Participants:
2-10
11-25
25+
Prep Time:
Time to run:
30 min

Crazy eights template

Brainstorm 8 solutions in 8 minutes

Courtesy of our friends at

About the 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.

How to create a Crazy eights template

Better, more inclusive, more engaging brainstorming with MURAL

MURAL's suite of features make generating new ideas, getting meaningful feedback from your whole team, and planning next steps faster and easier
Sticky notes & text

Sticky notes & text

Add ideas, action items, and more as a sticky note or text box — then change the colors and cluster to identify patterns and new solutions.

Timer

Timer

Keep collaboration moving forward with a timer to structure and time-box activities.

Private mode

Private mode

Avoid groupthink and get authentic feedback by allowing collaborators to add content privately.

Anonymous voting

Anonymous voting

Gain consensus and reach alignment quickly, either in real time or asynchronously.

Commenting

Commenting

Add comments and tag collaborators for smooth asynchronous communication.

Tags on sticky notes

Tags on sticky notes

Customizable labels make it easy to find, organize, and categorize your work in a mural.

Crazy eights template frequently asked questions

How do you facilitate crazy eights brainstorming?

What are the basic steps of brainstorming?

Accenture Interactive NL

Template by Accenture Interactive NL

, Accenture Interactive NL
Accenture Interactive NL

We connect deep human and business insights with the power of technology to define and deliver new realities. Experiences that can make lives easier, healthier, safer, and rewarding. At Accenture Interactive, we’re reimagining business through experience.

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Mural is the only platform that offers both a shared workspace and training on the LUMA System™, a practical way to collaborate that anyone can learn and apply.