Hopes & Fears

gain insight into what your team thinks about an upcoming project

Hopes & Fears
Description

What is Hopes & Fears?

Hopes & Fears is a method to gather a group's attitude towards a project. Hopes uncover expectations about what can be done. Fears uncover doubts about the project at hand. A great activity for getting people to open up and share their feelings about where you're going. Use this activity at any moment that feels like the beginning of a project, sprint, workshop or other large commitment work.

Explanation

How does Hopes & Fears work?

Step 1: Write down alone

Everyone gets time to write their hopes and concerns before talking about them. Invite participants to be honest and share what they feel. They can start with:

  • Hope: "I hope..."or "It would be great if..."
  • Fears: "I'm concerned that..."or "This would be great but..."

Step 2: Discuss and Cluster

Once everyone is finished, ask everyone to move their post-its to the board. Identify any emerging themes. What stands out? What hopes or fears do you share? Is there a sensitive topic or issue that’s worth bringing into the open for discussion?

Cluster, circle and title your themes.‍

Example

What is a good example for Hopes & Fears?

A good example of Hopes & Fears is to do the method as part of a project kick-off. The method encourages the group to share their hopes and wishes for the project. Everyone gets an opportunity to share their fears, questions and worries.

Below, you see an example of what Hopes & Fears could look like at the end. As you can see, it gives you honest insight into what people think and increases trust within the group.

Origin

Who invented Hopes & Fears?

Downloads

Hopes & Fears Template Download

Hopes & Fears PDF Template

To download the Hopes & Fears PDF Template, simply click the button below.

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Hopes & Fears Miro Template

  1. Click the button below, to open the Hopes & Fears Miro Template
  2. In Miro click on the name of the board in the upper-left corner, to see the board info card
  3. Click on the Duplicate button in the info card to add the template into your own account.
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Screenshot explaining how to duplicate a Miro template

Hopes & Fears Mural Template

  1. Click the button below, to open the Hopes & Fears Mural Template
  2. In the new tab click on Create mural from template to create a new Mural board with the template in your account

Tip: You can also click "Save for later" to save the template into your account and use it in the future.

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FAQ

Questions & Answers

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How can I edit the Hopes & Fears template?
Duplicate either the Miro or Mural Hopes & Fears template. All you need for that is a free account on one of the platforms. From there you can fully edit and adapt the template content and colors to your own needs.
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Can I share the Hopes & Fears template with others?
Yes, absolutly! Feel free to share this template with your team, colleagues or organisation. The best way to do this, is to send them a direct link to the template.
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Is it possible to print the Hopes & Fears template?
Yes, you can print the Hopes & Fears template. To do so, simply download the PDF version of this template. The PDF version is in A4 format, vector-based and can be printed in high-quality on large size. The best paper size for printing is A1, because it's still portable but gives you enough space to work on.
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Do I need a payed Miro or MURAL account to use the Hopes & Fears template?
No, a payed Miro or Mural account won't be necessary to use this template, because you can always use the free plan for both tools. Or if you exceed the limits of the free plan, you can always download this template as a PDF.
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What is the license for this template?
This template is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0. In short that means, you are free to download, copy and share the template. But while doing so, you must give appropriate credit and provide a link to the Hopes & Fears template website.