Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: 19e686a6971b06ed8d11e0972b0569ef4c9e395004d77ad105000a94d4284d8d

# Bogglestorm

Participants write rapid individual responses to a focused question, then cross off duplicate answers during a structured read-aloud. Each person counts their remaining unique responses to identify novel ideas and select entries for group discussion.

**Time:** 20 minutes. UWT 20-minute allocation adapted from the source framegame format to allow complete scoring for groups up to 24.
**People:** 4 to 24. Individual silent generation followed by whole-room scoring and validation.

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Generate a wide pool of distinct ideas while identifying novel responses that others missed.
**Use it when:** Use this during problem identification, post-training reviews, or team brainstorming when standard discussions stall or only a few vocal voices speak up.
**Skip it when:** Skip when the challenge requires an intricate, multi-step proposal rather than discrete, concise items.

## Materials and tools

- 1 sheet of paper per participant
- 1 pen or pencil per participant
- 1 countdown timer
- 1 whiteboard or digital flipchart for final capture

## Before participants arrive

1. Prepare and display one clear prompt requiring one-word or short-phrase answers.
2. Distribute paper and writing utensils to every participant.

## Say this to open

We are going to generate as many distinct answers as possible to one question. Work alone first. When time ends, you score points only for answers nobody else has written down. If someone else wrote your idea, cross it off. Aim for valid but less obvious angles.

## How to run it

### 1. Introduce prompt and rules (2 minutes)

Display the chosen prompt. Read the opening script. Explain the format: write short phrases or single words, one per line. Clarify that duplicate ideas across lists will cancel each other out later. For example, if the prompt is 'What barriers prevent timely communication between project teams?', acceptable entries include 'timezone gaps', 'unclear handoffs', or 'siloed tools'.

### 2. Individual silent generation (5 minutes)

Start the timer for 5 minutes. Participants write as many distinct answers as possible on their sheets without conferring. Stop writing immediately when the timer sounds.

### 3. Count and verify read-aloud (9 minutes)

Ask everyone to number their items. Call out numbers descending from 20 to find the person with the most items. Start a 9-minute timer. That leader reads each item aloud. Anyone holding a matching idea raises a hand, and all holders strike it off. Once the leader finishes, call for remaining uncrossed items from other participants around the room. Move in clockwise order, letting each person share one surviving item at a time while others strike matches, until the timer chimes.

### 4. Debrief and capture (4 minutes)

Each person tallies their remaining uncrossed items to find their final score. Identify the highest scorer. Record up to 5 top novel, insightful items on the whiteboard. Ask 1 or 2 debrief questions to examine common assumptions versus overlooked solutions.


## Debrief questions

- Which crossed-out items represent our most common default assumptions?
- Which unique idea offers an actionable approach we usually overlook?

**Finished output:** A vetted inventory of unique and common ideas on paper, with up to 5 top novel items transcribed to the group board.

## Remote

Run in an open video meeting. Participants write lists offline during the sprint. To establish the leader, participants type item counts in chat. The leader reads aloud item by item; others type 'match' in chat to eliminate duplicates. Afterward, call on participants with unread unique items in alphabetical order by first name to share one surviving item each while others type 'match' to cross out duplicates. Transcribe up to 5 surviving novel items into a shared document.

## Hybrid

In-person and remote participants write silently on local paper or documents. In-person participants show hand tallies while remote participants type counts in chat to identify the leader. The leader reads aloud. In-person members raise hands and remote members type 'match' to cancel duplicates. After the leader finishes, alternate turns between in-person participants (moving clockwise) and remote participants (alphabetical order by first name), letting each share one surviving item at a time until the step ends.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may use voice-to-text, typing, or an assigned scribe instead of handwriting.
- Observers are welcome to listen and participate in the debrief discussion, but their lists are not scored and their items do not eliminate others' duplicates.

## If the session gets stuck

**Participants debate whether two differently phrased items mean the same thing.**

Ask the room for a quick show of hands. If more than half consider them equivalent, strike both out.

**A participant lists overly broad concepts to cover every possible answer.**

Remind the room that vague items do not qualify if they fail to address the specific prompt, and ask the group to vote on borderline entries.


## Terms used here

- Framegame: An instructional game framework that stays the same while the facilitator swaps in different topics or prompt questions.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed in Thiagi GameLetter (February 2014), where the Bogglestorm framegame is credited to Khyati Kapai.

The raw issue container 'TGL: February 2014' compiles several distinct activities. This run sheet recovers 'Bogglestorm' by Khyati Kapai, retaining its individual brainstorming and Boggle-style duplicate elimination mechanic. UWT expanded the duration to 20 minutes to give Step 3 sufficient time (9 minutes) to verify items for groups up to 24. Added explicit countdown identification for the leader, clockwise and alphabetical turn-taking rules, hybrid alternation rules, aligned output wording, and accessibility options.

[thiagi.net](https://thiagi.net/archive/www/pfp/IE4H/february2014.html)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/tgl-february-2014/