Eight-Box Blitz

This tactic isn’t only for when you’re in playful invention mode; you can also use it when you need to answer practical questions, like ‘What problem do we need to solve?’ or ‘What should our next steps be?’.

Make sure you Frame your challenge first. For best results, Prime and Explore before you try this tactic.

1. Get everyone to fold a piece of paper in half three times, then open it out again so there are eight rectangles to sketch in.

2. Explain that you’re not expecting ‘correct’ ideas. They don’t even have to be all that ‘out there’. The aim of the game is simply to fill in all eight boxes with eight different ideas.

   For people that aren’t comfortable sketching, a tactic like Dream Sketch will help. But you’re not looking for pretty drawings, rough and messy is fine.

3. Set a timer for 15 minutes (that gives people a little under 2 minutes per idea).

4. When half the time has passed, let people know they should be getting to their final four ideas. Remind them not to worry too much about tiny details, and offer some encouragement if anyone seems to be struggling (“Hey, last time I did this I only managed six ideas, just do your best!“).

5. When time’s up, give everyone 1–2 minutes to share their ideas with the group.

   As a follow-up, do another round of Eight-Box Blitz to allow people to combine and remix each other’s ideas, or you can vote on ideas to refine using a tactic like Invest Your PipCoins.