A few thoughts about brainstorming
Posted by conall
(1) A brainstorm is not the right approach for every question. A well executed brainstorm can be an effective approach to get a lot of ideas, quickly and fluidly. However, a brainstorm is not the right solution to every problem! Sometimes there is a tendency to try and brainstorm around problems that should be solved by other methods. Another frequent mistake is to use the term brainstorm to vaguely describe a wide variety of problem-solving approaches.
How can we be sure to select the right problem-solving approach to apply in any given situation?
How can we build out or company lexicon to accurately describe our various problem-solving approaches?
(2) Creativity versus problem-specific expertise: Depending on the problem to be addressed, sometimes it is more helpful to have brainstorm participants with in-depth technical, market, or other problem-specific knowledge. Other times you may want to cast a very wide net by focusing on getting “out there ideas”.
How can we enrich our brainstorms by intentionally selecting the right participants?
How much contextual knowledge do the participants and facilitator need?
(3) The brainstorm is all about asking the right question. In order for a brainstorm to be useful, the question to be answered needs to be well worded. If you start the question with “how might we….”, and you are able to think of four or five ideas immediately, you probably have a good brainstorming question.
How might we ensure that we have good “how might we” questions BEFORE the brainstorm begins?
Does the brainstorm facilitator need to frame the “how might we” questions or can we find good ways for participants to contribute as well?
(4) A suggested list of rules to follow when brainstorming. Here is a brief list of rules which can be quite helpful to ensure the brainstorm stays quick, fluid and produces a lot of ideas.
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Encourage wild ideas
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Defer judgment
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Build on each other’s ideas
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Focus on quantity
For more resources on how to conduct good brainstorms, a quick internet search will turn up more than you can handle!