Wishes

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Collect and contrast participant expectations against the planned agenda at the start of a session.

Use it when: Use at the opening of a workshop, training session, or project kickoff to clarify goals and reconcile divergent expectations.

Skip it when: Skip during brief informational briefings, crisis responses, or tightly mandated technical sessions where the agenda cannot be adjusted or discussed.

Group arrangement: Individual writing followed by whole-room sharing for up to 12 people, or small groups of 3 (with pairs or groups of 4 to absorb remainders) for 13 to 24 people.

Timing: Source recommends 15 to 20 minutes. 20 minutes allows structured sharing for small groups in plenary or up to 24 people using parallel small groups.

Materials and tools

• 1 index card or sheet of paper per participant
• 1 pen or pencil per participant
• 1 flipchart pad or whiteboard
• 2 chisel-tip dry erase markers or flipchart markers
• Masking tape or clips for posting paper

Before participants arrive

1. Arrange seating in an open circle or horseshoe facing the board.
2. Draw two columns on the flipchart: 'In Scope' and 'Out of Scope / Parking Lot'.
3. Place paper and pens at every seat.

Say this to open

Welcome. Before we begin the program, we need to gather what you want out of our time together. Please take an index card. On one side, write your name and one fact about your current context or role that shapes why you are here. Below that, write three specific wishes: tangible things you want to learn, decide, or achieve by the end of this session.

How to run it

1. Introduce prompt and write individual wishes 5 minutes

   Explain the prompt using the opening script. Give participants 4 minutes of quiet time to write their context fact and three concrete wishes. An example of a clear wish is: 'I want an agreed deadline for project milestones.' An example of a vague wish is: 'I want good vibes.' Invite participants to finish writing before verbal sharing begins.

2. Share personal context and wishes 8 minutes

   For groups of 12 or fewer, go around the circle. Each person has up to 35 seconds to state their name, context fact, and three wishes. For groups of 13 to 24, split into groups of 3, forming groups of 4 or a pair if numbers do not divide evenly. In small groups, each person takes about 90 seconds to share their card. One volunteer collects all cards to hand to the facilitator.

3. Capture and sort onto the agenda board 4 minutes

   As wishes are read aloud or cards collected from small groups, write short bullet points on the flipchart. Assign each item clearly to either 'In Scope' (covered by today's agenda) or 'Out of Scope / Parking Lot' (cannot be covered today). Be direct and transparent about what will not be addressed.

4. Review scope alignment and close 3 minutes

   Summarize common themes across the listed wishes. Point out direct matches with planned agenda items. Confirm agreement on parking lot items and preserve the chart on the wall for the duration of the workshop.

Debrief questions

• Which common wishes appear most frequently across our board?
• How will our planned agenda address the core items listed under In Scope?
• What alternative steps should we take for the items recorded in the Parking Lot?

Finished output: A visible two-column chart displaying participant expectations categorized into agenda-supported goals and out-of-scope parking lot items.

Remote

Use an online whiteboard tool such as Miro, Mural, or Padlet with pre-drawn 'In Scope' and 'Out of Scope' frames. Participants post three sticky notes with their wishes and one with their context fact. In video meetings with 13 to 24 people, use breakout rooms of 3 to 4 people for 8 minutes to share verbally, then return to plenary for the facilitator scope sort.

Hybrid

In-person attendees write on physical cards and call them out; a co-facilitator mirrors their points on a shared digital board visible on the room screen and to remote attendees. Remote attendees type wishes directly into the digital board or meeting chat. The facilitator reviews both sets concurrently.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may submit written cards directly to the facilitator without speaking publicly.
• Context facts may reflect professional roles rather than personal history.
• Participants can choose to contribute only one or two wishes, or pass on sharing verbally.

If the session gets stuck

A participant shares an unrealistic wish that lies completely outside the event's control.

Acknowledge the need neutrally, write it in the 'Out of Scope' column, and clarify immediately that today's agenda cannot resolve it.

Sharing exceeds the time limit because participants offer long introductory stories.

Use a visible timer and ask contributors to state only the headline of each wish.

Terms used here

• Parking Lot: A visible flipchart or board area reserved for valid participant questions or topics that fall outside the current meeting's scope.