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Spontaneous
Think Tanks
A Think Tank is designed to solve problems. It's a conversation-based format where participants discuss a specific challenge they are facing.
It's Spontaneous because the problems are not pre-selected before the event. We crowdsource onsite to determine what challenges are top of mind for participants right now.
What is it?
Option 1: The Participants
In a true peer-to-peer Spontaneous Think Tank, the facilitators are selected onsite from the crowdsourcing. We ask participants what challenges they have solved and can share with others, and give them a brief explanation of how to lead the conversation. In person, conversations should be 30-45 minutes long. The first 10 minutes is led by the facilitator, sharing their knowledge, and the rest of the time is conversation.
Option 2: SMEs that you pre-select
Some companies prefer to pre-assign facilitators from their subject matter experts or volunteers. The conversation topics still come from the crowdsourcing of greatest challenges, but the facilitators can be trained in a more controlled environment to lead the conversation.
If you have specific content that you want your company experts to lead, we can use the crowdsourcing portion of the event to help the presenters guide the conversation to the topics your customers care most about.
Who leads the sessions?
What kind of space do
we need?
The most important space is the crowdsourcing area. We need access to walls or windows where sticky notes will adhere. Ballrooms with fabric walls don't work, but if that's what you're working with, bringing in large whiteboards or adhering butcher paper to the ballroom walls is an option!
The physical space for the conversations can be in a breakout room, outside, on a patio, or even in the main conference ballroom, but we encourage casual, relaxed, comfortable spaces for walls-down, gritty conversation. If the weather is nice, outdoors is amazing for great conversations!
Go outside!
Why does it work?
In Haute's 2021 research study into Return on Emotion℠, results showed that events must evoke five emotions in order to drive pipeline and revenue: Hope, Adventure, Acceptance, Activity, and Motivation. A Spontaneous Think Tank hits all of these emotions with a single program.
Participants feel a sense of hope when they see that there are other people in the room who are experiencing similar challenges and there are resources to help them overcome those roadblocks.
They experience adventure and stepping out of their comfort zone when they get to share their challenges, their expertise, and get the opportunity to lead a session if they choose to do so.
They play an active role in the entire content process through contributing their insights and thoughts, as well as in the conversation-based sessions.
They experience acceptance and a sense of belonging when they recognize that they are with others who are like-minded and there to help each other.
In the end, they are highly motivated to solve their problems with the resources they've uncovered during the Spontaneous Think Tank experience.
How does it work?
Through a flow that we call The Five C's, these experiences lead to the outcomes they all want: connection.
1) Care: Participants aren't used to an event format that truly values their contribution. Knowing that you care about them is the first step to a sense of belonging.
2) Co-creation: Through crowdsourcing, we co-create the conversations that will happen in the sessions.
3) Conversation: The breakout sessions are all conversation based, and the topics come directly from the co-created content.
4) Collaboration: Through conversation, collaboration happens. Participants begin to build on each other's knowledge and resources to find solutions.
5) Connection: Following the path of the previous four C's leads to real, valuable, and authentic connections among the participants.
Who is it for?
Spontaneous Think Tanks work for any groups. From C-Suite to high school students. From developers to HR professionals. The titles and industries do not matter because the content is the people.
You can create think tanks for customers, prospects, or even employees!
Other ways to use Spontaneous Think Tanks:
Strategy sessions, team-building & customer advisory boards
Sure, you can bring in a consultant to tell you how to run your business and help you align on a mission statement. Then you can go to a great group dinner and get to know each other. Or.....
You can plan the most impactful, eventful, and fun-filled business strategy session your team has ever been a part of. We're experts at customizing a one or two-day program anywhere in the world that will get your team laughing, sharing, and revealing their expertise which will drive your strategy further, faster than you ever thought possible.
We facilitate the strategy session, but you are the experts. We'll help you uncover that expertise among your team members and solidify your planning for the next quarter or year.
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