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| Criterion | ![]() Innovation Brainwriting | ![]() Facilitation World Café | ![]() Facilitation Lean Coffee | ![]() Facilitation Mind Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When loud voices or hierarchy distort the idea search, the method creates a quiet entry into joint development. It gives everyone thinking space and gathers contributions without social brakes, making diversity more visible and easier to build on. | When a group needs to connect many viewpoints in a short time, World Café creates a calm alternation between closeness and rotation. It sets thinking in motion without forcing the conversation into full-plenary rigidity. | When a group without a fixed agenda needs to get into useful conversations quickly, Lean Coffee structures the start around interests rather than a presentation. The group itself negotiates which topics get time first and which wait. | When a topic is still unclear and too many thoughts surface at once, Mind Mapping creates an open surface for ordering them. It makes connections, subtopics, and starting points visible without fixing them too early. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Low |
Timedifferent | 15-30 min | 60-180 min | 30-90 min | 15-45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 12-100+ | 3-20 | 1-10 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Idea sheets, Expanded concepts, Prioritized list | Table Notes, Emergent Themes, Shared Questions | Prioritized Topics, Discussion Notes, Action Items | Mind Map, Topic Clusters, Open Questions |
Tagsno overlap | BrainstormingCollaborationInclusionIdeas | FacilitationDialogueLarge groupSensemaking | FacilitationAutonomyDialogue | BrainstormingIdeasMappingStructureFacilitation |



