October 26, 2022
Whether your team is spread around a conference table or around the world, a productive brainstorm can feel like a win, energising the players and producing valuable content.
Unfortunately, there are plenty of things that can derail brainstorming sessions, including unbalanced conversation dominated by extroverts or quick thinkers, awkward silences that make the whole meeting painful, and anchoring effects, where participants focus solely on the first idea or two that popped up during the meeting, stifling new ideas and preventing the team from moving on
No matter what field you are in, brainstorming is a fundamental activity that can move ideas forward and produce better results. Ready for better brainstorming? We’ve compiled the top five tips you can use today to make brainstorming more fun.
It’s easy to simply gather your group, state your problem, and ask for ideas. But is this the most efficient way to generate fresh, productive ideas? There are specialised methods for brainstorming that take idea generation seriously, and you may want to give some a try. They include:
Brainwriting: Everyone writes down three ideas and passes their ideas to the person on their left (or right), who builds off those ideas before passing them on again. This way, ideas can cross-pollinate, morph and build on top of each other from different perspectives. After all, two heads are better than one.
Rapid ideation: Everyone writes down as many ideas as they can in a set amount of time before anything is discussed or critiqued. This is a fun way to get all the good (and bad) ideas out fast and bring a sense of fun urgency to the session.
Figure storming: The group picks a well-known figure who is not in the room and asks how they would approach the problem. For example, “How would Barack Obama (or Harry Potter, or anyone else) approach this problem?” - prepare for some funny answers here, this method is a good ice-breaker for everyone involved.
Change of scenery: Sometimes the conference room is not the best place for brainstorming. Try moving outside, heading for lunch, or playing a game to get the creative juices flowing. One tried and tested method we enjoy is walking in nature, find a park and sit under a tree - the change of context will inspire fresh perspectives from your team.
“Many people would say that it is absolute madness to keep on doing the same thing, time after time, expecting to get a different result or for something different to happen.”
It’s easy to simply gather your group, state your problem, and ask for ideas. But is this the most efficient way to generate fresh, productive ideas? There are specialised methods for brainstorming that take idea generation seriously, and you may want to give some a try. They include:
Brainwriting: Everyone writes down three ideas and passes their ideas to the person on their left (or right), who builds off those ideas before passing them on again. This way, ideas can cross-pollinate, morph and build on top of each other from different perspectives. After all, two heads are better than one.
Rapid ideation: Everyone writes down as many ideas as they can in a set amount of time before anything is discussed or critiqued. This is a fun way to get all the good (and bad) ideas out fast and bring a sense of fun urgency to the session.
Figure storming: The group picks a well-known figure who is not in the room and asks how they would approach the problem. For example, “How would Barack Obama (or Harry Potter, or anyone else) approach this problem?” - prepare for some funny answers here, this method is a good ice-breaker for everyone involved.
Change of scenery: Sometimes the conference room is not the best place for brainstorming. Try moving outside, heading for lunch, or playing a game to get the creative juices flowing. One tried and tested method we enjoy is walking in nature, find a park and sit under a tree - the change of context will inspire fresh perspectives from your team.
posted on October 26, 2022 by Md Ridoy Khan
