Here’s a scenario challenge I use to help entrepreneurs
think differently about strategy, focus, and priorities.
Not theory.
Not frameworks.
Real decisions.
The Scenario
You’ve just developed a breakthrough technology.
It works.
It’s proven.
And it has many promising applications.
Different markets.
Different customers.
Different use cases.
Too many, in fact.
You don’t know where to start.
(At this point, each group receives a short handout describing the technology and its possible applications.)
Challenge 1 : Evaluation
If this were your business:
What worries you most?
What feels risky?
What absolutely needs to be figured out first?
Your task:
List the critical questions you’d need answered before moving forward.
Then we pause.
Class Discussion
What did each group flag as essential?
What did they ignore?
Why?
This is where patterns emerge.
This is where blind spots surface.
I capture the key risks and questions on the board —
not as “right answers,”
but as shared reference points for what comes next.
Challenge 2 : Decision
Now the hard part.
Given everything you’ve identified:
What would you do next week?
What would you prioritize this quarter?
What would you aim to test or build this year?
Time, energy, attention are limited.
You can’t do everything.
So what do you choose?
And what do you not choose?
Class Discussion
Groups walk through their decisions.
We explore:
Trade-offs
Consequences
Where a different choice might have been stronger
Not to judge.
To sharpen thinking.
Why This Works
Longer scenario challenges like this can easily carry
45 to 90 minutes of a workshop.
And they don’t feel long.
Because the format keeps shifting:
Framing
Group work
Reflection
Decision
Discussion
From the participant’s perspective, it feels alive.
Designing the Challenge
Simple scenarios can live on a slide.
Richer ones deserve a handout.
Yes, good scenario challenges take time to design.
But here’s the payoff:
Once built, they’re infinitely reusable.
Facilitation becomes light-touch.
You’re not performing.
You’re watching people think.
And despite being mostly hands-off,
these challenges are:
High-energy
Deeply engaging
Surprisingly fun
That’s the power of a well-designed scenario.
Thank you.
And Free Palestine.