The Metaplan method structures discussions on pinboards. It comes from the firm that the brothers Eberhard and Wolfgang Schnelle founded in 1959. In 1961 the firm moved to Quickborn, near Hamburg. A teaching paper of the University of Cologne names its aims. Es werden Arbeitsformen verwendet, in denen sich alle Teilnehmenden äußern. It uses forms of work in which all participants speak up. It aims to limit the dominance of those who talk a lot, and card queries can be anonymous if wanted. A handout on the card query from the Bavarian state institute for school quality puts it simply: Wichtig: die Beiträge von allen Teilnehmenden werden gebraucht! Alle Beiträge finden Beachtung! Important: the contributions of all participants are needed. All contributions receive attention.