We’ve all be there. It’s a day-long brainstorming session. Key team members have been flown in, stayed in a hotel, had a big breakfast and then it’s time to start working with the consultant. This one is better than the last one – at least they seem to have a grasp of your business.
But your team needs this. The marketplace is changing, your clients are changing, the economy is changing; whatever the case may be, brainstorming is important. It can come in a ton of forms, but I’m going to look at the large-group style today. What makes up a good session?
- All ideas are (initially) equal. Yes, the moderator probably will say, “There are no bad ideas,” even when we all know, there are bad ideas. But here is the thing, bad ideas can spawn great ideas! So, any moderator wants every crazy, audacious idea to come out. It might spark someone else. It could get the ball rolling on the amazing idea that could change your company.
- Brainstorming should never actually end. It shouldn’t be just a once-every-five-years event. It needs to be ongoing. Whether it is every quarter with different people, or even once a year, the ideas are out there and business leaders need to build an environment for those great ideas to come to the surface.
- We can’t solve every problem. It’s a simple concept, but one that sometimes brainstorm participants fail to remember. Some peoples can’t be solved by a simple group brainstorm. That is why it is important when coming into a brainstorming session, the participants must have a clear understanding of the goals for the day.
- Change the room. Especially if it is a larger group, every so often, have people change groups. It changes conversations and it can lead to even more ideas because of the conversations that happen, but don’t get shared to the whole group.
Brainstorming should be a fun and energizing experience for your teams. Use them to your advantage. It goes back to creating an atmosphere of creativity in Monday’s post. This is just one of many things you can do to improve your team’s creativity.
What have been the best brainstorming meetings you’ve attended and why? What are some really creative brainstorming tools that you have used or experienced?
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