Crazy eights template

Use this template when you're looking to generate a lot of new ideas in a short time with your team. The goal of this exercise is to encourage independent thinking and then bring everyone together to discuss their ideas, select the ideas they want to develop, and build tangible next steps.

How does a crazy eights brainstorming session work?

Crazy eights is an effective brainstorming technique to generate new ideas and solve problems.

To start, participants gather together and choose a topic. Then, each person has eight minutes to come up with eight ideas related to the topic. There are no wrong answers, and all ideas are welcome.

After the eight minutes are up, each person shares their ideas with the group. Then, the group votes on the best ideas and works together to develop them further. Take advantage of our unique suite of Facilitation Superpowers® features to avoid groupthink and get honest feedback, using tools like Private Mode and anonymous voting.

What are the benefits of the crazy eights brainstorming technique?

1. Generate new ideas.

If you feel like you're stuck in a rut, a brainstorming session can help you to generate new ideas. Crazy eights is a great way to get your creative juices flowing because it forces each participant to produce multiple ideas over a relatively short time — let your imagination go to work!

2. Develop a better understanding of a problem.

Crazy eights can also be helpful if you're trying to develop a better understanding of a problem. By forcing yourself to come up with eight different solutions to a problem, you're likely to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the issue than if you had only brainstormed one or two solutions.

3. Find new ways to approach a problem.

If you're struggling to find a new way to approach a problem, brainstorming can be helpful. The structure of crazy eights forces you to consider different perspectives and come up with creative solutions that you might not have otherwise thought of.

4. Build on existing ideas.

If you already have some ideas about how to solve a problem, brainstorming can help you to build on those ideas. By coming up with eight different solutions, you're likely to develop some new and improved versions of your existing ideas.

5. Evaluate potential solutions.

Once you've generated some potential solutions, crazy eights can help you to evaluate them. By forcing yourself to consider the pros and cons of each solution, you'll be able to more objectively assess which ones are likely to be most effective.