Execution
1. Instruction – 15 minutes
This step involves assigning each participant a persona.
All participants are welcomed in the main session and briefed on the process. They are then asked to open the Miro board link.
The personas are defined collaboratively on Miro. Each persona is “developed” step by step by completing four sentence prompts. Each participant begins by selecting a Post-it from the circle.
Ready to play:
- Participants complete the first sentence on their selected Post-it.
- Once done, they move to the next Post-it to their right.
- This process is repeated four times.
- After the final sentence is completed, participants switch to one last Post-it and thus receive their assigned persona.
2. Ready to mingle – 15 minutes
Once participants have been assigned a fictional persona and a number, they adopt the roles of their respective colour groups.
There are six colour groups, each representing a particular way of thinking. These are explained by the facilitator. Each group consists of two people:
- White: neutral, analytical, focused on numbers, data, facts
- Green: creative, full of ideas, impulses, thought-provoking
- Red: personal, emotional, expressing feelings, opinions, fears, hopes
- Black: critical, questioning, focusing on risks, problems, concerns, doubts
- Yellow: optimistic, highlighting advantages, positivity, benefits, opportunities
The blue group is taken by the facilitator. This group maintains an overview of the thinking process and ensures structure and documentation of outcomes.
Preparation:
The facilitator explains the roles and writes them on a Post-it on Miro so participants can refer back to them as needed.
The goal is for participants to explore the topic from different angles, shifting perspective and broadening the discussion.
Each team’s results are written on individual Post-its and later compiled on one large shared Post-it on Miro.
3. Interview – 10 minutes
From the previous groups, pairs are formed — ideally from different colour groups.
Each participant has a few minutes to come up with three questions and write them on a Post-it.
These questions are posed from the perspective of their assigned persona and should relate to previous group discussions. Each person interviews their partner for five minutes, then they switch roles. It is important that both questions and answers are noted down. By the end, each participant should have gained new insights and perspectives on the broader topic.
4. Switch – 20 minutes
Participants are divided into two groups of five, with each colour group represented once. Discussions continue in these larger groups.
At the halfway point, personas are reassigned by the facilitator. Each participant gets one minute to familiarise themselves with their new role before continuing. Results are again documented on Miro Post-its.
The goal is to defend and justify previously gathered input from the viewpoint of the new persona.
Switching roles pushes participants out of their comfort zone and opens up fresh ideas and perspectives.
5. Back to mingle – 10 minutes
In this round, participants receive yet another persona and engage in a second round of discussions in their new roles, much like in step 2.
Again, results are recorded on Post-its.
6. Group Brawl – 15 minutes
The final round brings everyone back into the main Zoom session for a lively plenary debate. Participants defend their personas’ interests, ideas, and conclusions in one last passionate discussion.
