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- Knowledge
- 16.Aug.2024
- 3 MIN READ
The best tool to Kick-Off Any Workshop
A playful workshop tool that will create a valuable foundation starting a new project or new brand.
Description:
- Workshop tool: Hot Air Balloon
- Time: 50 Minutes
- Roles: 1 Facilitator, 1 Timekeeper
- Participants: 2–5
- Materials: Whiteboard or Flipchart, Markers, Post-It’s
The hot-air-balloon workshop is a structured walk: lift, wind, ballast, crew, destination. It beats another two-by-two matrix because people talk in a story instead of filling a grid. Put everyone in the room and take the steps in order.
Steps:
1. Wind
These are all the external forces that can have an impact on the course of our hot air balloon no matter if they’re threats or opportunities. These typically encompass legislative, social, or technological changes that we don’t have any control over.
2. Sandbags
The sandbags are all the internal challenges we are facing and the weaknesses that are literally dragging us down.
3. Hot Air
The hot air on the other side is all the strengths we have in our organization, our product, and anything that we have control over to give us a competitive advantage.
4. Passengers
These are all the internal stakeholders that have an influence on the direction of our hot air balloon and in this sense our project.
5. Observers
Observers are all the target audiences and users of our product or service that we are aiming to serve as well as external stakeholders that have an interest in our journey.
6. Paradise Island
This is the dream destination and goal that we are working towards in a 5 to 10-year timeframe. How does the future look like in our imagination?
7. Steps to take
This is the direction of our hot air balloon, the steps we need to take towards paradise island. Everything that we’re aware of today we can do to reach and find our destination.
““We have just used the hot air balloon method for our project kick-off and I liked it from the first moment. The method allows to give a great overview in a structured, but still fun way. I can only recommend using this tool when kicking off a project.”
— Julia Handte, Business Development Manager”
Final advice for this workshop tool to work best
Seven minutes a step. People stand, write, stick, and say the note in one breath. The facilitator kills the long debate. Volume of input first; argument later.
