Brainwriting Template

Add quiet, written ideation to your brainstorm to generate and improve upon ideas.

About the Brainwriting Template

What is brainwriting?

Instead of asking participants to yell out ideas during your brainstorm, the brainwriting technique invites them to write down ideas. After a few minutes, each person passes their ideas to someone else who reads and adds to them. Repeat the process for 10-15 minutes, then read out all the ideas to the group and discuss.

When to use brainwriting

In traditional brainstorms, often the loudest ideas win. Brainwriting is an exercise that not only helps introverted people be heard, but it allows you to think of more ideas than you would if you were just shouting out. Plus, quiet ideation encourages more original ideas by every individual — not just the loud few.

Start using the Brainwriting Template

Leading a brainwriting brainstorm is easy. Miro’s the perfect online brainstorming tool to create and share ideas virtually. Get started by opening the Brainwriting Template.

Step 1: Add your participants’ names to a column of sticky notes and invite them to the board.

Step 2: Introduce the problem, and use the Timer to set a 5 minute limit on the first round of brainwriting.

Step 3: When the Timer dings, tell participants to move their ideas to the person on the right. Then start the timer again, and ask participants to add stickies below the ideas that add to or improve upon the ideas.

Step 4: Do this for a few more rounds, then facilitate a discussion with the team on all the ideas you come up with. You can even vote on ideas or group them to see which are the most feasible.