Wants and Wills

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Surface individual goals for the session alongside explicit personal commitments to support those goals.

Use it when: At the start of a collaborative workshop, retreat, or project kickoff where shared responsibility shapes the outcome.

Skip it when: Information-only presentations or compliance briefings where attendee input does not alter the agenda or group dynamics.

Group arrangement: Individual reflection followed by small table groups of 3 to 6 people. If remainder counts leave a pair, merge them into a group of 5 or 6.

Timing: Source specifies 5 to 15 minutes. This plan uses 15 minutes to allow individual writing, peer sharing, and room posting.

Materials and tools

• Index cards or sturdy paper slips (two per person)
• Pens or fine markers (one per person)
• Painter tape or masking tape (one roll per small group)
• Wall space or chart board labeled 'Wants' and 'Wills'
• Projector or room display (for hybrid format)

Before participants arrive

1. Label two wall sections or flip chart stands: 'What We Want' and 'What We Will Do'.
2. Place index cards and pens at each participant seat.
3. Distribute rolls of painter tape to each table.

Say this to open

To start our time together, we are taking stock of what each person hopes to gain and what each of us is ready to contribute. Please take two index cards. On your first card, write what you want to get out of this session. On your second card, write what you personally will do to make that happen.

How to run it

1. Introduce and write individually 4 minutes

   Deliver the opening script. Give everyone two quiet minutes to write directly on their cards. Prompt them to write one specific goal on card one ('Want') and one concrete personal action on card two ('Will'). A neutral example of a Want is 'Clear agreement on project milestones.' A corresponding Will is 'I will ask questions right away when an estimate feels unrealistic.' Signing names is optional.

2. Share in small groups 5 minutes

   Direct table groups of 3 to 6 people to share their cards. Each person takes up to one minute to read their cards aloud if they choose. Group members listen for common themes or complementary commitments. Anyone may pass on reading aloud without explanation.

3. Post cards to the wall 3 minutes

   Ask groups to walk their cards to the designated wall areas. Tape 'Wants' under the 'What We Want' header and 'Wills' under the 'What We Will Do' header. If a participant prefers to keep their card private, they may keep it at their seat.

4. Review and debrief 3 minutes

   Call attention to the posted cards. Ask the room two focused debrief questions. Invite two or three brief observations from volunteers before moving into the day agenda.

Debrief questions

• Looking at the Wills board, what is one action someone else listed that will help your own work today?
• What is one gap between what we want and what we committed to do that we should watch out for?

Finished output: A wall display of individual session desires alongside public commitments to support the group work.

Remote

Use an online whiteboard with two columns labeled 'Wants' and 'Wills'. Give participants two minutes to write directly onto two private digital sticky notes. Use breakout rooms of 3 to 4 people for 5 minutes, allowing each person up to one minute to share their cards aloud. Return to the main room, paste the notes onto the shared board, and review together.

Hybrid

In-person participants write on physical index cards while remote participants write on a shared online whiteboard. Project the online whiteboard onto a room screen so in-person attendees can see remote stickies. Point a room camera at the physical wall so remote attendees can read in-person cards. During whole-room debrief, invite one remote attendee and one in-person attendee to share an observation.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may dictate their cards to a partner, type into a personal device, or draw a symbol instead of writing text.
• Posting cards on the public wall is optional; individuals may keep their cards for personal reference without explanation.

If the session gets stuck

Participants write group demands instead of personal commitments for their 'Will' card (e.g., 'management must listen').

Remind the room that the 'Will' card describes an action fully within their own personal control today.

One person dominates the small-group sharing time.

Remind groups to keep to the strict one-minute per person round format and move to the next speaker when the minute ends.

Terms used here

• Want: An outcome, insight, or condition a person hopes to receive from the meeting.
• Will: A concrete personal behavior or contribution a person commits to provide during the meeting.