New Shoots is a fast, energising format for catching and exploring the ideas people most want to talk about and make progress on.

Purpose 

Invites participants to pitch a conversation topic that is front of mind – anything from a half-formed idea to a promising opportunity that is emerging.

Pitches are followed by self-directed conversations in breakout spaces. It’s basically a mini version of Open Space lasting around an hour.

Invitation
Rather than passively listening to someone else’s agenda, New Shoots invites participants to shape the session themselves. OPen up the pitches with a simple invitation:

“What new shoots or seeds of change are emerging that you’d  like to explore in the next hour?”

“Is there an idea, solution or opportunity that you want to make progress on?”

Give people a minute with pen and paper to jot down their thoughts. This helps to minimise group think and increases divergence. The goal isn’t to figure everything out, it’s to identify what’s most alive for them right now.

In the pitching phase it’s worth holding space for people who are more hesitant to speak up – they often bring real gold.

Room Set Up

• Breakout areas around the room (it helps to name them in advance) with an ideal group size of 5 to 10 people (the smaller the better)

• Optional space in a nearby room for overflow or quiet discussion

• A large session grid on tapestry paper or a whiteboard (or screen) showing two rows for 10–20 min rounds with columns for each breakout space

• Sticky notes or whiteboard pens to note down session topics and hosts

• Chairs optional — standing groups work fine for short conversations

Co-creating the agenda
Focus the group on the session grid and explain how it works:

“We’re going to create the agenda for the next hour together. If you have something you’d like to talk about, you can host a short conversation about it.”

“To offer a session, all you have to say is: ‘I’d like to host a session about…’ That’s it. I’ll help you frame a short title and we’ll add it to the board.”

As people offer topics, write them into the grid and let people choose the space they’ll take place in. Name the spaces on the grid and signpost them in physical space.

Keep the tone playful and encouraging — this is about inviting the group to take creative ownership.

If you end up with too many ‘offers’ for the time and space available do a quick selection exercise. A show of hands or dot voting is usually enough.

Instructions

• Once the grid is filled, explain the timings for both rounds.

• Hosts introduce the topic and help shape the conversation but not direct it – like hosting friends at dinner.

• Participants choose which conversation to join. They can stay, move, float between, or leave if it’s not working for them.

• Introduce the Law of Two Feet/Law of Mobility:

“If you find you’re not learning or contributing — move. No need to explain. Just follow your feet.”

“If no one comes to your session, that’s OK too — it just means the energy is elsewhere, or the group isn’t ready for this yet. Join another group. No hard feelings, no pity votes.”

Sharing between groups
At the end of both rounds, reconvene. Ask each host to find someone from their group who’s willing to write a short report as the conversation unfolds – just enough to capture the key points. A light structure is:

• What happened?

• So what? (What insights emerged?)

• Now what? (Any next steps?)

These can be shared back with the group, posted on a wall, or used to feed into wider strategy or follow-up process.

If there is a group sharing exercise it helps to give each group some dedicated time to prepare and agree a few points to share.  All group plenaries can be quite dull – so consider other methods for this such as Impromptu Networking or 1,2,4-All.

Focus areas / things to flag up

• Keep session pitches short — as much as you can say on one breath or one sentence is enough.

• Emphasise permission: participants can move, float, opt out.

• Hosts aren’t delivering content — they’re holding space. Given the solutions-focus they may guide the conversation towards decisions and action and that’s fine.

• Some topics may attract many, others few – that’s OK.

• Reassure people that if they’re done after 10 minutes, it’s fine to disband early. When you’re done, you’re done.

Benefits

• Makes use of people in the room’s real-time intelligence

• Encourages curiosity, agency and ownership

• Helps surface what matters most, right now

• Can lead to unexpected insights and connections

• Great for lifting energy and engagement mid-event

• Works well as a convergent activity after initial exploration 

Riffs and Variations

• Use for prototyping, ideation, or strategic exploration

• Frame around a specific theme or challenge

• Add a third round if energy is high (you can revisit existing topics

Source
Adapted from ‘Open Space Technology’ and ‘Idea Bounce’ from Creative Facilitation