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Exercises/Divergent Ideation/ZOOM: A Creativity Game
Prompted Conversation · Divergent Ideation

ZOOM: A Creativity Game

ZOOM: A Creativity Game is a prompted conversation exercise for divergent ideation: it helps participants open up more possible ideas before choosing a direction.

5 to 15 minutesTIME
Small group (4-8)GROUP SIZE
ActiveENERGY
RemoteSETTING
Medium cognitive loadCOGNITIVE LOAD
Strengthens Participation Architecture This divergent ideation exercise strengthens Participation Architecture, one of the eight Gathering Effectiveness pillars.

How to run it

  1. Copyright © 1999. Workshops by Thiagi, Inc. All rights reserved
  2. Ask each team to identify an opportunity or a problem.
  3. Ask them to convert this opportunity or problem into a question, using the format suggested by Van Gundy: In what ways might we .
  4. Give an example to illustrate the task.
  5. Here's one that I use: In what ways might we sell books to professionals on the internet?
  6. Ask the team to transform this question into four higher levels of abstraction, one level at a time.
  7. Give an example such as this: Original question: In what ways might we sell books to professionals on the Internet?
  8. Ask the teams t
Live facilitator

Run this exercise live

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Prompts to use +

Ask each team to identify an opportunity or a problem.

Ask them to convert this opportunity or problem into a question, using the format suggested by Van Gundy: In what ways might we .

Give an example to illustrate the task.

Here's one that I use: In what ways might we sell books to professionals on the internet?

Ask the team to transform this question into four higher levels of abstraction, one level at a time.

Give an example such as this: Original question: In what ways might we sell books to professionals on the Internet?

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: ZOOM: A Creativity Game. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Ask each team to identify an opportunity or a problem.; Ask them to convert this opportunity or problem into a question, using the format suggested by Van Gundy: In what ways might we .; Give an example to illustrate the task.; Here's one that I use: In what ways might we sell books to professionals on the internet?. 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 The Thiagi Group; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including The Thiagi Group.)
  • 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.

Pairs well with