How will you react the next time your boss takes you to an impromptu brainstorming session? Hopefully, in my previous articles you have learned tools and techniques that will help you generate creative ideas that will surprise your colleagues and your boss, but first you must establish the ground rules of the session so that your brilliant plan is not ignored. .
I know what you’re thinking; “Rules in a brainstorming session? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?”
Most people don’t set rules for brainstorming before a session, but I have found that setting the guidelines before starting really helps to get started and keep creativity flowing.
This list of rules is the result of testing many, many different rules and ideas from hundreds of websites, authors, instructors, friends, and universities on the topic of brainstorming. I have added a heavy dose of my own experience to solidify this list. These are the ones I’ve found the most useful so far, but I’m always trying new things too. I encourage you to do the same, experiment and see what works best for you.
Rule number one: generate as many ideas as possible.
Go for quantity, not quality.
The best way to get a great idea is to get lots of ideas to choose from. Try to write four or five hundred ideas in your session. The list can always be narrowed down and prioritized later.
Another reason I emphasize quantity over quality is because quality doesn’t matter at this stage of the game. Have you ever been in an argument where someone says something that is crazy and someone else in the room stops and says, “That won’t work” or “We don’t have the budget for that”? That kind of judgment stops the momentum and depletes the brainstorming of your creativity.
Rule number two: Encourage crazy and exaggerated ideas, no matter how crazy, ridiculous, or outlandish the idea may be.
Say, “Okay guys, the person who comes up with the most creative idea in the next hour wins.” Letting everyone know that insanity is okay for an hour, that insanity is, in fact, encouraged, will open the door to new ideas. You will be amazed at the creativity that will flourish when you encourage crazy ideas.
Rule number three: There will be no detailed discussion of an idea, except to provide clarification.
When someone says something that is really creative, many times the other people in the room will try to give a twenty minute lecture on why the idea is not entirely crazy. Because the idea does not fit into normal business conversation patterns, the person feels responsible to defend the merit of their suggestion. Don’t let this happen. Each person has 10-15 seconds to explain the concept if it is really strange and unfamiliar to the rest of the group, but they are not allowed to carry out a detailed conversation until the end of the session.
Rule number four: Assign someone as scribe.
The scribe should write down all ideas, without testing.
I have to emphasize the second part of this rule because detection happens all the time. Everyone is yelling ideas and someone will say something really crazy, and the scribe will not register his idea because he thinks it is too far-fetched. Make sure the scribe understands this rule.
Rule number five: keep a copy of the rules in view
The rules should be easily visible to everyone in the room. If someone tries to push the boundaries and break a rule, point to the list and politely tell the detractor to shut up.
Rule number six: the brainstorming list should be visible to everyone
Don’t let the scribe hide his list out of sight. Everyone should be able to see the ideas that have already been generated. The list could provide the inspiration needed for the next great idea, which brings me to my next point.
Rule number seven: snowball over other ideas is encouraged
There is no truly original idea. There I said it. If you think you have one, you are arrogant and / or naive. Many of today’s greatest innovations are the result of someone taking advantage of someone else’s ideas. Even if an idea is only 10% different from another idea, say the new thought out loud and write it down. That 10% difference could be enough to make someone else think about the idea differently and allow you to expand the concept even further.
Rule number eight: postpone and withhold judgment on any idea
The trial is one of the greatest creative killers out there. The judgment is even worse when it comes from a superior. Almost everyone has been in a situation where someone throws a crazy idea and the highest ranking person in the room makes a face, arches an eyebrow, or makes a derogatory comment. Suddenly, there is a deathly silence. Once I was in a meeting when the chairman of the board burst into the room and angrily asked, “What fucking son of a bitch came up with this ridiculous stupid idea?” How many people would you guess who raised their hands? What do you think it did to the creativity of the team?
Rule number nine: leave your titles at the door
This is the hardest rule for bosses. Whenever you brainstorm, there is no vice president. There are no directors, bosses or owners. I give a lot of sessions in the army, and when I come to this rule, I have to look at the highest ranking officer and say, “Is it crystal clear? Do you understand that you are not the boss for the next hour? I want you to be full. , fully and consciously aware that you are the person most likely to end creativity in this room. “
I almost have to embarrass the highest ranking person in this room to make it clear that they will probably ruin the session. To further drive this rule home, sometimes I place a camera in the room from a distance and actually bring the camera closer to the manager’s face without telling him. The camera records your facial expressions and body language in response to truly creative ideas. I play the video for them over lunch on the big screen and point out their expressions. I ask them, “Don’t you think your attitude hinders the creative process?”
Rule number ten: the optimal number of people is between 8 and 12, and a third of the group are outsiders
This is the largest and sadly the least practiced in business. The critical part of this rule is attracting outsiders. Get people from outside your department, your company, or better yet, people from a completely different industry to sit in your session. Companies rarely ask outsiders to join them, but outsiders offer a unique point of view that insiders cannot see. Consider this: Every business in the world struggles with costs, employee retention, and other common business problems. Their problems are not unique, they all have very similar problems to deal with. An outsider might shed some light on your company’s particular hurdle.
Most people think that this rule will not work because outsiders will not be interested in participating in a session, but the reality is that everyone wants to exchange ideas. Try implementing a “brainstorming” program with another company. Both companies will benefit from the experience.
Setting rules for your brainstorming session will allow you to come up with more creative ideas and solutions for your business.