6-8-5
6-8-5 encourages participants to quickly generate multiple ideas to overcome the tendency to settle on the first good one. By imposing time constraints, it pushes for creativity and diverse thinking within a short period.
How to run it
- 1
Before the session, prepare sheets of paper with a 2×2 or 2×3 grid for each participant.
- 2
Distribute the prepared sheets as participants gather or instruct them to create their own grids in notebooks.
- 3
Explain the purpose of the activity and what the group aims to achieve.
- 4
Inform the group that they will generate 6-8 ideas in 5 minutes.
- 5
Set a timer for 5 minutes.
- 6
Ask participants to sketch as many ideas as possible silently during this time.
- 7
Emphasize that sketches should be rough and unpolished.
- 8
Once time is up, instruct participants to review their ideas.
Tips
Encourage participants to think freely and not overthink their ideas.
Remind everyone that the focus is on quantity, not quality, during this exercise.
Be ready to facilitate a discussion about the ideas generated afterward.
Variations
You can adjust the time allowed for idea generation based on the group size or complexity of the topic.
Where it fits
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from SessionLab. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.