Categorization
Everybody – Stickies & Markers – 10 Minutes
How to Run Categorization
- Lay out the sticky notes on a large surface where everyone can view them (wall, board, flip chart, floor, etc.)
- Ask for 3-5 volunteers to do an initial grouping and categorization of the sticky notes, and have them verbalize their choices as they go
- Let the volunteers know that if they feel confused or have internal debates, that’s good and encouraged
- Optionally, have them pause the process when they feel stuck to invite input from the large group
- After an initial categorization has happened, have them explain what they see (trends, different groupings, things they noticed, etc.)
- Open up the discussion to everyone, asking for what the group is noticing and if they have anything they want to change or point out as redundant
- Optionally, appoint a new team to re-categorize the ideas
Example & Prompt
You are running a two-day retreat teaching people about facilitation. You want to focus on what the group is most interested in learning about.
Have the group do an expansive brainstorm listing all the things they’re interested in covering. Then, use Categorization to see where the energy is concentrated and notice the outliers.
After categorizing, have the group discuss what stands out to them and add any additional ideas to the wall.
Have more questions?
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