From Brainstorm to Decision
The Blank Wall
The facilitator posts the question on a fresh flipchart: "What programs should our community centre offer?" The wall is empty. The markers are ready. It's time to brainstorm.
Ideas Start Flowing
Hands go up. Ideas come fast. The facilitator captures each one — no discussion, no evaluation, just ideas. The flipchart fills up and a second sheet goes up on the wall.
The Wall Fills Up
Twenty minutes in, the wall is covered. Four sheets of flipchart paper hold the group's collective thinking — 20 ideas from 12 different people. The divergent phase has done its job.
Studying the List
The facilitator asks: "Take a few minutes to read every idea on the wall. Then we'll hear your reactions — what excites you, what concerns you, what needs clarification." This is where real understanding begins.
The Dotmocracy
Each person gets 5 dots. Place them on the ideas you believe are most feasible and impactful. You can put multiple dots on one idea if you feel strongly. The group's priorities will emerge.
The Shortlist
The facilitator rewrites the top-voted ideas on a fresh sheet — clean, clear, and ranked by dot count. The long list becomes a focused shortlist. These are the ideas the group believes in most.
Proposals Take Shape
Small groups take the shortlisted ideas and weave them into concrete proposals. They write them on fresh flipchart paper and present to the room. Others can offer friendly amendments — the proposer decides whether to accept.
The Decision
Each person scores every proposal on a Gradients of Agreement scale: 1 = can't support, through 5 = fully support. The scores are tallied. The proposal with the highest average becomes the group's decision.