# Brainstorming session templates you can run today > Source: https://thinkdrop.io/guides/brainstorming-session-templates · Last reviewed 2026-08-21 · The thinkdrop facilitation team A brainstorming template is a timed agenda plus starter prompts, so the session begins without setup. The five that cover most needs are a 30-minute quick brainstorm, a 60-minute classic session, a sprint retrospective, a problem-solving session using how-might-we framing, and an asynchronous board left open for 24 hours. ## Key facts - **Templates here:** 5, each with a timed agenda - **Shortest:** 30 minutes - **Longest live session:** 60 minutes - **Asynchronous window:** 24 hours plus a 20-minute call - **Starter cards per template:** 5–6 - **Cost to run on thinkdrop:** Free to start, $0.99/month after trial ## Step by step 1. **Pick the template that matches your time, not your ambition** — A well-run 30-minute session beats a 90-minute one that loses the room at minute forty. Choose by the time you genuinely have. 2. **Replace the question with your own** — Each template's starter cards are prompts, not answers. Swap in the specific question you need ideas for before you share the board. 3. **Post the agenda where participants can see it** — People contribute differently when they know a grouping phase is coming — they write more freely, because they know filtering happens later. 4. **Run the silent phase without exception** — Every template starts silent. It is the single step that most changes the range of what gets written. 5. **Close the board and send the summary the same day** — The output of a session is a written record with owners. Sent within the hour it gets read; sent two days later it does not. ## Session templates ### 30-minute quick brainstorm Best for: One narrow question, a small team, no time to prepare. Length: 30 minutes. Agenda: - 0–3 min — Read the question aloud, state the two ground rules - 3–8 min — Silent card writing, no talking - 8–18 min — Build on each other's cards - 18–25 min — Group into themes and react - 25–30 min — Pick two, assign owners Starter cards: - What would we try if we had one week and no budget? - What has a customer asked for twice this month? - What is the smallest version of this we could ship? - What are we doing only because we have always done it? - What would a competitor do here? Start this template: https://thinkdrop.io/guides/brainstorming-session-templates ### 60-minute classic session Best for: A significant question with a mixed group. Length: 60 minutes. Agenda: - 0–5 min — Frame the question, ground rules - 5–10 min — Silent generation - 10–30 min — Build, extend, combine - 30–45 min — Cluster into 5–8 named themes - 45–55 min — Vote and pick the top three - 55–60 min — Owner and date for each Starter cards: - What is the real problem behind the one we were asked to solve? - Who is affected by this that is not in the room? - What would make this ten times easier rather than ten percent better? - What is the boring option we are avoiding? - What would we regret not trying? - What constraint would we remove first? Start this template: https://thinkdrop.io/guides/brainstorming-session-templates ### Sprint retrospective Best for: A team closing a sprint or a release. Length: 45 minutes. Agenda: - 0–5 min — Recap the sprint, no discussion - 5–12 min — Silent cards: went well / did not / change - 12–30 min — Discuss the most-reacted cards only - 30–40 min — Agree two changes for next sprint - 40–45 min — Owners and how we will know it worked Starter cards: - What went well that we should keep doing deliberately? - Where did we lose the most time? - What surprised us this sprint? - What did we decide but not do? - What should we stop doing entirely? Start this template: https://thinkdrop.io/guides/brainstorming-session-templates ### Problem-solving (how might we) Best for: A recurring problem nobody has framed properly. Length: 60 minutes. Agenda: - 0–10 min — Describe the problem, no solutions allowed - 10–20 min — Rewrite it as three "how might we" questions - 20–25 min — Vote on which question to solve - 25–45 min — Generate ideas against that one question - 45–60 min — Cluster, choose, assign Starter cards: - How might we remove the step people complain about most? - How might we make the failure obvious before it costs anything? - How might we solve this for the ten percent hardest cases? - How might we make the current workaround unnecessary? - How might we solve this without building anything? Start this template: https://thinkdrop.io/guides/brainstorming-session-templates ### Asynchronous 24-hour board Best for: Distributed teams across timezones. Length: 24 hours plus a 20-minute call. Agenda: - Day 1, morning — Open the board with the question and prompts - Day 1 — Everyone adds cards on their own time - Day 2, morning — Facilitator clusters the cards into themes - Day 2 call, 0–10 min — Walk the themes - Day 2 call, 10–20 min — Vote, choose, assign owners Starter cards: - Add one idea you would not say out loud in a meeting. - What does this look like from your timezone or market? - What do you already know that the rest of us probably do not? - Which of the cards above would you build first, and why? - What is missing from this board? Start this template: https://thinkdrop.io/guides/brainstorming-session-templates ## What a good template actually contains A template earns its place by removing decisions from the facilitator at the moment they are busiest. That means three things: a timed agenda with phase boundaries, a small set of starter prompts so the board is never empty, and an explicit end state — what the group leaves with. Anything beyond that is decoration. ## Adapting a template to your team Shorten the generation phase before you shorten the grouping phase; groups usually have enough ideas and too little time to make sense of them. If your team is quiet, add a second silent round rather than more discussion. If it is loud, run generation entirely on cards and use speech only during clustering. ## Which template to use | Situation | Template | Length | | --- | --- | --- | | Narrow question, little time | 30-minute quick brainstorm | 30 min | | Significant question, mixed group | 60-minute classic | 60 min | | End of a sprint | Sprint retrospective | 45 min | | Recurring, badly framed problem | How might we | 60 min | | Team across timezones | Asynchronous board | 24h + 20 min | ## FAQ **What is a brainstorming template?** A timed agenda plus starter prompts, so a session can begin without the facilitator designing it first. **How long should a brainstorming template run?** Thirty minutes for one narrow question, sixty for a significant one, or asynchronously over 24 hours for distributed teams. **Can I run these templates for free?** Yes — you can start any of them on a free thinkdrop board and share the link with your team. **How many starter cards should a template have?** Five or six: enough that the board is never empty, few enough that they do not define the answer. --- Written and maintained by The thinkdrop facilitation team at thinkdrop.io, a real-time idea board for brainstorms, retrospectives and workshops. Free to quote with a link to https://thinkdrop.io/guides/brainstorming-session-templates.