Brainstorming 

• Clearly state the idea to be brainstormed

• Brainstorm individually (write down ideas silently)

• Group brainstorm

  • Record all ideas accurately

  • One idea per turn ... round robin

  • No criticizing or commenting

  • No idea is " Too Wild"

  • Piggy back on others' ideas

  • Its okay to pass

• Review each idea:

  • For understanding and clarification   ... make sure the questions are done in a way not to put down the person but to inquire about their idea. 

  What to do	What to say
  Ask others for examples that illustrate their views.	"What is an example of what you have seen or heard?"
  Ask others for the reasoning that connects their example to their conclusions.	"Tell me more about ....",   What assumptions are you  making about why customers are unhappy?"
  Ask others for the conclusions that follow from their reasoning.	"Given what you are saying, what do you think we ought to do to address customer concerns?"
  Share the purpose underlying your questions.	"I 'm asking because you may see things I have missed"
  Encourage others to challenge your assumptions and your data.	"In what ways do you see it differently?" "What gaps do you see in my reasoning?"

  • To combine and eliminate  ... use the affinity diagram  to help combine similar items

Make sure the objectives are clearly articulated. Too often, participants are asked to generate ideas against a task that is nebulous at best. "What is it we're trying to solve?" they frequently ask. Brainstorming tends to get a little messy, and in business creativity for its own sake gets old quickly. A clear purpose with a sound rationale serves as a touchstone and encourages people to be more experimental and playful with their ideation.

Cross-pollinate your brainstorming groups. Idea generation works best when there are differences in perspective, knowledge and background. Ideally, a team attempting to come up with new solutions should consist of both experts in the area being discussed, as well as so-called "naïve" idea contributors. Their knowledge of the subject may be more peripheral, but this enables them to see the problem in ways the experts cannot. The more diverse the perspectives, the greater the range of potential solutions. Creativity thrives on diversity.

Whenever possible - and always when the stakes are high - have a skilled, neutral facilitator conduct creativity sessions. There are a thousand ways for people to discount and otherwise put down each other's ideas. Some are blatant, "That's ridiculous," It'll never work." Others are much more subtle - a roll of the eyes, shaking of the head, refusal to acknowledge an idea offered. Either way, potentially breakthrough ideas are lost, and those offering the ideas think twice about coming back with more. Remember that creative thinking in the context of a "get it right" corporate environment can feel risky, particularly for those who lack power and authority in the organization's hierarchy. A good facilitator will keep the process moving, preserve the best ideas, and support the people who offer them.

Actively support employees for engaging in the process, as well as for the results. Recognize the efforts of those who generate and develop ideas, even if no usable concept or solution is produced. With encouragement, these individuals are more likely to engage in the creative process again, and perhaps come up with the next big breakthrough idea! Most employees enjoy exercising their creative muscles. The more they brainstorm, the better they become.

Conclude every session with a set of action items or recommendations, and follow through. Not every concept should be implemented; however, whatever steps are needed to take a selected concept to the next level should be stated specifically - along with whomever is responsible, and an estimated time for completion. It's far too easy to "lose" potential innovations by failing to take the necessary actions.

It's easy to lose sight of the organizational conditions that engender such innovation -people thinking together in high-performing collaboration who reach beyond current boundaries to come up with new ideas.

Jeffrey Govendo is president of The Innovative Edge™ Inc., a consulting firm based in Massachusetts. He is a project consultant, group facilitator, trainer and conference designer. 508-497-9096, jgovendo@innov-edge.com or www.innov-edge.com.