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Exercises/Divergent Ideation/Participatory SWOT Analysis
Ideation Warm-Up · Divergent Ideation

Participatory SWOT Analysis

Participatory SWOT Analysis is an ideation warm-up exercise for divergent ideation: it helps participants open up more possible ideas before choosing a direction.

5 to 15 minutesTIME
Medium group (9-25)GROUP SIZE
ActiveENERGY
In person, RemoteSETTING
High 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. Explain the purpose of the analysis and how each category contributes to a comprehensive view.
  2. Strengths: Internal aspects that create an advantage.
  3. Weaknesses: Internal factors that hinder success.
  4. Opportunities: External factors that can be leveraged.
  5. Threats: External risks that could have a negative impact.
  6. Divide the group into small teams, assigning each a quadrant.
  7. Ask each team to reflect on their quadrant and write ideas on sticky notes or in a list.
  8. Gather each team’s ideas and complete the overall matrix (on a board, large paper, or digital tool).
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 +

Explain the purpose of the analysis and how each category contributes to a comprehensive view.

Strengths: Internal aspects that create an advantage.

Threats: External risks that could have a negative impact.

Ask each team to reflect on their quadrant and write ideas on sticky notes or in a list.

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: Participatory SWOT Analysis. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Explain the purpose of the analysis and how each category contributes to a comprehensive view.; Strengths: Internal aspects that create an advantage.; Threats: External risks that could have a negative impact.; Ask each team to reflect on their quadrant and write ideas on sticky notes or in a list.. 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 Participatory Methods; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including Participatory Methods.)
  • 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