Give your word cloud a purpose.

To open a meeting

• What word describes how you’re coming into this meeting?
• What would you like to contribute today?
• What do you need to be able to focus?

Choose a question people can answer without sharing sensitive information. Explain whether you’ll discuss the words straight away or return to them later.

For a workshop or ideation session

• Which word describes the problem we’re trying to solve?
• What should a good solution give the user?
• Which strength should we build on?

Use the word cloud as a starting point. Follow up a recurring word with an open-ended question: What does this mean in practice? This helps the group turn an association into a concrete need.

For teaching and training

• What do you associate with today’s concept?
• Which word from the lesson would you like to understand better?
• Which concept will you take away from today?

Try a similar question before and after the lesson. The differences can prompt a conversation about what the group noticed. A word cloud does not measure individual knowledge precisely.

For feedback and next steps

• What was most valuable in the meeting?
• What would you like more of next time?
• Which word describes our most important priority?

A rare word can be just as valuable as a common one. Invite someone to explain a perspective that might get lost among the more frequent answers.

Three things to consider when writing the question

1. Ask for a short answer

   Use an open-ended question when the answer needs several sentences. Words and short phrases make a cloud easier to scan.

2. Avoid leading the answer

   Asking what made the collaboration so fantastic already suggests a positive response. Asking how people would describe it leaves more room.

3. Explain what the results mean

   Tell people that repeated words grow larger. Explain that spelling variants and similar terms may need to be interpreted together.

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