Responses to NO
Responses to NO 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
- Print the list of the Meanings of "NO" either onto table tents or strips of paper and spread around the
- Have participants around the room read from their table tents what it means when they hear no, and give
- an example of the last time they were rejected in a business situation or even better, have them share in pairs or People Science teams a rejection story!
- Logistics Printed list of the "Meanings of NO" Cool Possibilities/Options In small groups first talk about examples of how ideas brought up are "shut down" in the work place.
- People Science Data Capture If you have people share their rejection stories, you might want to consider them if you are trying to overcome barriers as a group.
- 15 minutes, audience education, big picture, informative, innovation, not taking no for an answer, passive, perspective, rejection, small groups, water cooler talk 333 Source Seth Godin THE MEANINGS OF NOWhat NO means , m too busy.
Run this exercise live
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Materials:
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Prompts to use +
Print the list of the Meanings of "NO" either onto table tents or strips of paper and spread around the
Have participants around the room read from their table tents what it means when they hear no, and give
an example of the last time they were rejected in a business situation or even better, have them share in pairs or People Science teams a rejection story!
Logistics Printed list of the "Meanings of NO" Cool Possibilities/Options In small groups first talk about examples of how ideas brought up are "shut down" in the work place.
People Science Data Capture If you have people share their rejection stories, you might want to consider them if you are trying to overcome barriers as a group.
15 minutes, audience education, big picture, informative, innovation, not taking no for an answer, passive, perspective, rejection, small groups, water cooler talk 333 Source Seth Godin THE MEANINGS OF NOWhat NO means , m too busy.
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: Responses to NO. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Print the list of the Meanings of "NO" either onto table tents or strips of paper and spread around the; Have participants around the room read from their table tents what it means when they hear no, and give; an example of the last time they were rejected in a business situation or even better, have them share in pairs or People Science teams a rejection story!; Logistics Printed list of the "Meanings of NO" Cool Possibilities/Options In small groups first talk about examples of how ideas brought up are "shut down" in the work place.. 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.