How should you use a workshop activity picker?
Define one immediate outcome, such as collecting a broad set of ideas for the next ten minutes. Review each candidate format against time, headcount, online or in-person delivery, available materials, confidentiality, and access needs. Delete anything that fails a check, explain the remaining options, and spin once only when every result is acceptable.
Do not combine unrelated stages on one Wheel. An energizer, idea-generation method, prioritization vote, conflict discussion, and closing reflection do different jobs. A random result cannot repair that mismatch. This guide deliberately limits the quick start to idea collection so the remaining choices can be meaningfully compared.
The Wheel is a visible tie-breaker among already suitable formats. The facilitator still decides the question, instructions, timing, participation routes, documentation, and what happens to the ideas afterward.
- Write one outcome: “In ten minutes, we need a visible set of possible improvements.”
- Confirm the real time available, including instructions, transitions, and the return from pairs or groups.
- Check the number of participants, room or breakout setup, materials, technology, language, and access needs.
- Open the prefilled Wheel and remove every activity that would exclude someone or miss the outcome.
- State the participation and pass options, spin once, then facilitate the selected format with a clear stopping point.
Eight 10-minute formats for collecting workshop ideas
These formats can all produce an initial set of ideas in roughly ten minutes, but they create different participation demands. Treat the timings as planning estimates, test the setup, and adapt or remove any format that does not suit the people in the room.
Silent write, then share
Give everyone three quiet minutes to write, then invite one idea at a time. Best for 3–20 people and remote or in-person rooms; provide a keyboard, paper, or another equivalent response route.
Pair brainstorm
Pairs create two or three ideas before returning to the room. Best for 4–24 people when breakout space is available; offer an individual option instead of forcing a pairing.
Small-group brainstorm
Groups of three or four capture a short list and nominate an idea to share. Best for 6–28 people; assign a recorder and make the return time explicit.
Chat-first idea dump
Everyone types ideas privately, then posts at the same time. Best for remote groups with reliable text access; provide an equivalent spoken or offline route and do not require fast typing.
One idea per note
Participants place one idea on each paper or digital note, then the facilitator groups similar notes. Best when the room already has accessible materials and enough wall or board space.
One-question round
Ask one precise question and invite one short response from each willing person. Best for 3–12 people; allow passing, chat, and extra processing time.
Example swap
Each person contributes a concrete example before the group extracts possible ideas. Best when the topic is familiar and examples can be shared without confidential or personal information.
Solo sketch, then explain
Participants sketch a possible flow or arrangement, then optionally explain it. Best for spatial topics; always allow words, objects, or another non-visual format as an equivalent alternative.
Choose by group and setting before you randomize
The fastest filter is to remove formats that depend on a resource or participation mode the group does not have. Keep at least two suitable options if you want a genuine random choice; if only one survives, use it directly and skip the animation.
Numbers are not guarantees. A complex topic, interpretation needs, unfamiliar technology, or a new group may require more time and more facilitation support. Reserve time to explain the task, check understanding, gather outputs, and close the activity rather than treating all ten minutes as production time.
| Format | Useful starting point | Check before use |
|---|---|---|
| Silent write | 3–20 · remote or in person | Equivalent input route |
| Pair brainstorm | 4–24 · breakout-capable | Pairing and opt-out |
| Small groups | 6–28 · structured tables or rooms | Recorder and return time |
| Chat-first | 3–30 · remote or hybrid | Typing and technology access |
| Idea notes | 4–30 · shared board available | Materials and board access |
| Question round | 3–12 · one precise prompt | Pass and processing time |
| Example swap | 3–16 · familiar topic | Privacy and confidentiality |
| Solo sketch | 3–16 · spatial topic | Non-visual alternative |
Use a short facilitator script
Tell participants what the group is trying to produce, why the shortlisted formats are acceptable, how the selection works, and how anyone can use an alternative participation route. A short script makes the random step transparent without making it the focus of the workshop.
“For the next ten minutes, we need a broad set of ideas about this question. I checked these activity formats against our time, room, and available tools. You may contribute by speaking, writing, or using the alternative we agreed, and you may pass. The Wheel will choose one format from the reviewed list; if I discover a real access or setup problem, we will stop and switch rather than reroll for entertainment.”
After the result, restate the instructions in plain language and show the end time. Check that participants can use the selected format before starting the clock. If someone raises an access need, adapt the method or choose the agreed backup; the displayed result does not override participation needs.
Keep remote and hybrid options equivalent
For remote or hybrid workshops, show the question as text, read it aloud, give quiet processing time, and provide more than one way to contribute. Avoid a format that gives the physical room earlier instructions, faster facilitator access, or a more visible place to put ideas than remote participants receive.
Test captions, chat, breakout rooms, shared documents, keyboards, microphones, and screen-reader access before the session. Do not require cameras, movement, fast typing, or visual sketching without an equivalent route. If a digital board is inaccessible or unfamiliar, a shared document, email to the facilitator, spoken contribution, or individual paper response may be a better fallback.
Government facilitator guidance recommends planning accessibility and logistics, normalising access needs, checking in with the group, and adapting materials to attendees. Those checks happen before the spin and remain more important than variety or novelty.
When should you not use a random workshop activity?
Do not randomize an activity when the workshop involves distress, conflict, safeguarding, regulated consultation, employment decisions, legal or medical issues, or a required research protocol. Use the approved process and qualified facilitation instead. Also skip the picker when one method clearly fits the outcome better than the others.
Randomness can distribute a harmless choice; it cannot establish consent, remove power differences, protect confidential information, validate a research method, or make an inaccessible activity inclusive. Never put participant names, personal disclosures, health information, performance notes, or client details in an activity Wheel.
The public quick start contains activity labels only and loads through a URL fragment that is handled in the browser. Review the labels before screen sharing. If you edit the Wheel or share its setup, remember that anyone with the complete link can inspect the Entries.
Related Randomly guidance
Read how Randomly handles fairness and browser randomness, review the privacy approach, or choose a practical starting point from the Template library. Continue with meeting and workshop Tools.
Sources
References used for this guide
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
Can a workshop activity picker plan a complete workshop?
No. It can settle one low-stakes choice among formats that already fit the same stage and outcome. A complete workshop still needs objectives, a sequence, realistic timing, transitions, accessibility planning, materials, facilitation roles, and a way to use the outputs.
What if only one activity fits the group?
Use that activity directly and skip the spin. Random selection adds value only when two or more options are genuinely acceptable; it should never preserve a bad option just to make the Wheel look fuller.
Can I use the picker in a remote workshop?
Yes, after removing formats that rely on unavailable or inaccessible tools. Show and read the question, allow quiet processing time, test the technology, and offer equivalent spoken, written, visual, and individual participation routes where practical.