SQUID

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Chart an inquiry visually by separating question generation from answer generation in rhythmic rounds.

Use it when: Use when an exploration is scattered, unorganized, or stalled by circular debate before core questions are mapped.

Skip it when: Skip when the group already has an agreed action plan and needs immediate execution rather than new inquiry.

Group arrangement: Independent working tables of 4 to 6 people each. Up to 8 people work as a single whole-room group. If participant counts leave an awkward remainder, form groups of 3 to 6 rather than exceeding 6 per wall.

Timing: Source recommends 30 minutes for optimum productivity. Steps sum to 30 minutes.

Materials and tools

• 1 pad of color A sticky notes (for questions) per table
• 1 pad of color B sticky notes (for answers) per table
• 1 pad of neutral color sticky notes (for center topic) per table
• 1 marker per participant
• Dry-erase markers or painter tape to draw branch lines
• Large whiteboard surface or 2 to 3 taped flip chart sheets per table
• Scratch paper pads for holding out-of-turn thoughts

Before participants arrive

1. Set up one wide board or taped flip chart station for each working group.
2. Place a neutral sticky note with the core inquiry topic in the center of each station.
3. Post a visible legend showing color A for questions and color B for answers.
4. Place sticky note pads, scratch paper, and markers at each station.

Say this to open

Today we are mapping our inquiry using SQUID: Sequential Question and Insight Diagram. We will separate our thinking into two distinct modes: generating questions, then offering short answers. Each round branches outward from what we post. Write only one brief idea per note. If an answer strikes you during a question round, hold it on your scratch paper until answer mode opens.

How to run it

1. Frame topic and post initial questions 7 minutes

   Read the opening script within the first minute. Participants spend 2 minutes working quietly at their tables writing initial questions on color A notes. For the remaining 4 minutes, participants post their notes around the center topic within their subgroup, reading the question aloud in 10 seconds or less and drawing a line from the center. For example, if the center is 'Improving team onboarding', a question might be 'What confuses new hires in week one?'.

2. Generate first-round answers 7 minutes

   Switch to answer mode. Participants work quietly for 2 minutes writing succinct candidate answers on color B notes. During the remaining 5 minutes, participants take turns placing notes next to relevant questions within their subgroup, drawing connecting lines. Each placement takes under 10 seconds. Multiple answers can attach to one question, and participants may add answers to other people's questions.

3. Branch into follow-up questions 6 minutes

   Switch back to question mode. Participants inspect the answers posted so far. Working quietly for 2 minutes, they write new follow-up questions prompted by those answers on color A notes. In the remaining 4 minutes, participants place their new questions adjacent to the corresponding answers, drawing connecting branch lines. Participants may also branch off earlier unresolved questions.

4. Review and map open paths 6 minutes

   Participants step back and examine their subgroup diagram together. In parallel at each table, groups spend 4 minutes identifying which branches reached clear insights and which branches left critical questions unanswered. For the final 2 minutes, one volunteer from each table states their group's single most critical open branch to the whole room.

5. Debrief inquiry patterns 4 minutes

   Facilitate a concise whole-room debrief using the prepared questions. Call on two or three volunteers to answer across the room to keep within time.

Debrief questions

• Which branch shifted our understanding the most between the first question and the latest notes?
• Where did our diagram branch deeply, and which areas remained completely blank?
• What is the single most urgent unanswered question left on the wall?

Finished output: A physical or digital branching tree of color-coded notes documenting explored ideas and priority open questions.

Remote

Create a digital whiteboard canvas with a central topic card, a color legend, and two digital note colors. Subgroups work in breakout rooms on their own canvas frames. Run the timed question and answer phases simultaneously across rooms. Participants use the board line tool to connect parent and child notes.

Hybrid

Maintain the inquiry map on a shared digital whiteboard. In-person participants work in room hubs with laptops or appoint one designated scribe per hub to mirror physical notes onto the digital canvas. Both remote and present participants view and interact with the same branching diagram in real time.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may post notes quietly without reading aloud by simply sticking them and connecting the line.
• High-contrast sticky note colors and large marker lettering assist participants with low vision.
• Participants may choose to review and connect lines without generating original notes.

If the session gets stuck

Participants write answers during a question round or questions during an answer round.

Point to the active legend. Ask the participant to jot the out-of-turn thought on scratch paper and save it for the matching round.

Notes contain full paragraphs that slow down reading and crowd the board.

Remind the room of the constraint: one phrase or single short sentence per note. Ask verbose authors to rewrite the core point into five words or fewer.

Terms used here

• SQUID: Sequential Question and Insight Diagram, an inquiry map that alternates rounds of questions and answers.