Brainstorming can seem like a scary thing to do for most employees. It forces them to gather in a room with their colleagues and throw out ideas that may or may not be helpful. It’s intimidating, it’s scary, and it can sometimes result in nothing getting accomplished.
However, brainstorming is one of the most beneficial things you can do with your team. It cultivates good discussions and brings in ideas that you probably wouldn’t have thought of on your own.
If you’re wondering how you can start brainstorming like a professional, we’ve got some helpful tips for you.
Keep People From Becoming “Yes” Men and Women
Inevitably, there’s going to be a few people in your office who are going to agree with every single thing the person in charge says. These people are oftentimes called “Yes” Men and Women. They agree with the boss and lack any type of disagreement abilities which are necessary for any positive brainstorming session. Make sure you challenge those people who are prone to agree with the boss all the time, and try to encourage them to come up with their own original ideas.
There Are No “Bad” Ideas
You’ve heard the phrase “there are no bad ideas” before, right? Well, technically there are bad ideas. Really bad ideas that could cause a lot of pain and distress for your company. But those are usually things like “abandon social media” or “scam all our customers into giving us all their money for a terrible product.” However, when you’re brainstorming, you should never be afraid to throw out an idea that pops into your brain. Even if the idea isn’t the best idea, others can play off of your bad idea and turn it into a good idea instead.
Encourage A Lot Of Ideas
Don’t limit the number of ideas that should be thrown out there during your brainstorming meeting. The more ideas the better! You never know which little nugget of a thought can turn into something grand for your business, so don’t be afraid to rapid fire your ideas to everyone else.
Ban Electronics Temporarily
There’s nothing worse than having a meeting where everyone is distracted by their smartphones, laptops, and tablets instead of brainstorming with the group. Make sure you let everyone know that electronic devices, unless completely necessary, will not be allowed during the brainstorming session.
Don’t Make Them Too Long
Keep brainstorming meetings short and sweet. Whether they admit it or not, people do not like meetings, let alone long meetings that prevent them from getting their other tasks done. Keep your brainstorming sessions short, between 15 to 30 minutes.
If All Else Fails, CAFFEINE
Caffeine rules. A good cup of coffee, or an energy drink, can give you that burst of high energy you need for a brainstorming session. It’s really hard to fire off ideas when you’re running on 5 hours of sleep, and your brain hasn’t quite turned on yet. If you really want to encourage people to participate in your meeting, stop by your local cafe and buy coffee for everyone!
Brainstorming sessions are great tools that can bring in new ideas for your business. Don’t be afraid of brainstorming meetings, and be sure to have them often!
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