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Exercises/Divergent Ideation/Magic Wand
Ideation Warm-Up ยท Divergent Ideation

Magic Wand

Quickly ascertain what is possible from groups of people with a simple magic wand. Learn about others' desires and frustrations.

5 to 15 minutesTIME
Pairs, Small group (4-8)GROUP SIZE
BalancedENERGY
In person, RemoteSETTING
Medium 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. Have them discuss why it is important to make the change
  2. Magic Wand Timing 15 30 minutes Purpose/Objectives Quick Description Quickly ascertain what is possible from groups of people with a simple magic wand.
  3. Cool Possibilities/Options Instead of a magic wand, have players discuss what they would change if they become the boss for a.
  4. 30 minutes, 5 15 minutes, exercise, icebreaker, small groups 231
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 +

Have them discuss why it is important to make the change

Magic Wand Timing 15 30 minutes Purpose/Objectives Quick Description Quickly ascertain what is possible from groups of people with a simple magic wand.

Cool Possibilities/Options Instead of a magic wand, have players discuss what they would change if they become the boss for a.

30 minutes, 5 15 minutes, exercise, icebreaker, small groups 231

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: Magic Wand. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Have them discuss why it is important to make the change; Magic Wand Timing 15 30 minutes Purpose/Objectives Quick Description Quickly ascertain what is possible from groups of people with a simple magic wand.; Cool Possibilities/Options Instead of a magic wand, have players discuss what they would change if they become the boss for a.; 30 minutes, 5 15 minutes, exercise, icebreaker, small groups 231. 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