The
term brain storming has been around for over 50 years now. It was the brain
child of Alex Faickney Osborn. (He is the “O” in BBDO, the powerhouse advertising agency).
He observed that when groups came together to discuss concepts, they were able
to come up with far more inventive and creative ideas, than individual
employees, were able to on their own. Alex coined and popularised the term in
his 1953 best seller, “Applied Imagination”.
Since
then brainstorming has become a common term and common practice, in most
organisations. People and organisations are brainstorming simple things, like
what to get their dad for his birthday, all the way through to the strategic
path an organisation should follow, over the next five to ten years. The secret
to get the most from a brainstorming session requires far more than just
passing a chocolate box around the room.
I
would like to share a few ideas in this article, on how you can get the most
out of your brain storming sessions.
Keep the sessions short
Many
leaders want quick results, so they schedule a half day or full day brain
storming session. The challenge with this is that, people can only sustain
their creative efforts for a maximum of 60 minutes. During the first 10 minutes
they regurgitate the same old stuff they have heard before. The second 10 – 20 minutes
is probably the most valuable session, where the most innovative and creative
ideas will come out. After this the rush, seems to fade. The best results are
obtained during sessions of 30 – 45 minutes. As people deliver their best and
feel energised and creative for this time frame
.
Excursion Technique
Another
great idea, to get the most from these sessions, is to use the excursion
technique. After a 30 – 45 minute brain storming session, allow the
participants some time to go to their creative place, where they can digest and
think about the session for between 60 minutes to 24 hours. My experience shows
24 hours to be the optimal time for this.
During
this time they would go for a walk, a hike or go to any place where they can
just allow their mind to explore and wander. This allows the information time
to incubate in their subconscious. During this time, incredible new ideas often
materialise. When you give your mind time to wander, that is often the time it
generates the best ideas.
Defer Judgement
To
get the most from any brain storming session, do not evaluate or judge any
ideas as they come up. Try to allow the ideas to flow freely. Simply listen and
record all the ideas as they come up. Say thank you to anyone who offers an
idea, ask if they have anything else to add and then move on to the next person.
Quantity over Quality
Make
everyone feel comfortable to offer ideas. Not every idea will be a grand slam
every time. When people are made to feel that every idea is valuable, no matter
how small or insignificant it may seem, they will be far more eager to
contribute to the session. Let everyone know that you are after quantity;
quality will come when you invest time to unpack all the ideas.
Make the atmosphere fun
Try
to keep the proceedings as fun and relaxed as possible. Toss a ball around,
encourage people to make jokes. The more fun you can make each session, the
better will be the results you will enjoy.
Schedule a critique
Session
A
couple of days after the brainstorming session, schedule a meeting to analyse
the results. As you go through the list, focus on all the great ideas, those
you really appreciate. Don’t eliminate the really absurd ideas, before you have
given the team time to analyse them properly. As you dig deeper, you may
uncover some really great new innovative concepts, which may come from a few
really absurd ideas. Sort the ideas, hash them out, discuss them, vote on them
and try to uncover the best idea, which as closely as possible, matches the
original goal of the brainstorming session.
Brain
storming is a really powerful process to support you and your team to come up
with new creative or innovative ideas, which is a crucial concept for any
organisation in these ever changing and evolving times, we live in.
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