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Exercises/Divergent Ideation/Sound for the Source
Ideation Warm-Up ยท Divergent Ideation

Sound for the Source

Sound for the Source 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
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. Place participants in small people science groups or random small groups of two to five
  2. Give each group a topic of content piece that is representative of the gathering
  3. Sound for the Source Timing 5 15 minutes Purpose/Objectives Quick Description Using the natural sounds of groups of people, create a Symphony of possibilities Process Place participants in small people science groups or random small groups of two to five.
  4. After each group shares their noise, in most collaborations, folks are trying to work together in harmony.
  5. As you get better, try to create a song" then do it in a round!.
  6. People Science Data Capture Not recommended for this exercise Tags 5 15 minutes, energizer, fun, music, small groups, sounds 369
  7. Using the natural sounds of groups of people, create a Symphony of possibilities
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 +

Place participants in small people science groups or random small groups of two to five

Give each group a topic of content piece that is representative of the gathering

Sound for the Source Timing 5 15 minutes Purpose/Objectives Quick Description Using the natural sounds of groups of people, create a Symphony of possibilities Process Place participants in small people science groups or random small groups of two to five.

After each group shares their noise, in most collaborations, folks are trying to work together in harmony.

As you get better, try to create a song" then do it in a round!.

People Science Data Capture Not recommended for this exercise Tags 5 15 minutes, energizer, fun, music, small groups, sounds 369

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: Sound for the Source. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Place participants in small people science groups or random small groups of two to five; Give each group a topic of content piece that is representative of the gathering; Sound for the Source Timing 5 15 minutes Purpose/Objectives Quick Description Using the natural sounds of groups of people, create a Symphony of possibilities Process Place participants in small people science groups or random small groups of two to five.; After each group shares their noise, in most collaborations, folks are trying to work together in harmony.. 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