Method guide · Work with a structured grid
Silent Brainstorming / Brainwriting
Use when everyone needs time to develop ideas before the first or fastest voice steers the discussion.
- People
- 3–30
- Base procedure time
- 20 minutes
- Recording
- Shared record
Purpose: Generate ideas; Organise and narrow ideas.
English guide
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How this method works
Have everyone write ideas silently before anyone speaks, reveal the ideas simultaneously, then classify and select them. Use when discussion is pulled towards fast speakers, people follow the first contribution, or the group converges before those who need thinking time can contribute. Write one idea per card and do not look at others’ cards until submission is complete. Spread out every idea at once, then cluster only cards with similar targets and effects. The outputs are ideas that do not require authors’ names, classification labels and each group’s top ideas. This is not suitable for evaluating identified authors or for settings that imply confidential information may be written down merely because it is anonymous. Treat a blank submission as a valid choice.
Phase schedule
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- Present the question0–2 minutes from the start (2 minutes)
Action: Present. Participation: Everyone.
Recording not separately specified for this phase
- Write silently2–7 minutes from the start (5 minutes)
Action: Write. Participation: Individually.
Individual record
- Submit simultaneously7–11 minutes from the start (4 minutes)
Action: Submit. Participation: Groups of 3–6.
Shared record
- Cluster afterwards11–16 minutes from the start (5 minutes)
Action: Cluster. Participation: Groups of 3–6.
Shared record
- Select ideas16–20 minutes from the start (4 minutes)
Action: Select. Participation: Everyone.
Shared record
Facilitation steps
- For 2 minutes, state the question and the rule of not speaking or looking at others’ papers during writing in one sentence.
- For 5 minutes, each person writes up to 5 cards, one idea per card, and holds completed cards face down.
- For 2 minutes, give a signal for everyone to put their cards into the group’s tray at the same time; do not require names.
- For 2 minutes, the facilitator spreads every card onto the classification sheet and only reads the cards aloud.
- For 5 minutes, each group places together only cards with the same target and effect, and gives each cluster a title containing a verb.
- For 4 minutes, each person places their 2 dots on different clusters, then the group transfers its top 2 clusters to the whole-group consolidation surface.
If something changes
If
After 3 minutes of silent writing, at least half of a group still have blank cards.
Then
Provide the four perspectives of users, time, place and cost on paper; have each person choose just one perspective and write one idea.
If
After 3 minutes of classification, at least 70% of all cards are in one cluster.
Then
Split the cluster in two according to who would carry it out and who would be affected, and rewrite the classification labels.
Preparation
Materials
- Idea cards: 5 per person, one idea per card
- Silent-submission trays: one per group
- Classification sheets: one A3 sheet per group plus one for whole-group consolidation
- Selection dots: 2 per person
- Pens: one per person
Room and setup
- Groups of 3–6, with group sizes differing by no more than one person
- One worktable per group, arranged so that participants do not look at one another’s writing
- One tray per group, opened only after all ideas have been submitted
- One whole-group consolidation surface for the groups’ top ideas
Adjust for people and time
For 1–2 people, simultaneous submission makes little difference; reduce the method to individual idea generation. Use one group for 3–6 people. For 7–30 people, distribute participants into groups of 3–6 with no more than one person’s difference in size. Give each person 5 cards and each group one tray and one classification sheet. At 30 people, arrange 10 clusters from 5 groups on one whole-group consolidation sheet.
Safety and non-applicable situations
Do not require names or look at others’ cards before all submissions are complete. A blank submission is a valid choice. Do not use this to evaluate identified authors or imply that anonymity permits disclosure of confidential information.
Historical translation and source notes
These original notes are retained verbatim with their fixed source versions. This historical label does not resolve a source-specific concern or establish current acceptance.
- The guide allows clustering cards with similar targets and effects, while the classification step specifies the same target and effect. Both levels of wording are retained without silently making them identical.
Manuscript's recorded references
These translate the original manuscript's source and rights claims. They remain separate from any current-page notice below; they do not establish new verification.
- Chris Baynham Hughes: Silent Brainstorming / Brainwriting
https://openpracticelibrary.com/practice/silent-brainstorming-brainwriting/
CC BY 4.0 adaptation; changes made
- CC BY 4.0
Current-page licence notice
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Credits on the checked source page
- Named contributors on the source page: Chris Baynham Hughes
- Contributors listed in the official practice source (repository handles): @only-chrisbh
Source page checked on 2026-10-17: Silent Brainstorming / Brainwriting.
Source lineage
CC BY-SA 4.0 — this site's adaptation and translation contributions · Legal code · Official source policy
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Diagram, print, and video language
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Editorial provenance
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