demonstrate how default perspectives limit problem framing by showing how often people sketch an identical object from an identical side angle.

Use it when: Use before problem-solving, brainstorming, or reframing sessions when a team approaches challenges from only one familiar angle.

Skip it when: Skip when the group needs immediate technical execution or when sketching exercises create unneeded resistance for an analytical task.

Group arrangement: Individual drawing followed by small groups of 2 to 4, closing with whole-room debrief.

Timing: 15 minutes matches the upper bound of the 5 to 15 minute range in Relationship Makers Handbook.

Materials and tools

• 2 blank index cards or sheets of paper per participant
• 1 black pen or marker per participant
• 1 room timer
• Optional digital whiteboard or photo-sharing space for remote participants

Before participants arrive

1. Place two blank sheets of paper and one marker at every seat.
2. Ensure all participants have a flat writing surface.

Say this to open

Take the first sheet of paper in front of you. You have ninety seconds. Draw a coffee cup. Do not overthink it. Just draw a cup.

How to run it

1. Draw first cup 2 minutes

   Say the opening script. Start the timer for 90 seconds. Participants draw silently on their first sheet. Call time when the clock hits zero.

2. Compare initial perspectives 3 minutes

   Have participants hold up their drawings at the same time. Ask the room to look around and notice similarities. Point out common patterns without judgment, such as how many people drew the cup from eye level from the side, with a handle on the right or left.

3. Draw second cup 3 minutes

   Instruct participants to take their second sheet: 'Now draw a coffee cup again, but this time be creative. You have two minutes.' Start the timer. Call time after two minutes.

4. Compare second drawings 3 minutes

   Ask participants to show their second drawings in groups of 2 to 4. For odd group counts like 5, make one group of 3 and one pair. Have them check whether they changed the physical vantage point, such as looking directly top-down or bottom-up, or if they kept the side view and added decorations, steam, or logos.

5. Debrief vantage points 4 minutes

   Call the full group together. Ask for a quick show of hands on how many changed viewing angles versus decorating the side view. Then take 2 volunteer comments on how this pattern applies to workplace problems.

Debrief questions

• By a quick show of hands, who kept the side view and added decoration, and who changed the actual camera angle?
• Why is our default reaction to 'be creative' focused on decorating an existing frame rather than shifting vantage point?
• Where in our current work are we examining a problem from only one standard angle?

Finished output: Two quick drawings per participant revealing default viewpoints and variations in visual perspective.

Remote

Participants use their own paper and markers. On cue, everyone holds their sketch to their webcam. Alternatively, participants take a phone photo and paste it onto a shared digital whiteboard canvas.

Hybrid

In-person participants hold drawings toward the room camera while remote participants hold theirs to webcams or post to the shared digital whiteboard. The facilitator calls out contrasting angles from both groups.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may write bullet points describing an unusual viewing angle instead of sketching.
• Any participant may observe without displaying their drawing.

If the session gets stuck

Participants feel self-conscious about drawing ability.

State clearly that this exercise examines vantage points, not artistic skill. Simple stick lines and rough outlines are completely acceptable.

In round two, participants merely add steam, faces, or brand logos without changing perspective.

Use this as the core learning point. Point out that people usually decorate familiar frames rather than changing their physical or conceptual viewpoint.

Terms used here

• Vantage point: The physical position or viewing angle from which an object or problem is observed.