Is your brainstorming boring?
You: Let’s brainstorm some ideas for this…
Group: Two or three people suggest ideas. Someone says why they won’t work. The highest-ranking person in the meeting indicates a preference for something and the group goes in that direction…
We all know this isn’t brainstorming. Brainstorming is a group problem-solving technique that involves the spontaneous contribution of ideas from all members of the group. There are a few “rules”, but the main goals are involving everyone and generating as many ideas as possible. Doing it well can yield tremendous benefits in team cohesion, ownership, accountability, and creativity.
Be intentional about using brainstorming as a technique and be willing to facilitate to get the best results.
Preparation
Define the topic – “How Might We” statement or Problem statement
o Share current documents that can help set the context – Persona, Journey Map, Photos, Quotes, Stories, Data, Survey Results, etc.
o Print artifacts and put it up on wall / on table or be ready to share virtually
Invite the right people
o Go for neurodiversity – experience, gender, skillset, familiarity with the problem and lack of familiarity with the problem
o Avoid people of power who will cause others to be passive
Identify time and impress on people to be on time
Gather materials – tables, post-its, pens, flip chart / white board, voting dots – or choose the virtual collaboration tool everyone can access
Rules of Brainstorming
Defer judgment.
Encourage wild ideas.
Build on the ideas of others. Use “Yes, and…”
Stay focused on the topic.
One conversation at a time (at a table).
Be visual.
Go for quantity.
Facilitating
Serve the group by actively facilitating the brainstorming process. This means bringing energy, calling on participants, and asking for ideas to be explained further if needed. Record ideas visibly so that everyone can see them. Record ideas exactly as they are suggested, resist editing.
Correct the group if they begin to critique ideas. Encourage the group if they begin to combine ideas. Let them use time machines, magic wands, or science fiction if needed. All ideas are valuable. You are not working to get to a single, right answer. You are generating possibilities.
Ideas slowing down?
When idea generation starts to slow, try these prompts from my friend and mentor, Dr. Baba Shiv, Stanford University Graduate School of Business:
How might you solve this problem...
...if you were 8 years old? 80 years old?
...if you were Elon Musk? Nelson Mandela? Biance?
...if you had $1,000,000? …if you only have $0.99?
...if the year you are living in is 2119? 1919?
Pick your worst idea; how could you make it your best?
1-3-6ing
Brainstorming works with groups as large as 50 - 100 people. Why would you want to facilitate brainstorming with such a large group? Remember that when people are involved, their brains perceive their investment in solving the problem and you gain a lot of buy-in (the IKEA effect). When you have a problem that is well-understood, you can involve many people in brainstorming and generate significant support. This also works well when you have groups who don’t know each other, members of the public or a large group of customers. Plan one hour for this session.
The seven rules of brainstorming apply.
Everyone gets a piece of paper or index card and a pen or pencil.
Have flip charts, markers, and sticky dots ready.
One
Everyone works individually to list as many ideas as possible, 3 - 4 minutes. Facilitator provides instructions and ensures the room is quiet while participants write down their own ideas.
Three
Invite everyone to form groups of three, share their individual ideas, and consolidate them on one list. No ideas are eliminated. If there are duplicate ideas, the group of three can choose how to state the idea. (10 minutes)
Six
Combine groups of three to form groups of six. Share and consolidate ideas onto flip charts. No ideas are eliminated. If there are duplicate ideas, the group can choose how to state the idea. Ask the group of six to choose and visually indicate their Top 5 ideas. The group posts the flip chart on the wall where everyone can see. (10 - 15 minutes)
Bring the large group together. Ask one member of each group of six to present their flip chart and share their Top 5 ideas. When each group has finished, give all participants three sticky dots and invite them to Value Vote.
Value Voting
This is a quick way to determine the preferences of a large group. Each participant gets 3 votes. Everyone is invited to vote at once by placing sticky dots onto the flip charts next to the ideas they prefer. They can place 3 votes on 3 different ideas, or two on one and one on another, or place all 3 dots on one idea they want to support. You can increase the number of votes if needed.
The benefits of value voting are that it can be done quickly, it’s visual, and it’s anonymous. Participants don’t feel on the spot to vote for a specific idea in the same way they might with hand-raising or other methods. If you don’t have stickers, simply ask participants to draw a star as their indicator.
This method will readily show the top 4 or 5 ideas that have the most support.
Structured Brainstorming
Structured Brainstorming is another method that works well for remote meetings or with groups that may perceive a power disparity. Maybe you have participants who feel like their voices are not always heard or they are not used to having a seat at the table. This works best with groups smaller than 15 participants.
The Seven Rules of Brainstorming apply. Frame the problem for the group. Give everyone 3 - 4 minutes to write down their own ideas individually.
Next, have participants take turns sharing one idea at a time. Facilitators are capturing ideas on a flip chart or digital space as each idea is shared so that everyone can see. Proceed in the same order around the group with each participant sharing one idea at a time. If someone is out of ideas, they can say, “pass”, but keep calling on them each time because new ideas will come to them. Continue until all participants are out of ideas, ensuring that all ideas have been captured and shown. This tends to generate many, many ideas. Structured Brainstorming works well for remote groups and creates an even playing field for introverts and extraverts to participate equally.
You will be surprised how creative this gets even though it is an orderly process. Participants report that they really value this way of brainstorming because they feel more engaged, and it feels more productive.
Pros and Cons
This technique leverages the process of creating a Pro/Con list with a group. Simply start two lists and invite the group to generate pros and cons, alternating between pros and cons, for the idea under discussion. Why do it this way? In a group, those who have concerns may hold back for fear of being labeled a naysayer or negative. But their concerns are valid, and you want them to get surfaced. By the same token, optimists may fail to see issues. Inviting the group to generate one and then the other makes the task about finding a pro and finding a con, rather than offering opinions about the idea. It invites debate in a healthy way.
Supreme Court Rules
Another method that works well for smaller groups who know each other is borrowing from a Supreme Court tradition. When the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court come together to deliberate on an issue, they follow the rule that, “nobody speaks twice until everyone has spoken once.” This can be an effective method for brainstorming solutions to problems that are emotional, controversial, or have serious ramifications. This can also be effective for teams revisiting their hypothesis or determining what was learned after they experienced unexpected results.