ClaryooBrainwriting is brainstorming in silence. Instead of calling ideas out, people write them down and build on each other's in writing. It usually gets more ideas, and more varied ones, than a spoken brainstorm, because nobody waits for a turn and the first loud idea doesn't steer the rest.
The best-known version is 6-3-5, developed by Bernd Rohrbach in the 1960s: six people each write three ideas in five minutes, then pass their sheet on. After six rounds, the group has 108 ideas in about half an hour.
How 6-3-5 works
| Step | What happens | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Set up | One clear question at the top of a sheet with three columns and six rows. One sheet per person | 2 min |
| Round 1 | Everyone writes three ideas in the first row | 5 min |
| Pass | Each sheet moves one person to the right | 10 sec |
| Rounds 2 to 6 | Read the ideas above, then add three new ones, ideally building on them | 5 min each |
| Sort | Spread the sheets out, read, and mark the strongest ideas | 5 to 10 min |
It works with three to eight people. With fewer than six, do fewer rounds or give each round four minutes.
Hitchhiking
The rule that makes 6-3-5 better than six people writing alone is building on what's above you. In Ed Tchoi's example, a team is planning a launch for a rugged new pen: one person writes "launch at an extreme sports event", and the next writes "a downhill ice race, because the pens work in the cold". The second idea wouldn't exist without the first. Tell people it isn't copying; it's the point.
A shorter brainwriting round
You don't need 30 minutes. For a 10-minute version:
- Ask the question.
- Everyone writes ideas on sticky notes, one per note, for five minutes. No talking.
- Notes go up on a wall or board. Two minutes to read everything.
- Two minutes of writing again: anything the others' ideas sparked.
Online
On a call, use a shared doc or whiteboard with one column per person and the question at the top. Each round, people move one column along. Hide names until the end if you want ideas judged on their own. The chat works too, for a quick version: everyone types ideas but holds off pressing enter, then "3, 2, 1, send". Nobody gets anchored by the first idea.
Good questions for brainwriting
- How might we cut the time it takes new volunteers to feel useful?
- What could we try to get more people to our next event?
- What are all the reasons a learner might drop out after week two?
- How could we make this report something people actually read?
A "how might we" question works well: it's open, it assumes a solution exists, and it's specific enough to write ideas for.
Common mistakes
- Letting people talk during rounds. The silence is what makes it work.
- A question that's too broad, like "ideas for the business". People freeze.
- Generating 108 ideas and then nothing. Plan the next step: a round of dot voting to narrow them down, straight away.
Run it with Claryoo
Once the ideas are sorted, put the top five or six into a live poll that allows several answers, so everyone picks their favorites from the chat or from their phone in a room. You see the votes live, and the result lands in your summary with what was decided.
More to watch
- 6-3-5 Brainwriting Method, Ed Tchoi (6 min): the template, the rounds and the hitchhiking rule.
- Co create unique ideas with Brainwriting, Miro (3 min): Miro's short take on brainwriting with a team.
- Brainwriting Technique, James Taylor (4 min): brainwriting as a way to get new ideas out of a team.
Use it in a ready session
Free PowerPoint templates with the slides, timings and speaker notes written. Brainwriting and the 6-3-5 method fits in each one.
Want a co-host in your next session?
Claryoo joins your Zoom, Google Meet or Teams call, runs polls people answer in the chat, and writes up what was decided.
Start freeFree plan. No card needed.