The Emperor’s Thumb
The Emperor’s Thumb 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
- Have participants show their approval for any given project, or module, or anything else you may ask of them with a show of their thumbs
- The Emperor's Thumb Timing <5 minutes Purpose/Objectives - Quick Description Get feedback - Roman Emperor style! Process Roman emperors decided on the fates of their gladiators with a simple thumbs up or thumbs down. Have participants show their approval for any given project, or module, or anything else you may ask of them with a show of their thumbs. Cool Possibilities/Options Use a softer gauge than straight up or down. Have a "thumb dial" where the more upright it is, the closer. to approval, the lower it is, the less so. Have those with thumbs less than straight up voice their concerns DIRECTLY with the speakers at a later. time so as not to distract the whole group People Science Data Capture Not recommended Tags <5 minutes, facilitation tool, feedback, front of the room, fun, roman, thumbs Source 8QNQRZQ 396
- Cool Possibilities/Options Use a softer gauge than straight up or down.
- Have a "thumb dial" where the more upright it is, the closer.
- Have those with thumbs less than straight up voice their concerns DIRECTLY with the speakers at a later.
- time so as not to distract the whole group People Science Data Capture Not recommended Tags <5 minutes, facilitation tool, feedback, front of the room, fun, roman, thumbs Source 8QNQRZQ 396
Run this exercise live
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What participants need now
Materials:
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Prompts to use +
Have participants show their approval for any given project, or module, or anything else you may ask of them with a show of their thumbs
The Emperor's Thumb Timing <5 minutes Purpose/Objectives - Quick Description Get feedback - Roman Emperor style! Process Roman emperors decided on the fates of their gladiators with a simple thumbs up or thumbs down. Have participants show their approval for any given project, or module, or anything else you may ask of them with a show of their thumbs. Cool Possibilities/Options Use a softer gauge than straight up or down. Have a "thumb dial" where the more upright it is, the closer. to approval, the lower it is, the less so. Have those with thumbs less than straight up voice their concerns DIRECTLY with the speakers at a later. time so as not to distract the whole group People Science Data Capture Not recommended Tags <5 minutes, facilitation tool, feedback, front of the room, fun, roman, thumbs Source 8QNQRZQ 396
Cool Possibilities/Options Use a softer gauge than straight up or down.
Have a "thumb dial" where the more upright it is, the closer.
Have those with thumbs less than straight up voice their concerns DIRECTLY with the speakers at a later.
time so as not to distract the whole group People Science Data Capture Not recommended Tags <5 minutes, facilitation tool, feedback, front of the room, fun, roman, thumbs Source 8QNQRZQ 396
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: The Emperor’s Thumb. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Have participants show their approval for any given project, or module, or anything else you may ask of them with a show of their thumbs; The Emperor's Thumb Timing <5 minutes Purpose/Objectives - Quick Description Get feedback - Roman Emperor style! Process Roman emperors decided on the fates of their gladiators with a simple thumbs up or thumbs down. Have participants show their approval for any given project, or module, or anything else you may ask of them with a show of their thumbs. Cool Possibilities/Options Use a softer gauge than straight up or down. Have a "thumb dial" where the more upright it is, the closer. to approval, the lower it is, the less so. Have those with thumbs less than straight up voice their concerns DIRECTLY with the speakers at a later. time so as not to distract the whole group People Science Data Capture Not recommended Tags <5 minutes, facilitation tool, feedback, front of the room, fun, roman, thumbs Source 8QNQRZQ 396; Cool Possibilities/Options Use a softer gauge than straight up or down.; Have a "thumb dial" where the more upright it is, the closer.. 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.