Q Test
Q Test is an ideation warm-up exercise for divergent ideation: it helps participants open up more possible ideas before choosing a direction.
How to run it
- The group has five seconds in which to use the index finger of their dominant hand to draw a capital letter "Q" on their forehead
- The question then posed to the group is "Which side does your Q end on?" Some people draw the letter Q with the tail of the Q on the right-hand side of their forehead
- Other people draw the letter in a way that can be read by someone facing them, with the tail of the Q on the left side of their forehead
- This quick test provides a rough measure of "self-monitoring"
- High self-monitors tend to draw the letter Q in a way in which it could be seen by someone facing them
- Low self-monitors tend to draw the letter Q in a way in which it could be read by themselves
Run this exercise live
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Prompts to use +
The group has five seconds in which to use the index finger of their dominant hand to draw a capital letter "Q" on their forehead
The question then posed to the group is "Which side does your Q end on?" Some people draw the letter Q with the tail of the Q on the right-hand side of their forehead
Other people draw the letter in a way that can be read by someone facing them, with the tail of the Q on the left side of their forehead
This quick test provides a rough measure of "self-monitoring"
High self-monitors tend to draw the letter Q in a way in which it could be seen by someone facing them
Low self-monitors tend to draw the letter Q in a way in which it could be read by themselves
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: Q Test. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: The group has five seconds in which to use the index finger of their dominant hand to draw a capital letter "Q" on their forehead; The question then posed to the group is "Which side does your Q end on?" Some people draw the letter Q with the tail of the Q on the right-hand side of their forehead; Other people draw the letter in a way that can be read by someone facing them, with the tail of the Q on the left side of their forehead; This quick test provides a rough measure of "self-monitoring". 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.