Meeting Design Guide: Group Problem-Solving

Use this guide if you are convening a standalone meeting or if you are requesting time to bring this topic to a standing meeting you don't own. Not sure how to decide? Use this resource first.

Use this when: You're stuck. You've been working on something and you've hit a wall and you need to think it through with other people. This isn't about validating a problem (that's a different meeting). In this case, you already know the problem, you need help figuring out what to do about it.

Sample Objectives - choose from this list or write your own

The group understands the problem, what's been tried, and the constraints
The group has generated ideas or approaches the person hadn't considered on their own
The person who raised the challenge leaves with a clear next step

Before the Meeting

As the person bringing the problem, you prepare a written summary that includes:

A clear statement of the problem and what's making it hard
What you've already tried or considered
Any constraints (budget, timeline, people, politics)
What kind of help you need: brainstorming? A gut check on your plan? Help seeing blind spots?

Suggested Flow

Time	What	How
2 min	Opening	State the objective and the ask: "I'm stuck on [X] and I need your brains on this. Here's what I'm looking for today: [brainstorming / gut check / help seeing what I'm missing]."
5 min	Present the problem	Walk through what you prepared. Either read aloud to the group or give people a few minutes to read it. Adjust the time for this section based on whether you shared a pre-read in advance.
8 min	Clarifying questions only	The group asks questions to understand, not to solve yet. "What do you need to know before we start brainstorming solutions?"
8 min	Group engagement	Choose one approach:
Option A — Organic discussion: Open it up and let the conversation flow naturally. The person who brought the problem prompts: "What ideas do you have? What would you try?" Build on each other's thinking as it emerges.
Option B — Visual capture: Go around the room; each person shares their ideas. Group similar ones on a whiteboard, sticky notes, or shared doc. Build on each other's thinking. Capture everything visually so the group can see patterns and connections.
2 min	Debrief/processing questions	"What was most helpful? What patterns are you noticing across the ideas?"
5 min	Reflect on possible next steps	The person who brought the problem reacts: "Here's what's resonating with me. Here's what I want to try." The group pressure-tests if needed.
2 min	Close and follow-up plan	Confirm the next step and owner. Agree on a follow-up plan and check-in point: "I'll try [X] and report back at [meeting/date]."

Estimated total: 30 minutes

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Tips for Leading This Effectively

Be explicit about what kind of help you need. "I want to brainstorm" and "I want a gut check on my plan" are very different asks. People will show up differently if you tell them which one it is.
Protect the clarifying questions step. The group needs to fully understand the problem before they can help solve it. If people start jumping to solutions, redirect: "Hold that thought, I want to make sure everyone has the full picture first."
Say, "Let's make sure we're not giving advice disguised as a question."
The clarifying questions step is also a chance to practice asking open-ended questions before jumping in with advice. This is a coaching skill, and the more your team practices it here, the more coach-like they become as leaders.
Don't let this turn into a decision-making meeting by accident. The goal is for the person who brought the problem to leave with options and a next step, not for the group to make the call. </aside>

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For a Standalone Meeting

If you're running this as its own meeting (not adding this topic to an existing standing agenda), consider adding these elements.

Suggested warm-up question

"Think about a time when talking with someone else helped you solve a problem. What about their support was helpful?"

Gets people in the mode of thinking through how to best support others.

Suggested check-out question

"What's one idea from today's conversation that you'll apply in your work?"

Housekeeping tips

Share the problem summary in advance so people can start thinking before the meeting
Open with the meeting objective and a recommended norm: "Clarify before you solve. Make sure you understand the problem fully before jumping to ideas."
Clear note-taking plans to capture ideas and next steps
Use a parking lot for tangential problems that surface during brainstorming </aside>