Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: 94a245a9cbaa19c75e8dd155646d2b3b3051c3031ed4f74ba7cf5b3bef6e01e8

# Micro Goals Workshop

Teams take one overarching goal and decompose it into bite-sized, fifteen-minute to one-day tasks. They then prioritize the tasks, assign owners, and set clear review dates.

**Time:** 30 minutes. UWT suggested standard 30-minute allocation for team task breakdown.
**People:** 4 to 24. Working in project tables of 4 to 6 people. For uneven room counts, form groups of 3 or up to 7 so every person belongs to an active table.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Convert a single large goal into prioritized, actionable micro-tasks with assigned owners and deadlines.
**Use it when:** Use when a team feels overwhelmed by a major objective or struggles to maintain day-to-day momentum on long-term targets.
**Skip it when:** Skip when the strategic direction is unresolved or when the immediate need is open-ended problem exploration rather than task execution.

## Materials and tools

- 1 Micro-Goals Action Template per subgroup
- 1 pad of sticky notes (3x3 inch) per person
- 1 fine-point marker per person
- Wall space or tabletop space for sorting sticky notes
- 1 visible countdown timer

## Before participants arrive

1. Write the overarching goal (BHAG) clearly on a board visible to all participants.
2. Distribute sticky notes, markers, and one Micro-Goals Action Template to each table of 4 to 6 people.

## Say this to open

Big goals can feel paralyzing when we only look at the finish line. Today we will break our major objective into micro-goals: concrete actions small enough to finish in fifteen minutes to a few hours. Each person will write specific tasks, we will sort the top priorities, and assign real owners and deadlines.

## How to run it

### 1. Clarify the target (4 minutes)

Facilitator delivers the opening script and confirms the room understands the target goal. Subgroups take two minutes to discuss or type what success looks like for that target. Remote participants can post in digital chat or directly on the shared board. Anyone who prefers to pass on speaking may listen or contribute notes in writing.

### 2. Generate micro-tasks (7 minutes)

Working silently, participants write one discrete, small action per sticky note. Tasks should be doable in 15 minutes to one day. Example: 'Draft 3 bullet points for the project announcement email' instead of 'Launch project'. Aim for 3 to 5 notes per person.

### 3. Cluster and prioritize (9 minutes)

Teams place notes on their table or wall. Group members cluster duplicates and pick the 3 to 5 highest-impact immediate steps that unblock the rest. If stuck, rank them by what can be finished before the end of the week.

### 4. Assign owners and schedule reviews (6 minutes)

Teams transfer their top prioritized tasks onto the Micro-Goals Action Template. Each task must have exactly one named owner and a specific completion date. The group then records a recurring review date and time on their template and adds it to their shared calendar.

### 5. Group debrief (4 minutes)

Facilitator calls on one representative from up to three groups to share one micro-goal and its deadline. Conduct debrief with the whole room.


## Debrief questions

- Which micro-goal on your sheet will remove the biggest blocker once finished?
- What criteria will you use in your recurring review to decide if a task should be dropped or revised?

**Finished output:** A completed Micro-Goals Action Template per subgroup listing prioritized small tasks, single owners, deadlines, and a scheduled review cadence.

## Remote

Use a shared digital canvas with columns for Idea, Priority Micro-Goals, Owner, and Deadline. Participants type tasks on virtual sticky notes during the silent writing phase, then drag top priorities into the template.

## Hybrid

Keep in-person and remote participants together in hybrid tables using a shared digital board, or form distinct all-remote and all-in-person tables. Remote participants edit the digital template directly while in-person groups transcribe physical stickies to the shared doc.

## Access and participation choices

- Offer typing on digital boards or writing on physical stickies depending on individual motor preference.
- Volunteering to own a micro-goal is optional; participants may contribute task ideas without being required to take personal task ownership.

## If the session gets stuck

**Participants write massive milestones instead of micro-tasks (e.g., 'Build database').**

Intervene and ask: 'What is the very first 15-minute action you take to start that?' Have them rewrite it as that initial step.

**A subgroup assigns multiple owners to one task, creating diffusion of responsibility.**

Require exactly one primary driver per task, even if others support.


## Terms used here

- BHAG: Big Hairy Audacious Goal; an ambitious, long-term strategic objective.
- Micro-goal: A small, self-contained action step completed in a short timeframe to build forward momentum.

## Participant material: Micro-Goals Action Template

Overall Target Goal:

Prioritized Micro-Task (Under 1 day effort) | Single Owner | Deadline | Completed (Y/N)
1. ________________________________________ | ____________ | ________ | [ ]
2. ________________________________________ | ____________ | ________ | [ ]
3. ________________________________________ | ____________ | ________ | [ ]
4. ________________________________________ | ____________ | ________ | [ ]
5. ________________________________________ | ____________ | ________ | [ ]

Recurring Progress Review Date/Time: ________________________

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in WorkshopBank newsletter article 'Micro-Goals: The Power of Small Steps to Achieve Big Things' (July 22, 2023).

Retained the core 5-step logic from WorkshopBank (identify target, break into micro tasks, prioritize, assign responsibilities/deadlines, schedule review). Added standard 30-minute timing structure, participant worksheet, silent generation mechanic to ensure equal voice, and hybrid adjustments.

[WorkshopBank](https://workshopbank.com/micro-goals)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/micro-goals-the-power-of-small-steps-to-achieve-big-things-workshopbank/