Brainstorming: An effective way to generate meeting ideas

The benefits of real brainstorming

At this point, you might be asking yourself… “Why brainstorm?” “There are so many other things that could have been accomplished on time if it wasn’t for these ineffective brainstorming sessions”. Hold that thought, as we are about to explain some of the greatest brainstorming benefits:

To gather a number of ideas

Probably the biggest advantage of all, brainstorming allows you to collect various ideas from different minds and although it may not guarantee rapid solutions at all times, a team working together towards one common goal will surely come up with the right outcome.

To encourage everyone to ‘Think outside the box’

The combination of critical and creative thinking can produce a great number of concepts. This encourages everyone to think outside the box – through looking at the problem first, assessing it, then mapping out new ideas that could have been related to the subject matter.

To help to strengthen teamwork

More than generating new ideas, brainstorming sessions can also greatly strengthen the bond of the team. They can teach you to work together as a group, giving teammates a deeper connection with each other – not just professionally but also personally.

The brainstorming process

Before you proceed with the brainstorming process, you may first want to prepare a comfortable and creative environment for your session. That’s where we come in! We specialise in resourceful meeting rooms in London that will ensure everyone remains motivated. Our purpose-built meeting rooms are free from distractions – guaranteeing a fruitful brainstorming session.

The following step-by-step guide will help you to hold productive sessions:

Step #1: Ask everyone for their own ideas

Before you invite everyone to the meeting, let them know beforehand that they will be expected to come up with an idea that is conducive to the meeting’s main objective.

Step #2: Prepare and work as a group

When you have heard everyone’s idea, you can start to come together as a group. Assign someone to chair the meeting and choose a reliable note-taker to list the different concepts.

Step #3: Lay out the problem

The problem that you are all there to resolve should be clear and precise to everyone – how can someone think of an answer when they are not fully aware of the problem in the first place?

Step #4: Set your objectives

Learn how to set your objectives effectively so that you can keep the meeting on track. You may also set some criteria and limitations to ensure that everyone stays true to the context.

Step #5: Manage the discussion

The whole brainstorming process doesn’t end with the thinking and sharing of ideas; you should also learn how to develop a whole new idea from everything that was shared. The Chair can serve as the main guide of the discussion, encouraging everyone to share as many thoughts as they can – which can then be finalised at the end of the brainstorming session.

Brainstorming techniques

If the traditional sharing of ideas is not for you and your team, you may opt for some of these alternative approaches:

Changing attributes

This approach works best when you try to look at something from a different angle or perspective – you can try to think of how you would solve a problem if you were a different gender, race or nationality. Through this, you can awaken your senses to all the possibilities that were once limited to your own point of view.

To get the most out of this method, you can assign each attribute change to the attendees. Attendee A can be of a different gender, Attendee B can think from the perspective of a different race, Attendee C can reflect from the point of view of a different nationality and so on.

Figuring

Similar to changing attributes, figuring is when you put yourself in the shoes of iconic figures. It can be a personality as prominent as the prime minister or even a world-famous actor. You will see that there are a whole lot of other ideas that are all ready for the taking – when you think outside the box.

This method is great when you find brainstorming session are becoming a little repetitive.

Blind writing

Commonly used when people encounter writer’s block; blind writing is effective if you have a limited amount of time to think. This practice forces you to ponder and come up with an idea – even if it has little to no relevance to your goal. Who knows, this notion of yours might just be what the team needs.

Other than the process and techniques, the real key to an effective brainstorming session is to get everyone in your team fully involved. Remember, nothing can be of great value if individually created ideas never even make it past the group’s deliberation in the first place. Speak up… you have a lot to offer this discussion!

Posted by Sara Cano