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Exercises/Divergent Ideation/Luck in an Envelope
Adventure Initiative ยท Divergent Ideation

Luck in an Envelope

Luck in an Envelope is an adventure initiative exercise for divergent ideation: it helps participants open up more possible ideas before choosing a direction.

5 to 15 minutesTIME
Small group (4-8)GROUP SIZE
BalancedENERGY
In person, RemoteSETTING
Low 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. It is up to you about what to put in the envelope, but it should contain very brief instructions on what they are supposed to do
  2. Choose the content of the envelopes
  3. Give one envelope to one person in each of the PS groups
  4. Luck in an Envelope Timing 60 180 minutes Purpose/Objectives Quick Description Using a little bit of mystery, give groups an adventure outlined in a sealed envelope.
  5. Encourage them to open it only after each group is separate from the others.
  6. Logistics (QYHORSHV Ideas relevant to your gathering Cash or other elements necessary to go with your ideas Cool Possibilities/Options Have a projector set up to display the photos from each group's tasks when they return.
  7. Invite to a start-up office to get a tour of their operation.
  8. 227 Invite to actually work at a different company/in...
  9. Using a little bit of mystery, give groups an adventure outlined in a sealed envelope.
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 +

Choose the content of the envelopes

Give one envelope to one person in each of the PS groups

Luck in an Envelope Timing 60 180 minutes Purpose/Objectives Quick Description Using a little bit of mystery, give groups an adventure outlined in a sealed envelope.

Encourage them to open it only after each group is separate from the others.

Logistics (QYHORSHV Ideas relevant to your gathering Cash or other elements necessary to go with your ideas Cool Possibilities/Options Have a projector set up to display the photos from each group's tasks when they return.

Invite to a start-up office to get a tour of their operation.

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: Luck in an Envelope. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Choose the content of the envelopes; Give one envelope to one person in each of the PS groups; Luck in an Envelope Timing 60 180 minutes Purpose/Objectives Quick Description Using a little bit of mystery, give groups an adventure outlined in a sealed envelope.; Encourage them to open it only after each group is separate from the others.. 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.

Pairs well with