As Innovation takes center stage in the business arena, organizations have begun to demand that their people think creatively. Creative thinking is no longer an attribute that’s nice to have, but a critical competency for any organization that wants to ensure it is on the cutting edge of its field or industry. To help their people think creatively, companies are introducing tools, techniques and processes designed to generate unique and effective outcomes. One tried and true creative thinking tool—Brainstorming—is making a comeback in the workplace. Go to the World Wide Web and do a search on brainstorming. You’ll find thousands of sites on this topic.

But there’s a difference between a Brainstorming session and a Brainstorming Experience. If not conducted properly, a Brainstorming session may become chaotic and directionless, and thus viewed by the participants as a waste of time. But if you take the time to create a Brainstorming Experience, you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve in a short, focused time period. Here are some of the benefits of an effective brainstorming experience:

• Forces "flashes of insight" from your team and provide a method for you to capture and build upon them. Flashes of insight are those unique little "thought germs" that have the potential to be expanded into full-blown concepts or initiatives that really make a difference.
  
• Functions as a "community for thinking" and a "change laboratory," presenting the perfect petri dish within which to experiment with change, rather than "time slots" where people sit robotically ticking off agenda items.
  
• Connects individuals and their ideas by providing a supportive thinking environment in which people are rewarded for building upon each other’s thoughts instead of tearing them down.

There are three key things you need to consider in designing a Brainstorming Experience: 1) Creating an environment that is conducive to Brainstorming; 2) Keeping the experience fresh and fun; 3) Getting and keeping the ideas flowing.

Creating A Brainstorming Environment
The idea is to create an atmosphere that encourages people to think fast and to contribute ideas. So you want to make sure that the environment creates a disruption in the normal way that discussions and sessions are held among your team. Here are some ways to do this:

• Have only enough chairs for the number of people present. A full table diminishes the gaps in the group caused by empty chairs. Consider not having tables at all--a new position or orientation can cause a shift in thinking (try it in your next conference call—stand up instead of sitting, and note the changes in your outlook).
  
• If you do use chairs, make sure they are stacking chairs, and place them outside the room before the Brainstorming Experience begins. As your team members arrive, ask them to and ask the participants to carry in their own chairs. This allows the group to determine the design space of the meeting.

• Create a relaxed, welcoming, comfortable atmosphere that will allow informal exchange to occur between members. Truly create anexperience by providing music and food.
  
• Establish a time frame for the experience, and commit to it. Start and end on time. Then, insist on eliminating all interruptions. No laptops, no cell phones. Make sure the team knows that you will not go over the allotted time frame (unless they agree to extend it) and in return demand from them their total, undivided attention. Once people become preoccupied with time, they may lose interest in generating ideas, lose focus, and allow ideas to fizzle out.

Keeping Brainstorming Fresh and Fun
Integrating humor and the element of play will reduce blood pressure, relax the participants, and, in turn, open their minds. Fun often gets a bad rap in the workplace, but don’t underestimate its power. Here are some ways to do this:

• Let "raw ideas" cook by building in relaxation periods so you can invite and explore daydreams. During this wondering period, the brain unconsciously transfers solutions, designs, or characteristics from unconnected objects to the problem or situation. Then, there comes a moment of inspiration when the idea or solution bubbles up to your consciousness.
  
• Acknowledge contributions: the leader and participants should recognize individual contributions as they are made. Appreciation will help people become confident that their ideas are valuable. A great way to implement an appreciation effort is to reward prizes—have a few small items at the ready, and toss them to people when the moment is right. Some of the prizes we use include: finger puppets, mini-sunglasses, chocolate covered gold coins, and frustration pencils.
  
• Establish a "play framework" so imagination, flexibility, and risk taking can flourish. This encourages lots of laughter so that all the members of the group are able to have a good laugh at themselves and others, freeing up inhibitions. One way to do this is to invite toys into the meeting environment. Having toys in the room often stimulates a shift in behavior, which helps people see things from a new perspective. Jump ropes, funny glasses, crystal balls, toy cars, building blocks, modeling clay, and crazy hats are some of the toys we use to jump start creativity. Scatter them across the meeting table, and invite people to play throughout the Brainstorming Experience.

Getting the Ideas Flowing at Your Brainstorming Experience
With Brainstorming, you want quantity, quantity, quantity—and you absolutely do not want judgment or negative thinking that quash creativity. Here’s how to make it happen:

• Dare to be positive. Stop imagining all the reasons why something won’t work, and start being flexible: ask the questions that will make it work. It takes action to achieve results. Action results from answering "how" questions. So instead of asking if something can get done, ask how you can get it done.
  
• Dare to be different. Sometimes the most ludicrous ideas work out to be wonders! Let go of limits and accept a continuous flow of ideas regardless of their apparent relevance to the matter under discussion, validity in your own thinking process, or correctness as applied to the topic. Relevance, validity and correctness may be cradled deep within the seed of a crazy idea. Give it room to germinate and grow, and you may find your most innovative solution.
  
• Look for new patterns, such as uses for failed ideas. Try to see in nontraditional ways—to see opportunities in unexpected events. Force the group to interrupt its habitual, organized thought processes and leap sideways out of the ingrained patterns. When that happens, the brain often links unrelated patterns to solve problems or come up with new ideas. One way to do this is to ask the "dumb" questions. Asking the following questions, at the start of your next meeting, is a great way to trigger insights, while tackling an issue from a totally new perspective: "What can we do to drastically reduce sales?" "How could we get rid of all our customers?" "How could we spend all the money in the budget?" or "What can we do to ensure we deliver poor service?"
  
• Foster a high level of sensitivity: members should demonstrate sensitivity and understanding of others’ needs and expressions. They should listen to and respect others’ opinions. A tool we use to ensure respect is The F.I.S.H. This is a prop used to combat those Fatally Inappropriate Slimy Hits that slow or sometimes stop the fluid generation of ideas. You’ve heard them all: "It’s not in the budget." "We tried that; it didn’t work." If anyone generates such an "attack thought" in your Brainstorming Experience, toss The F.I.S.H. to that person to remind the group to steer clear of negative responses. Any lightweight toy fish will do—a plastic one or a soft beanbag one. Because it is fun and non-threatening, The F.I.S.H. eliminates the defensiveness that often follows negative reactions, enabling the group not to become sidetracked by personal agendas or egos.

Regardless of whether your Brainstorming Experiences take the form of bargaining sessions, annual retreats, or sales meetings, they are valuable tools because they help you manage and enhance your organization’s most precious resource: brain power.

Brainstorming Experiences can be wonderful opportunities to let go of your inhibitions, communicate freely with a group, and generate innovative solutions. But more importantly, Brainstorming is a valuable resource to organizations because it taps into the vast amount of brain power housed in every individual. Effectively managing this collective brain power is what will help organizations remain competitive in the 21st century.

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