25/10 Crowd sourcing

25/10 Crowd Sourcing is a fast-paced, high-energy structure designed to unleash bold, actionable ideas from large groups in under 30 minutes.

It enables participants to generate, share, and collectively identify the most impactful ideas through a playful yet structured process.

By tapping into the collective intelligence of the crowd, it surfaces surprising insights and patterns that might otherwise remain hidden.

The result? A prioritized list of top ideas that reflect the wisdom and creativity of the whole group

Time needed
30 minutes

Preparation

Offline Format	Online Format
Prepare open space, no chairs	Prepare split into smaller teams (2-3 people)
Prepare index cards (1 for each participant)	Prepare virtual whiteboard template (for example Miro board)

Set the stage
1. Frame the Question: Present a clear, open-ended challenge or question that requires many ideas. This question should be concise and focused. Examples:
  - "What bold actions could we take to increase our market share?"
  - "What specific steps could we take to improve team morale?"
  - "What innovative features should we add to our product?"
2. Explain the Process: Briefly explain the 25/10 Crowdsourcing steps. Emphasize the speed and the iterative nature of the process.

Step-by-step and timing

Step 1: Silent Ideation (1 min)

Each participant writes one bold idea on an index card (or virtual equivalent).
- As a facilitator : Maintain silence. Ensure everyone writes one bold idea per card. Use a timer.

Step 2:

Offline Format	Online Format
Pass the cards around without reading until a bell rings.	Split participants into small groups (2–3 people).
When the bell rings, read the card you’re holding and score it from 1 (no) to 5 (yes).	Within each group, read and score each idea together (1–5 scale) - 2 minutes.
Repeat this process 5 times (approx. 3 minutes per round).	Then, each group scores the cards from another group (as a team, not individually) - 15 minutes

As a facilitator: Manage the passing direction and timing strictly. Remind participants to assign a score from 1-5 to each idea they receive in each round. Keep the pace brisk.

Step 3: Tally & Highlight (5 min)

Ask participants to add up the scores on each card.
Identify the highest-scoring ideas for further discussion or action.
- As a facilitator:
- Prepare a flip chart or whiteboard.
- Ensure only the top-scoring ideas are shared.
- Listen for duplicates and group them.
- Keep the process moving

Hints
1. Choose one big idea they’re most excited about. Define a clear first action step that would move it forward. Refine the wording so it’s easy to understand and inspiring to others.
2. Make sure everyone understands how scoring works. You can keep it light and fun:
  - Theme: Emotions (1 = Meh, not feeling it, 5 = I'm buzzing with excitement!)
  - Theme: Travel (1 = Stuck in traffic, 5 = First-class ticket to awesome!)
  - Theme: Food & Drink (1 = Cold soup, 5 = Michelin-star delicious!)
  - Theme: Weather (1 = Cloudy with a chance of yawns, 5 = Bright sunshine and rainbows!)
  - Theme: Space (1 = Grounded, 5 = Launch me to the stars!)
3. Encourage participants to score each idea based on how compelling and actionable it feels.
4. If there is a card that have less scores than others, ask the participants to calculate the average and multiply by:
  - offline format: 5
  - online format: number of small groups created
5. This helps normalize the results and keep things fair
6. Kick things off by walking through one example:
  - Show how to exchange an idea.
  - Score it together as a group.
  - Discuss how the scoring reflects the group’s energy.
Examples of use
1. Generating Ideas for a Conference Theme or Topic
- Scenario: A conference planning committee needs to choose a theme that will excite attendees and attract speakers. A traditional discussion might get bogged down in a debate over a few initial ideas.
- Outcome: The cards with the most votes are the ideas that have the most collective support. This data-driven approach quickly reveals the most popular themes, and the committee can confidently move forward with the ideas that have the highest buy-in from the group.
2. Prioritizing New Features for a Product
- Scenario: A product team has a long list of potential features and improvements they could make, but they need to decide what to prioritize for the next development cycle. A traditional backlog grooming session can be slow and contentious.
- Outcome: The team gets a clear, democratically-chosen list of priorities. This is a much faster and more engaging way to prioritize than a lengthy debate. The process also creates shared ownership of the final list, as everyone contributed and had a say.
3. Improving Employee Engagement
- Scenario: A manager wants to get honest, anonymous feedback from their team on how to improve the workplace culture. A traditional survey might not capture the full range of ideas.
- Outcome: The top-voted ideas are practical and popular suggestions for improving the workplace. The manager can then implement these changes with confidence, knowing they have broad support from the team. This process builds trust and shows that the manager is genuinely interested in their team's ideas.
Link with other Liberating Structures
Take your top 10 ideas and continue with:
Link to Liberating Structures page
25/10 Crowd sourcing
Link to virtual whiteboard template (Miro)

25/10 Crowd sourcing

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