# Worst Idea First — Debrief Sheet

> 8 questions, 3 failure modes, one rule: the worst ideas are the data.
> Use with `worst-idea-first-guide.md`. Debrief runs 10 min after the flip.

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## The 8 questions

**1. The easiest bad idea.**
"Which worst idea was easiest to say out loud? Why that one?"
→ Easiest usually means safest to say — which maps exactly what the room feels free to criticize.

**2. The one nobody wrote.**
"What worst idea did you think of but not say? One word is enough."
→ Voluntary, anonymous, no follow-up. The gap between thought and said is the safety meter.

**3. The comedy curve.**
"Notice how the room got louder and funnier? What changed?"
→ Laughter is the audible sound of safety rising. Naming it teaches the group what it feels like.

**4. The flip quality.**
"Which worst idea flipped into the sharpest action? What made the flip sharp?"
→ Sharp flips are specific: 'make the invite boring' becomes 'rewrite the invite subject line' — not 'improve communication'.

**5. The disguised complaint.**
"If a worst idea was a real grievance in disguise — what made it finally sayable?"
→ Only ask if one surfaced. The answer is usually: 'because the game asked for it.'

**6. The daily version.**
"Where in your week do risks only get named *after* they happen? What would a five-minute worst-idea round have caught?"
→ Transfer question. Expect: launch post-mortems, incident reviews, 'we knew this would break'.

**7. The one habit.**
"Which flipped action goes on a real list with a real owner before we leave this room?"
→ Commitment question. One action, one name, one date — the minimum honest output.

**8. The next target.**
"What is the next project that deserves a worst-idea round — and when?"
→ Closing question. It schedules the exercise into the future instead of ending it.

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## 3 known failure modes of the debrief itself

1. **The debrief reverts to serious.** The fun ends and the room puts its guard back up.
   Rescue: keep question 1 playful; the analysis can ride on the laughter.

2. **The quiet group's flip gets skipped.** Louder groups read more actions; quiet ones get cut by time.
   Rescue: two sharpest actions per group — cap the loud groups, protect the quiet ones.

3. **Everything becomes a risk register.** The room converts the whole exercise into process and kills the safety lesson.
   Rescue: question 2 and 3 re-anchor the debrief on what got *said*, not what got filed.

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If you are running the pre/post measure (`worst-idea-first-assessment.json`), note these observables:

| Observable | Points to |
|---|---|
| Room volume and laughter rise during the worst round | Safety rising |
| Specific sabotage ideas beat generic ones | Creative engagement |
| Flipped actions carry owners and dates | Commitment quality |

The report your participants receive is a self-comparison, never a group ranking — keep it that way.