Visually and tangibly generating divergent ideas.
Post-Up is an interactive process that fosters collaboration and buy-in. It’s useful anytime you need to generate lots of ideas with a group, and it only requires an idea for your team to explore!
Before you get started, distribute enough sticky notes and markers for each participant. You’ll also need a large surface or wall.
- Obstacle or Opportunity?
- Begin by asking the team to imagine ways to solve a particular problem or opportunity you are facing. (You can also begin a Post-Up with a focus question about a project or an event.) The team will have 3-5 minutes to work individually, generating as many ideas on sticky notes as they can.
- Brainstorm
- Before they get to work, explain the rules of the post-up to your team:
- Each sticky note should represent one idea
- Don’t describe details! Each idea should be conveyed in 3-4 words that serve as a reference point for the idea
- Ideas should be written in capital letters so text is visible from a distance
When possible, participants should write their own ideas and personally stick their notes to the wall. Before a note is stuck to the wall, it should be read to the team.
- Before they get to work, explain the rules of the post-up to your team:
- Sort and Prioritize
- Discussion and clarification about particular ideas will help you begin to see patterns. With consensus from the group, begin to move sticky notes around, grouping like ideas together.From there, help your team evaluate and prioritize ideas using a sorting method like dot-voting or titrate up. Be sure to snap a picture of the Post-Up before recycling the sticky notes! Use the resource below for tips on how to capture the ideas generated in this exercise.
Tip: If you need help generating an idea, consider an Inspiration play.