Brainstorming is a common technique used in Strategic Planning meetings.
Brainstorming: hold a group discussion to produce ideas.
The concept of brainstorming was introduced by Alex F. Osborn in his 1948 book titled “Your Creative Power”.
There are four key guiding principles of a brainstorming meeting:
All of the above are easier said than done. We have all been to brainstorming meetings where we have not followed the above principles.
They schedule a meeting….. Maybe ask all attendees to come prepared to brainstorm on the topic…. Come to the meeting…. Start talking… Maybe the host of the meeting makes a brief introductory speech.
Some people start talking and presenting their ideas to the team. As soon as a few ideas come on the table that looks feasible the team moves into refining and finalizing one of the ideas. The Meeting very quickly moves from ideating to planning and executing. Many others who probably had some radical ideas in mind now starts judging their own ideas as inferior to the ones on the table and so they never put them on the table. Few others, seeing some progress being made avoid thinking of other possibilities. Meetings of this kind should be called groupthink meetings instead of brainstorming meetings. The outcome of groupthink meetings is “1+1=1”. The outcome of brainstorming meetings should be “1+1=3”.
(image credit: sites.psu.edu)
When we analyze this situation most people find faults in the extroverts because they talk too much or the introverts because they did not contribute. But, really it’s no one’s fault. It’s a faulty process.
Try out the below process:
This process is called brainwriting.
Here are few other tips:
Using Wizergos Meeting Management tool you can run effective brainstorming meetings as discussed above.