Post-Up

Purpose

Post-Up is the foundational silent brainstorming technique. Every participant writes one idea per sticky note, then posts all notes on a shared surface. It democratizes idea generation by giving everyone equal airtime, prevents groupthink, and produces a large volume of raw input in minutes.

At a glance

• Group size: 3–30
• Duration: 15 minutes
• Difficulty: Beginner
• Facilitation style: Silent individual writing, then group review
• Setting: In-person or virtual

How to run

1. State the prompt (1 min). Write a clear, open-ended question on the wall or screen. Example: “What are our biggest risks this quarter?”
2. Silent writing (5 min). Each participant writes one idea per sticky note. Encourage quantity over quality.
3. Post-up (2 min). Everyone places their notes on the wall or board simultaneously.
4. Read-out and cluster (5 min). The facilitator reads notes aloud (or asks volunteers to read theirs). Group similar ideas together organically.
5. Optional dot vote (2 min). Give each participant 2–3 dots to vote on the most important clusters.

Materials needed

• Sticky notes (one pad per person)
• Markers (thick-tip so notes are readable from a distance)
• Large wall, whiteboard, or digital board

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Vague prompt. The question determines the quality of output — make it specific and actionable.
• Writing too small. Insist on markers, not pens, so notes are readable from 2 metres away.
• Skipping the read-out. Unread notes are wasted — every note deserves airtime.

Inclusion & accessibility

• Provide thick markers and large notes for readability.
• Allow participants to dictate their ideas to a scribe if writing is difficult.
• Read every note aloud during clustering so non-sighted participants can follow.

Variations

• Timed rounds: Run 3 rounds of 2 minutes each with different prompts.
• Anonymous Post-Up: Collect notes in a box and have one person post them to ensure anonymity.
• Digital Post-Up: Use Miro, Mural, or FigJam for remote teams.

When NOT to use this

• When you need deep discussion, not volume of ideas — Post-Up generates breadth, not depth.
• When the group is smaller than 3 — just have a conversation.

Source & further reading

• Gray, D., Brown, S., & Macanufo, J. (2010). *Gamestorming.* O’Reilly Media.
• Sibbet, D. (2010). *Visual Meetings.* Wiley.