What is an Idea?
An idea is any thought. It may be a big, complex thought. It may be a simple thought. It may have come up before. It may be a newly minted thought. It may be “good.” It may be “bad.” It may be funny, or serious, or even impossible. No matter – all thoughts and all ideas are welcome. The idea brainstorm is a chance for the group to flex its creative muscle. Encourage the team not just to explore boundaries but jump over them and run as far away as possible. My dear friend and mentor, Kimberly Wiefling, encouraged me to start each brainstorm with a warm up exercise. I will never forget when she had us brainstorm the similarities between a refrigerator and a cat. This is still my favorite warm-up theme. My favorite answer to date is that they are both endothermic, a property of both biological and physical systems (Thanks, Mike Plasterer!). Every time I conduct this warm-up, I enjoy hearing new ideas, which reminds me of the importance of including team members of varying backgrounds and experience.
After the warm-up, I have the team brainstorm ideas to solve each objective and its related problems. I try to have the team consider both the objective and the problem since each view may generate different ideas. I ensure that each problem/objective is allotted time for brainstorming. If there are 10 problems and 50 minutes, I will monitor to ensure that the team start the transition to the next brainstorm topic after 5 minutes. Intentionally, this session quickly becomes a high energy meeting with many ideas being bandied about. I will stand at the flip chart scribbling down each idea as it is aired – no filter. For instance, if multiple people say the same idea, I will write it down multiple times.
Some people will be natural contributors in this environment. Some will not. The Naturals will chime in without much prodding. Those that are quiet have important contributions that must also be aired. After the initial idea frenzy, I will go around the room and ensure that each person has had an opportunity to contribute a thought or two. I also remind people that some ideas may spring up after the meeting. In that case, I encourage the team to send me the ideas by email. The point is to get as many different ideas into the mix as possible.
Sugar!!!
In order to keep the energy high, I bring tasty, sugar laden treats for the team to enjoy. These treats provide the fuel to keep the team powered for the entire session. While I generally do not strictly prioritize the problems and the order in which each is brainstormed, I do try to leave the less difficult problems for later in the meeting, just in case the team starts to run out of steam. Of course, sugar can only take you so far, and the longest I would advise conducting this type of brainstorming session is 90 minutes.
First Reaction
A word of caution – what is the first thing that happens when you hear a new idea? You have an emotional reaction. That idea is great! Or, that idea sucks! It is inevitable that each person will have a reaction to each idea. I explain this phenomenon to the team and acknowledge that they will have these reactions. In the case of a negative reaction, I encourage the person with that reaction to think before they blurt, to think about why they are having that reaction, and then to think about how they might solve the problem in a manner more suitable to them. In other words, I encourage them to re-channel the negative energy from the reaction into a positive idea that they can share with the group. I assure them that we will have a chance to analyze the negative reaction at a later meeting, but not at this session. In this way, the team maintains a high energy level and a positive tone for the duration of the brainstorming session.
Idea Space
At the end of this session, you will have a rich set of ideas to work with. You will have allowed all the team members to contribute and to appreciate the contributions from each other. I have found at the end of this meeting, the team morale has increased. There is a sense of hope. The team sees possibilities for solving the problems and paths to reach the goals. In the next phase, the team will scrutinize each path and assess its viability relative to the others in what I call the Analysis phase.
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Matt Schlegel’s fondness for the “Refrigerator and Cat” warm-up exercise comes from a deep-seated love/hate relationship with cats starting with his first pet cat “Fufu” and her fondness for gasoline to a more recent run-in with neighborhood cats and their propensity for fertilizing his front lawn. To address the “fertilizer” problem, Matt developed an alarm, uncleverly dubbed “Cataway,” that would direct ultrasonic sound into the “blast zone” when a cat would enter. Results: no more “fertilizer” on the lawn.
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