Lotus Diagram Template
Visualize themes and explore alternative paths with a Lotus Diagram Template. Innovate when brainstorming and sharing ideas.
About the Lotus Diagram Template
The lotus diagram template is a creative-thinking technique, also known as the "lotus blossom technique.” Proposed by Michael Michalko, it helps you expand your thinking beyond your usual paths. The lotus blossom technique focuses the power of brainstorming on areas of interest by using a visual representation of an idea. It's similar to mind mapping (but more structured) and pushes you in ways you don’t find in classic mind mapping.
What is a lotus diagram?
A lotus diagram is a brainstorming and organization tool. It helps define key concepts or parts of a broader picture. The center of the diagram represents the main idea, with eight surrounding boxes representing additional concepts.
Brainstorming can be a frustrating experience. Sometimes, your team comes in with a thousand ideas they’re ready to share. Other times, the well runs dry. A lotus diagram can empower you to run smoother, more effective brainstorming sessions. Use this lotus diagram template to visualize themes and explore alternative paths.
How to use a lotus diagram template
Start with a central idea or theme, and then expand outwards with solution areas or related themes in an iterative manner. The technique encourages you to have a fully fleshed-out idea space before considering the idea completed.
Benefits of a lotus diagram template
Many teams benefit from using a lotus diagram template, mainly because it gives a twist to a regular brainstorming session. Here are a few advantages of using the lotus diagram:
1. Have better brainstorming sessions
Lotus diagrams encourage lateral thinking. If people get stuck, you can return to the diagram to generate ideas that might be tangentially related to your main topic.
2. Promote logical thinking
In using a lotus diagram, you’re constantly filing topics according to their relationship to the main topic. That makes it a helpful tool for keeping your meetings focused and on task.
3. Foster creativity
A lotus diagram encourages you to ask critical, incisive questions about the main topic, generating new ideas for discussion.
4. Break down complex ideas
Lotus diagrams can be useful for discussing complex topics with many moving parts. By uncovering related ideas, you can better understand the main idea at the center of the diagram.
Getting started with Miro's lotus diagram template
When you use Miro to create the lotus diagram, you can:
Have endless space for your collaboration. Brainstorm ideas with your distributed teammates as if you were all in one room, and engage everyone in one visual workspace to ideate and discuss all topics together.
Customize and fill out the lotus diagram template as you go along. Change colors and add sticky notes and arrows to experiment with different ideas.
Upload documents and images to make your collaboration and ideation session more visual and vivid.
Save your completed lotus diagram in .JPEG or .PDF to always have it ready to view.
What is the purpose of a lotus diagram?
A lotus diagram is a brainstorming and organization tool. It is an effective thinking tool that helps you logically organize information to solve complex problems and manage tasks.
When should lotus diagrams be used?
A lotus diagram can be used in various ways within an organization. It is best used in a brainstorming process to help break down broad topics into smaller components to offer easy analysis and prioritization within a task.
Get started with this template right now.
Crazy Eights Template
Works best for:
Design Thinking, Brainstorming, Ideation
Sometimes you just need to get the team’s creative juices flowing for a brainstorm—and get them thinking of as many ideas as they can, as fast as they can. Crazy Eights will do it in a hurry. Favoring quantity over quality, this sketch brainstorming exercise challenges them to come up with eight ideas in eight minutes, which leaves no time to second guess ideas. It’s perfect for early stages of development, and it’s a team favorite for being fast paced and fun.
Empathy Map by Medicenjuande
Works best for:
Market Research, Research & Design
Empathy Map template provides a clear way to visualize user insights. By understanding what users think, feel, and experience, you can design products that truly resonate. This template is perfect for UX teams focused on user-centered design.
Automated Security Response on AWS Template
Works best for:
AWS
The Automated Security Response on AWS template is a tool for enhancing AWS security through automation, enabling quick identification and mitigation of threats with minimal manual effort. It integrates with AWS security services for a dynamic response mechanism, ensuring infrastructure security against evolving threats. This template streamlines operational efficiency, offers scalable and customizable security strategies, and accelerates threat response times, making it essential for improving AWS security posture.
Gap Analysis Template
Works best for:
Marketing, Strategic Planning, Business Management
Consider your team’s or organization’s ideal state. Now compare it to your current real-world situation. Want to identify the gaps or obstacles that stand between your present and future? Then you’re ready to run a gap analysis. This easy-to-customize template will let your team align on what obstacles are preventing you from hitting your goals sooner, collaborate on a plan to achieve those goals, and push your organization toward growth and development. You can focus on specific gap analyses — including for skills, candidates, software, processes, vendors, data, and more.
Intent to Outcome Diagram
Works best for:
Diagramming
The Intent to Outcome Diagram template is a visual tool for mapping out the relationship between desired outcomes and the actions required to achieve them. It provides a structured framework for defining intentions, outcomes, and key activities. This template enables teams to align on goals, track progress, and identify areas for improvement. By promoting clarity and alignment, the Intent to Outcome Diagram empowers organizations to set strategic direction and drive results effectively.
UML State Machine Diagram Template
Works best for:
Software Development, Mapping, Diagrams
Visualize the workflow of a process and how objects perform actions based on different stimuli. State machine diagrams are valuable for understanding how an object responds to events at the different stages of its life cycle. They are also helpful for visualizing event sequences in a system.