You’ve heard the saying, “two heads are better than one.” We agree! And that’s why brainstorm sessions are such a great way to solve problems, get creative, and think outside the box.
No matter what industry you’re in, sitting down with other people and bouncing ideas around can be a game-changer when you’re up against a challenge or need some new perspective.
But if you want your brainstorm session to yield the best results, it’s important to create an environment that supports it.
That’s why these seven brainstorming techniques are perfect for helping you squeeze every ounce of opportunity out of your meeting.
1. Go In With a Plan
Before you book a brainstorm, you need to be able to clearly define the question you’re trying to answer or problem you’re trying to solve. The entire process is based on spitballing all kinds of ideas but, without a target, things can easily go off the rails. Let people share their ideas but always make sure you refocus on the task at hand if things start to veer off course.
2. Keep It Brief
Brainstorming requires a lot of energy. So, rather than trying to stretch it out into a long, multi-hour meeting, keep it quick. This will encourage people to be more proactive and high-energy in a shorter time. If need be, you can always end the session, send recap notes around, and book a follow-up brainstorm session to elaborate on previous ideas with a fresh mind.
3. Facilitate an Open-Minded Environment
The quickest way to kill a brainstorm is to be judgmental or closed-minded. It’s critical that everyone be allowed to share their idea, no matter how outside-the-box it might be. Everyone should be able to feed off of each other’s energy. And believe it or not, a lot of the best brainstorm results come from outlandish “diamond in the rough” ideas. So, make sure to nip any negativity in the bud so you can proceed with a positive atmosphere in your meeting.
4. Bring In Things for People to Toy With
Inspiration isn’t on tap. It’s not just a switch you can turn on and off. So, as silly as it might sound, it’s important to mix things up and to bring things into your brainstorm that people can actually use to get the creative juices flowing. This could be things like props, magazines, visuals including art or photos, or even toys like Lego or Play-Doh. You can also bring in treats like cookies and coffee to get people excited.
5. Focus on Quantity over Quality
This is counterintuitive because in most cases, you hear people say to focus on quality over quantity. But with brainstorming, it’s a different kind of situation. The whole point is to get as many ideas as possible out of the session which means that, in these early stages, there’s no such thing as a bad idea. Get a ton of ideas and then widdle them back later.
6. Write Everything Down Where People Can See It
Try using sticky notes to capture every single idea. Post them on a wall or board for all to see. Then, as more ideas flow in, you can start to map out similar or related ideas. This will allow you to both see the wide array of possibilities but also to create connections between similar ideas which might ultimately be able to complement one another.
7. Don’t Start Cold
As we said earlier, getting inspired isn’t just a switch you can flip. So, rather than just sitting down and saying, “go,” try getting your meeting warmed up with some icebreaker questions. There’s no shortage of them–check out this list of 164 icebreaker questions if you need some inspiration.
8. Change Up the Scenery
Sometimes even a change of scenery can be enough to get you and your brainstorming colleagues into a different mindset. You could consider going to a restaurant, a different part of the office, or even booking an off-site meeting room or flex space for your brainstorm session, just to mix it up.
When it comes time to tackle a challenge or develop some new ideas for your business, getting some colleagues together for a brainstorming session can give you better results than you’d achieve on your own. Just make sure to take an innovative approach so you get innovative outcomes. If you’re interested in booking a meeting room for your brainstorm or if you’d like to learn about how coworking spaces can help support the success of your workday, get in touch with us today. Our team is available to speak with you.
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