Brainstorming is an activity every company should be investing in regularly.  It’s a great way to stay ahead of the competition and continually innovate.  Even though brainstorming itself is supposed to be  free flowing,  the process of brainstorming needs to be structured in order for it to be effective.  Here are some ways to ensure your brainstorming sessions yield the best results:

1. Don’t combine your Brainstorming Session with other meetings.  In fact the word meeting shouldn’t be anywhere near the word brainstorming.    I see a lot of companies try to do a quick brainstorming session during a regular company meeting with less than stellar results  Schedule your brainstorming session separate from any other activity.  This is vital to creating a successful brainstorming culture in your organization.
2. Focus your Brainstorming Session on a specific problem that has been clearly articulated.  The problem should be clearly stated to all the participants beforehand in a written document and the moderator of the meeting should make sure the conversation stays in sync with addressing that problem.  It can be easy to jump around to other topics when you are in “brainstorming” mode and while that can generate some other great ideas, your session won’t be nearly as effective if you allow yourself to to get off course.  I find it helpful to create a “parking lot”.  This is a whiteboard or some other visual where you can document these other ideas that don’t pertain to the topic at hand so they are not “lost” and can be discussed at another time.
3. Hold your Brainstorming Sessions in an environment that is comfortable.  Don’t hold your brainstorming sessions in the same conference room as you hold your regular company meetings.  Go outside, use someone’s office, find a restaurant that has a private room.  Dress comfortably and have it on a day and timeframe where people can relax.
4. Set a goal for # of ideas and a time limit.  Brainstorming sessions don’t have to be long.  You can do a lot in 20 minutes or whatever time frame you deem appropriate.  Use a timer that everyone can see and set a goal for the number of ideas you want to come up with to address the problem. This works because people respond well to stress and in that last minute if you need 10 more ideas, you will get them.
5. Invite the right people.  It is so important to create a safe environment so you may need to filter some people out who others don’t feel comfortable with if you don’t have a brainstorming culture.  You also want to include people who are interested in participating and willing to give it their all.  A passionate intern is more valuable than a cynical VP.
6. Assign a Scribe.  This person ideally shouldn’t participate so they can make sure to document everything accurately.  You can also use videos or recording devices but then someone has to transcribe that.  I find it easier to assign a scribe who documents everything in real time so you have all the ideas shortly after the brainstorming session.
7. Assign a Facilitator.  This may be someone internal who is great at getting people to open up or you can bring in an outsider.  Don’t overlook this because if you don’t have the right person leading the meeting you will waste everyone’s time.
8. Have Fun.  You may have forgotten how to do this at work but I promise you, if you follow these tips your brainstorming sessions will not only be super effective but they will be FUN!  Make the environment fun.  Get people to show their personality.  Get up and move.  Start with an icebreaker that gets everyone laughing.  DRINK!  Just kidding.
9. DO SOMETHING!!!  One person, typically the one who organized the meeting, must be responsible for deciding which ideas will be implemented as a result of the brainstorming session.  From that an action plan with timelines and accountabilities must be put in place with a good communication system to update everyone on progress.  There is nothing worse than coming up with a bunch of great, game changing ideas and then doing nothing with them.  That will kill a culture of brainstorming fast.

The great thing about companies that have  a strong culture of brainstorming is they also benefit from having employees who routinely do this on their own which results in developing your team as creative problem solvers.  So be careful.  You may start something powerful here that has a life of it’s own.

Happy Brainstorming!