Session Brief: Brainwriting

Goal

Artifact: Idea sheets

Working Question

What range of ideas can we generate when each person first writes quietly and builds on others' ideas?

Context

Prompt; context briefing (2-3 min or pre-material); examples of good idea phrasing (full sentence, not keyword); anti-examples (too vague, too finished).

Setup

• Format: Method session
• Duration: 15-30 min writing phase, plus 10-15 min condensation
• Mode: Workshop or async
• Participants: One facilitator to hold the rounds and the timer; 4-12 participants from different functions; ideally mixed experience levels (anti-hierarchy effect).
• Owner: One facilitator to hold the rounds and the timer
• Participation mode: Team round, shared work and alignment
• Outcome logic: Finish artifact

Participation Logic

Use the session for shared understanding. Contributions are collected visibly, assumptions are aligned, and open differences remain traceable in the artifact.

Outcome Logic

The session works directly toward Idea sheets. After the session, the artifact should be shareable, reviewable, or reusable.

Input

6-3-5 template (6 people × 3 ideas × 5 rounds) on A4 sheets or digital (Miro, FigJam, Google Docs); timer; visible prompt; quiet setup.

Preparation

One sheet per person with 3 fields × 5 rounds (classic 6-3-5 format) or one slot per round digitally. Prompt visible at the top. Set the timer to 5 min per round.

Agenda

1. Phase 1: Briefing and rules (5 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: Read the prompt and recap the context. Explain the format: everyone writes 3 ideas per round, passes the sheet along, and builds on predecessor ideas. Silence during writing. Hint: If someone does not understand the format, the rotation stalls. Show a format demo with an example sheet. Output: Idea sheets

2. Phase 2: Round 1 - first ideas (5 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: Each person writes 3 ideas alone on the sheet or digitally. Silence. After 5 minutes, pass the sheet along (clockwise, or switch the digital slot). Hint: The first round yields obvious ideas. That is fine; they become the base for building in later rounds. Output: Expanded concepts

3. Phase 3: Rounds 2-5 - build on ideas (20 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: Each follow-up round lasts 5 minutes. Participants read the 3 predecessor ideas and write 3 new ones that build on or combine them. Silence, no talking. Hint: Building does not mean copying. Variation, combination, and counter-proposals are allowed. Copying verbatim misses the point. Output: Prioritized list

4. Phase 4: Collect and review (10 min) Owner: Facilitator Action: Put all sheets (or slots) on the wall or board. Silent reading phase. Consolidate duplicates and form clusters (analogous to affinity mapping). Hint: With 6 people, 90 ideas are created (6 × 3 × 5). Volume is normal; clustering reduces it to 5-10 themes. Output: Idea sheets

5. Phase 5: Convergence (10-15 min) Owner: Owner Action: Dot voting on clusters or top ideas. 3-5 dots per person. Mark the top 5 for follow-up. Name an owner per top idea. Hint: Convergence is mandatory. Without a selection, the output remains a pile with no effect. Output: Expanded concepts

6. Publish artifact (10 min) Owner: Owner Action: Check the artifact for completeness, define location, set version or status, and name review recipients. Output: Idea sheets

Closeout

• Update result artifact: Idea sheets
• Define location, version, and review recipients.
• Define owner, next step, and review date.

Idea sheets: Brainwriting

Working Question

What range of ideas can we generate when each person first writes quietly and builds on others' ideas?

Context

Prompt; context briefing (2-3 min or pre-material); examples of good idea phrasing (full sentence, not keyword); anti-examples (too vague, too finished).

Participants

• Owner: One facilitator to hold the rounds and the timer
• Participants: One facilitator to hold the rounds and the timer; 4-12 participants from different functions; ideally mixed experience levels (anti-hierarchy effect).

Input

6-3-5 template (6 people × 3 ideas × 5 rounds) on A4 sheets or digital (Miro, FigJam, Google Docs); timer; visible prompt; quiet setup.

Template

Workshop Agenda

Goal: ... Participants: ... Duration: ...

Close-out

Decision, owner, next test.

Completion Check

• Idea sheets is complete enough for review:
• Location:
• Version / status:
• Review by:
• Next step:

Next Step

• Review result
• Mark open questions
• Schedule review or decision