Balls, Brainstorming and Brilliant Ideas

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Posted by Jayne April 30 2010 01:43pm

Last month a report claiming that brainstorms are useless hit the papers.

The scientists from Texas A&M University claim that instead of fuelling creativity, brainstorms lead to people becoming fixated on the same thoughts of others around them room and that we are better at coming up with creative ideas when alone.

According to researcher Dr Nicholas Kohn “the answer could be to allow people to brainstorm in private before putting their ideas together”.

This does seem wise but in a climate where ‘time is money’ can businesses really afford to spend so much time coming up with solutions?

Here at Komodo, we believe that if brainstorms are done properly, they can produce some really fantastic results and act as a great way of interacting with your team. It doesn’t need to take long either!

Therefore, we have put together some fool-proof brainstorming tips to get the creative juices flowing:

The first rule of brainstorming – there’s no such thing as a bad idea. Shooting down a colleague’s idea could undermine their confidence and stop them from putting forward future suggestions. Always encourage participation and remember that all ideas can be tweaked to make them stronger
Make sure you have all the tools you need to hand i.e. coloured pens and flip chart / white board to write thoughts down
Have a plan of action – don’t go into the brainstorm blind. Ensure you have defined and agreed the objectives of the brainstorm with your team
Set a time limit and be strict with the time frames. People are busy and will be more willing to help if they know the timeframe and are clear of the objectives. A time limit will also help avoid people running out of steam and finding the session a chore rather than being engaged
Have a structure to the session – use Blu-Tack or selotape tape to hang the sheets around the walls so people can see previous thoughts. Know what you want to get out of it and what you want your colleagues to think about
Don’t be afraid of being different and using props. Props are a great way of allowing people to visualize and stimulate their minds, getting them warmed up and in the mood for thinking. Items such as a ball, a paper or even a sandwich can stimulate creative ideas. Here at Komodo – we love nothing more than spending (no more than) five minutes standing up and using props to come up with ideas around ‘what would get us fired!’
Don’t waste time on the ideas that don’t fit the objective. We have all been in a situation where we love an idea so much we spend ages talking about even though we know it is not going to work and no matter how hard we try it doesn’t work and will never work.
At the end of the time limit or when ideas have been exhausted, use different coloured pens to categorise, group, connect and link the random ideas. Condense and refine the ideas by making new headings or lists. Diplomatically combine or include the weaker ideas within other themes to avoid dismissing or rejecting contributions. With the group, assess, evaluate and analyse the effects and validity of the ideas or the list. Develop and prioritise the ideas into a more finished list of options.
Go away from the brainstorm and write up all the ideas. Either later that day or first thing the next. Sit down with your team to discuss and develop those ideas that work further
Ensure you let those involved in the brainstorm know which idea(s) you have chosen and why. This will keep people motivated and keen to help again