Effective Brainstorming

M3 Group meets regularly for brainstorming sessions. Even a creative group of experienced visionaries has to stay on top of the game and cultivate fresh, new ideas to stay relevant. But there are ways to effectively brainstorm for a successful outcome – and there are ways to kill the vibes of a session faster than a speeding bullet.

What to do to help the process:

Take lots of notes

                        Use a white board and keep notes everyone can see

                        Record the conversation if the ideas are flowing fast as to not miss anything

Encourage participation

                        Don’t exclude staff

                        Listen to every idea

                        Make eye contact with the person speaking so he or she knows you are listening

Ask questions

                        Be sure to clarify everything

                        Be clear about your intentions of the meeting

What not to do

                        Don’t overthink

                        Don’t force employees to participate

                        Don’t criticize or downplay – no idea is a bad idea

Categorize

Once you have a list of ideas, it’s time to start categorizing. Place all of the like items in one row or column and group as many words together that you can.

Reduce

Once you have your final categorized list, start eliminating ideas that don’t work for your objective.

Analyze

Analyze your end list. What stands out? Is there an obvious answer that creates excitement?

Take that final idea and plant the seed. Watch it grow into a plan that bears the fruit of success.

M3 Group meets regularly for brainstorming sessions. Even a creative group of experienced visionaries has to stay on top of the game and cultivate fresh, new ideas to stay relevant. But there are ways to effectively brainstorm for a successful outcome – and there are ways to kill the vibes of a session faster than a speeding bullet.

What to do to help the process:

Take lots of notes

                        Use a white board and keep notes everyone can see

                        Record the conversation if the ideas are flowing fast as to not miss anything

Encourage participation

                        Don’t exclude staff

                        Listen to every idea

                        Make eye contact with the person speaking so he or she knows you are listening

Ask questions

                        Be sure to clarify everything

                        Be clear about your intentions of the meeting

What not to do

                        Don’t overthink

                        Don’t force employees to participate

                        Don’t criticize or downplay – no idea is a bad idea

Categorize

Once you have a list of ideas, it’s time to start categorizing. Place all of the like items in one row or column and group as many words together that you can.

Reduce

Once you have your final categorized list, start eliminating ideas that don’t work for your objective.

Analyze

Analyze your end list. What stands out? Is there an obvious answer that creates excitement?

Take that final idea and plant the seed. Watch it grow into a plan that bears the fruit of success.