1-2-4-All: a brainstorming method where everyone is heard

In most leadership meetings, a few people do most of the talking. The others have ideas too, but they won’t always say them in front of the CEO.

1-2-4-All is a simple brainstorming method that fixes that in about fifteen minutes. Everyone thinks on their own first, then shares in pairs, then in fours, then with the whole group. I’ve used it with executive teams, and it gets the more junior people’s ideas heard. Sometimes the best idea in the room comes from someone who’d never have said it in front of the CEO.

How it works

1. On your own, 1 minute. Pose the question, and everyone writes down their ideas.

2. In pairs, 2 minutes. Share your ideas. Note where you agree, and talk about what’s different or new.

3. In fours, 4 minutes. Two pairs join up and share what came out of their conversations.

4. All together, 5 minutes. Each four shares one idea that stood out, without repeating what’s already been said. Go round again while there are ideas left.

Repeat the cycle if you want to go deeper, and mix up the pairs each time.

Making it work

• Keep the time tight. Use a timer with an alarm. The conversations should feel unfinished, so the energy carries into the next round.

• Mix the groups. Pair quieter or more junior people with someone confident enough to speak up in the big group.

• Pose the challenge in advance. Put the question in the invitation, so people arrive already thinking.

• It works online, with breakout rooms. Avoid hybrid: the dynamic doesn’t work.

For bigger topics, write first

For strategies, plans or new product ideas, ask everyone to write their idea before the meeting, in half a page. Give them a template, or the writing varies too much to discuss. You can use the One Page Strategy for this.

Then run the same steps with more time: read each other’s pages, then talk. Five minutes in pairs, ten in fours, ten all together.

Then decide

Sometimes sharing the ideas is enough. When you need to land on one, you have three options: cluster the ideas and dot-vote, guide the group towards a conclusion, or decide yourself, after showing you’ve heard everyone.

Management doesn’t have to be democratic. Only hand the decision to the group if you’re willing to own what it decides.

What to use it for

• Brainstorming Objectives and Key Results (see the OKR Cheat Sheet)

• Choosing metrics for a weekly business review

• Solving a problem together

• Getting your leadership team aligned on a strategy

My guide to setting OKRs in a week uses it for most of its meetings.

What’s in the guide

• Room setup, online sessions, and how to pick the groups.

• Each step, with timings.

• The pre-written variation for complex topics.

• Three ways to converge on a decision.

The Guide

Five pages on running 1-2-4-All with your team. Free PDF, no email needed.

Download the Guide

Where it came from

It’s based on 1-2-4-All from Liberating Structures, a collection of simple methods for getting everyone involved in a conversation.

Want help with this?

I’ve used 1-2-4-All with leadership teams as part of the strategy and planning work I do with them, so everyone in the room gets heard, not just the founder.

See the strategy workshop

Leading change in a bigger organisation? Transformation →