Card Description

In response to a prompt, have participants generate 100 ideas on sticky notes, one idea per sticky. Set a short amount of time and emphasize that all ideas count, including the bad, boring, or impractical, as long as they do not repeat.

How to run 100 Ideas

1. Provide materials for participants (markers and sticky notes, or a blank digital whiteboard)
2. Provide the prompt
3. Explain the length of time they have and how many ideas they should aim to generate in that time, providing an overall group goal (e.g. for in a group of 10, each person should get 10 ideas in two minutes, for a total of 100 ideas)
4. Emphasize that any idea counts and they should not judge what they’re writing down on the sticky notes
5. Start the timer
6. When the timer has finished, have everyone tally up their ideas
   1. If the final number has not been reached, have the group continue generating ideas until the number you stated at the beginning

Longer Context

The magic of 100 Ideas happens when participants are pushed past their self-judgment instincts and all ideas make it to a sticky note. If you have a group that is hesitant to share an idea unless they think it’s the right idea, 100 Ideas breaks them out of that box.

Setting the “ambitious goal” is key, because it should feel like a large number but be reasonable enough that the group could achieve it within 2-3 minutes of generating ideas on their own. If they haven’t after the first timer, have them brainstorm again (solo or as a full group this time) to get to the final number.

One of the most exhilarating experiences of 100 Ideas is the visual of all of the sticky notes together, which is why we use the combination of markers and sticky notes to help keep things legible from afar.

When to use 100 Ideas

• When brainstorming for breadth over depth, going for a range and trying to capture as many different ideas as possible
• When breaking groups out of a self-judgemental headspace
• When you want folks to think BIG!
• When the possibilities feel endless and getting all the ideas out (even if 99 won’t be used) will be helpful

Examples & Prompts

You can run 100 Ideas to brainstorm…anything! Quarter goals (and how the team will celebrate completing them!), newsletter topics, items to put on sale, or even ways to improve retention rates.