Writing Sprint

Creativity

Brainstorming

This technique is used to focus on a specific aspect of your writing. This promotes concentration and attention. It is about letting your thoughts flow on a certain topic within a set time. The activity also encourages participants to not get bogged down on certain ideas.

Writing Sprints are suited for anyone who likes

• to take a deeper look at individual focal points of content.
• to become familiar with aspects of a certain writing topic.
• to write down everything about this aspect first.
• to deal with own thoughts and ideas in writing.

The activity can be applied to individuals and groups. If working with groups, the facilitator needs to decide in which way the results will be shared (or not).

• To concentrate on a certain topic
• To activate and collect all possible thoughts, opinions, and memories related to the topic
• To focus on the essential

Material

• Paper
• Pen

The activity can also be implemented online with a word-processing programme.

Time

• 5 minutes for writing
• 1 minute for reflecting on the the focus sprint (or alternative time slots)

• The facilitator presents a headline or prompt to direct the focus.
• The participants
  • Write down any thoughts that come to their mind about this heading.
  • Do not pause.
  • Reread the headline if they get stuck or digress, 
  • Stop writing after 5 minutes (or alternative time).
  • Mark keywords and statements in the writing sprint that are important for you to further elaborate on.

The facilitator formulates a headline or prompt to direct the focus. The headline can be a question, a quote or a sentence starter. Participants can also formulate their own headlines, should a facilitator not be available.

Participants spend five minutes (or an alternative time) writing down their thoughts as quickly as possible without pausing - as close as possible to their inner language, exactly as their thoughts form in their head.

While they write down their thoughts, new thoughts arise, which they in turn write down. Then they immediately reflect on the text by reading it and marking everything that is important. Below the text they then write one key sentence that sums up the most important points.

This will develop other ideas, help find core ideas and practice a new thinking strategy: Over time participants get used to thinking thoroughly and purposefully. In doing so, participants also set a counterpoint to the fast speed of thinking in everyday working life.

More information on writing sprints are available at:

https://www.millcitypress.net/blog/writing/writing-prompts-writing-sprints/

https://thewritepractice.com/writing-sprints/

https://www.ik-blog.de/ipp-fuer-das-arbeiten-mit-einem-internen-kommunikationskonzept/

(in German)