Whether you are three-person team or a ten-person team. Whether you are brainstorming how to improve an internal system, develop a tagline, or come up with your next fundraising campaign… holding a brainstorm session can either be a highly effective tool or a total waste of time. Next time you need to put heads together, be strategic about it and reap the benefits.
- Designate someone to jot ideas down on a white board or my personal favorite, a really giant post it note! You can scoop them up on Amazon here. Pro Tip: It is helpful for this to be a diplomatic person or someone who has designated themselves as the moderator and not a contributor. It prevents personality from hindering the creative process. Beyond writing, they can reign the group in if the conversation goes a-stray and check in with the group regarding timing to decide whether continuing the session makes sense or not.
- No Negative Nellies. The first rule of brainstorm is that there are no bad ideas during a brainstorm session. If an idea seems totally off base, don’t express that aloud. Write it down and keep going. If the group feels the same as you, it won’t make it past the room anyway.
- Make it a Date. Allocate a specific amount of time and put it on the calendar. Otherwise, it is too easy to get pushed back. Designate a start and end time, but if the session is going well, don’t cut it off. You could miss out on a blossoming idea.
- Don’ Force It. If someone does not want to participate, don’t force it. A bad vibe in a brainstorming session is stifling. Even people who normally love sharing ideas have days when they’d rather not. Best not to force it. If that is the way they are feeling, its doubtful they will come up with the stellar solution. Maybe they can be the “moderator”.
- Come to a Consensus. Review the ideas and find the ones that have the most interest from the group. Talk about what each person likes or dislikes about them and determine which ideas have legs.
- Test Your Ideas: Depending on the nature of the session, it may be wise to consider doing some user testing before taking it to the next stage whether that is casual in person discussions with colleagues and/ or potential audiences, surveys, or a formal focus group. It could save you and your team time and money.
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