Brainstorming sessions are one of the best ways to gather new ideas. You can gain insights from a variety of perspectives and boost team morale while you’re at it.
An average brainstorming session is made into a great brainstorming session with a little bit of added structure. Laying things out ahead of your gathering can help you to make the most out of it and leave your team feeling more productive.
If you’ve been looking for ways to improve your brainstorming sessions you’ve definitely come to the right place. Check out these tips and watch your ideas grow!
Determine a focus for your brainstorming sessions
In order to have a great brainstorming session you need to first determine what the focus of your session is going to be. If you go into your meeting with too broad a focus then there’s a greater chance you won’t walk away from it having accomplished what you needed to.
Set a goal for your session ahead of time and make it as specific as possible. If you’ve completed that goal by the end of the session then your team is sure to feel accomplished.
Whether or not you complete your intended goal will also help you to schedule your next session. You can determine if you need more time to reach it or if you can move onto your next task.
Set up your environment for sharing
Without the right environment, your brainstorming participants aren’t going to feel as inclined to share. Especially since sharing your ideas in front of others can be intimidating!
A great brainstorming environment is one where everyone feels encouraged to share their ideas. Make them feel welcome and let them know that they’re in a judgement free zone.
You can help make the environment comfortable by ensuring criticism and critique are left at the door. All ideas should be welcomed with open arms. One idea that’s presented to the group could turn into an even better idea, so you definitely want to make sure no one is holding back!
Simplify participation
Taking part in the brainstorming session isn’t something you want to be an obstacle. The easier it is for participants to join in, the more likely they’re going to.
You can make things easy by giving everyone the same opportunity to attend. You should have a system in place that will allow participants to share their ideas easily and that gives everyone an equal voice.
There are plenty of tools that allow you to do this regardless of if someone is in the same room or across the world. Look for certain features like the ability to handle multiple submissions or online chat to help give you the best brainstorming session experience possible.
Break things up where you can
There’s no denying that brainstorming requires a lot of energy. You can help to keep the ideas flowing by breaking things up into shorter sessions. This will help to keep the energy of the group up and ensure things stay as productive as possible.
If your brainstorming session ends up turning into a slew of different exciting ideas and topics that should be discussed? Then consider organizing a follow up. While it may be tempting to get everything done in one session it’s not always the most productive option.
Set your team up for success
Before you even step foot into the session, you should think about what you can do to make sure your team is set up for success. One of the best ways to do that is by arriving prepared with any prep work that can be done ahead of time.
You might consider offering participants a way to submit their ideas ahead of the meeting so you can jump right into discussion. It’s also a great idea to let everyone know ahead of time what you will be discussing and what the goal of the session is. That way they can also prepare and contribute to a great meeting.
Review
Once your brainstorming session is complete, you’re sure to walk away with a ton of great and exciting ideas! It will now be time to take these ideas and make them a reality.
Review what you and your team were able to come up with and start to develop them by laying out some actionable steps. There’s nothing worse than a great idea going to waste because no review or follow up took place.
Brainstorm Away
Bring your team together with Digital Joy! Anyone can join from just about anywhere and use our virtual platform for a great online or hybrid experience.
Interaction is made easy with Digital Joy Engage, thanks to polls, Q&A’s, breakout rooms and so much more.
