An engaging activity where people build on each other’s ideas
This round robin template, built by LUMA Institute, guides you through a collaborative session where every team member contributes multiple ideas, making it great for brainstorming and exploration. Use this template to generate and iterate on ideas across your whole team.
With the round robin approach, team members are not only encouraged to think of original solutions to problems, but also build upon the ideas of other participants, helping add context and refine your brainstorming.
The round robin template helps you:
- Engage every participant and ensure that all voices are heard
- Encourage collaboration and teamwork
- Produce a lot of ideas through individual and team brainstorming
- Identify weaknesses, provide feedback, and refine your ideas in the same session
How to use the round robin template
To get started using the round robin template, follow the below steps with your team. The session is designed to be broken down into segments of 10, 5, and 20 minutes.
Step 1: Define the problem
Before you begin, it’s important to succinctly describe the problem you’re trying to solve through brainstorming. This will ensure that your session is focused and productive. Enter the problem at the top of each section, in the ‘Challenge’ box.
Step 2: Begin individual brainstorming
Have each participant spend 10 minutes considering the problem and suggesting a potential solution using sticky notes, shapes, icons, images, GIFS, or even drawings.
Step 3: Identify potential weaknesses
Have each participant shift over one space to the right, and examine their teammates’ ideas for 5 minutes. What potential issues are there with the proposed solutions? Why might they fail? This segment of the session is meant to offer constructive feedback that will help each participant refine their original ideas.
Step 4: Develop a final concept
Using the feedback from the other participants, have each team member return to their original ideas and develop a final concept, addressing the potential threats to success and potentially integrating refinements from the round of critiques.
Tips for running a round robin session
Because of the complexity of the session, with multiple stages and coordination across the whole team as you move through the steps, it’s important to consider the following:
- Assign a facilitator to help guide everyone through the session, and use features like the timer to keep things on track
- Using private mode in a mural ensures that you’ll avoid groupthink
- Once your team has developed their final concepts, run an anonymous voting session to help determine the best solutions and ways to move forward
Mural makes it easy to brainstorm and collaboratively refine your ideas
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.
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Outline navigation & instructions
Structure your mural for easy navigation, then add activity instructions for collaborators.
Private mode
Avoid groupthink and get authentic feedback by allowing collaborators to add content privately.
Commenting
Add comments and tag collaborators for smooth asynchronous communication.
Anonymous voting
Gain consensus and reach alignment quickly, either in real time or asynchronously.
Timer
Keep collaboration moving forward with a timer to structure and time-box activities.
What is the round robin brainstorming method?
What is the advantage of round robin brainstorming?
Can round robin be used in larger groups?
LUMA offers acclaimed in-person training, custom innovation programs, and a unique digital platform (LUMA Workplace), used by innovators in over 70 countries. Leading organizations around the globe rely on the LUMA System of Innovation — a practical, flexible, and scalable approach to Human-Centered Design.
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.
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