How to Use epics in Your Sessions

Transform Abstract Ideas into Tangible Visuals.
1H7A8728

epics are metaphoric and symbolic objects designed to help participants express complex or abstract ideas and make them tangible, relatable, and easier to work with. By incorporating epics into your sessions, you can foster creativity, enhance engagement, and promote a shared understanding among team members.

Set the Stage for Impactful Visual Storytelling.

  • Familiarize Yourself with epics: Before the session, take time to explore the various epics available and understand the concepts they can represent. This will help you select the most suitable ones for your session’s objectives.
  • Set Up the Physical Space: Arrange the meeting area so that all participants have easy access to the epics and can interact freely. A good practice is to place 15–20 epics on the table at the start, with the remaining ones accessible in an open box nearby.
  • Define Session Goals: Clearly outline the objectives of your meeting or workshop in the beginning. Knowing what you aim to achieve will guide the selection and application of epics during the session.

Ease Participants into Visual Expression.

  • Introduce the Purpose of epics: Begin the session by introducing epics as tools to facilitate the expression and understanding of thoughts, challenges, and ideas. Emphasize that there are no right or wrong choices of objects—encourage openness and creativity.
  • Demonstrate Usage: Show examples of how epics can represent different concepts or ideas in the beginning. This helps participants feel more confident and inspired to use them.

Engage Participants in Meaningful Visual Exercises.

  • Warm-Up Activity: Start with a simple activity where each participant selects an epic that represents their current mood or thoughts about the session topic. Have them share their choices with the group to build comfort with the tools.
  • Idea Generation and Brainstorming: During ideation, participants use epics to represent their ideas. Take turns presenting ideas with one or two epics. This approach helps make abstract concepts visible and encourages creative thinking.
  • Storytelling and ´Pitch Crafting: Use epics to quickly develop narratives and refine stories together in a fun and engaging way. Teams can co-create company value statements, sales pitches, presentations, or even social media posts.

caroussel people and culture
Flags
Starter
Dimensions
Dialogue & Coaching
Sun
Development & Innovation
Dialogue & Coching
Development & Innovation
Starter No box

Foster a Shared Understanding Through Visuals.

  • Group Discussions: When discussing challenges or solutions, have participants choose epics that represent their perspectives. This method can uncover underlying thoughts and foster empathetic dialogue.
  • Joint System Building: Collaboratively map out systems, environments, or scenarios by placing epics to represent key elements—e.g., customer touchpoints, roadmap milestones, strategic advantages, external factors, or internal dynamics. This builds a shared view of the bigger picture.
  • Clarifying and Refining Together: Refine shared visualizations by moving, removing, or adding epics. This iterative process helps teams align, resolve confusion, and build clarity through co-creation.
  • Reflection and Feedback: Conclude activities by having participants choose one or two epics representing a learning or piece of feedback. Sharing these choices helps surface insights in a personal and memorable way.

Capture Visual Insights for Continued Engagement.

  • Record Visual Insights Videos: Use the integrated video function in the epicMeets app to record insights and the visual representations to your gallery, maintaining a record and facilitating impactful follow-up.
  • Turning Insights into Action: Translate the visual outcomes into actionable steps, assigning responsibilities and timelines to ensure the session’s insights lead to tangible results.

Access Resources for Continuous Improvement.

For additional guidance and best practices on using epics, visit the epicMeets Knowledge Base. Here, you’ll find practical tips, articles, and tutorials to help you maximize the effectiveness of epics in your sessions.

launch app

Experience the Impact of Visual Storytelling

Integrating epics into your meetings and workshops can transform the way your team communicates, collaborates, and innovates. By harnessing the power of visual storytelling, you create an environment where ideas become accessible, and every participant’s voice is valued.

Order you epics