10 Greatest Mistakes While Brainstorming
10 greatest mistakes people make while in a brainstorming session.
Leading a Brainstorming session as a group/team is a great way to bounce ideas. But how many people do you need to involve, and when is it to many people? For starters, brainstorming sessions I have been apart of have been as few as one other person to as many as forty people. I have witnessed and been intertwined in groups as upwards to forty or so people, but quickly found that only a select two or three individuals will actively participate, another couple individuals will interject every now and then, and the rest sit there and node, smile, and usually yawn.
A group of say up to six individuals works best. Everyone participates because the environment forces them not to stay quiet. It is easy to make connections with everyone in the room. Bouncing ideas is apart of creating synergy, and that synergy exists in smaller environments. My most successful sessions have been with just another person. Advertising agencies are notorious for this approach. A team of two will concept for a client. But at the same time there will be three to four other teams attempting the same project. Only one idea will win, but it is a way to find more ways to solve a problem.
You know that voice in the back of your head, “How will I ever solve this.” Eventually seconds go by turning into minutes, and all you have really done is questioned your own ability to think creative.
Try and stop that voice before it becomes subconscious where you think your trying to solve the problem, when really you’re repeating the same phrase over and over again. Usually when people are in this state, they always give feedback in the group that goes something like this. “I don’t know.” “I just can’t think of anything today.”
So make it a note as of today, if that voice comes in your head, stop early so you can really focus on the problem rather than creating your own mental problem.
Some people are wonderful at coming up with ideas on fly, and for all of you who have that innate ability, congratulations. However, there are far more individuals who simply do not have the necessary practice to solve problems on the spot let alone do it creatively. That must be kept in mind before calling a brainstorming session. Allow your team to prepare with notes, research, and maybe a few ideas here and there to get the ball rolling prior to the session. One very successful session I was involved in required that we submit our ideas prior to the session. It helps place a focus, and really breaks through the problem of number 9.
Creativity requires a great deal of imagination and many thoughts are processed during that time. The mind can only stay stimulated for a certain period of time. Therefore if your sessions are stretched out to anything more then thirty minutes, it may not be as effective as it could be if split up during different parts of the day or throughout the week.
The mind needs to get away from things in order to come up with the best solution. Some people find their ideas in their sleep. Some of my best ideas have come during abnormal activity, working out, driving, surfing the web, and looking at random images. Allow your team to get away from the problem, it can actually be the best thing you can do.
Brainstorming sessions should have rules but keep them simple. I have been in sessions where the moderator insist that no one walk around, raise your hand to provide input, offer criticism to the previous idea before adding or stating a new idea and frankly the list goes on. Here are a few rules that I use when moderating.
- Get up and walk around the room
- Do whatever it takes to keep your mind stimulated and stay comfortable
- Leave your phone(s) at your desk unless it is an emergency
- Bring things to eat and drink
- Make the session conversational and open
- Criticize ideas after we are done
I’m sorry to say this, but not everyone can lead a successful brainstorming session. Many times brainstorming sessions are treated like meetings with a formal agenda and documentation that must be read and presented etc. I find that the moment there is an “authority figure” in the session, individuals are afraid to present their ideas. Productivity increases when individuals are less afraid to perform or say the wrong thing. Therefore, if you know you are an authority that frightens your team from time to time, maybe you should stick the sessions out, and leave the job to a capable facilitator. Someone who can keep the team on track, take wonderful concise notes, and most of all, can engage the group in an active conversation.
If you have uncomfortable chairs that people just cant sit still after five minutes, consider changing them out. If you have a small room that cramps everyone together, consider expanding (if you have the budget of course), or consider moving the meeting outdoors at a local park. If you have a table that won’t accommodate everyone’s things and begins to look like clutter with everyone’s pad and computers, consider a larger table. If your walls look sterile, no pictures, white, and boring, consider spicing things up. Make the environment as comfortable as possible, it can greatly help increase employee efficiency and well worth the dollars spent for the million dollar ideas coming out of them.
Brainstorming sessions are meant to be fun and exciting. It is your chance to think wild and imaginative thoughts, regardless of the problem (and if for some reason you are reading this and thinking “are you kidding me” you already have the wrong mindset). Learn to relax and let ideas flow, and to listen to others. It can help stimulate your own thoughts and place things in perspective.
Keep this in mind, just because you maybe the leader of the team, it doesn’t mean you have to be the one with the ideas. You are in your position because you understand what works and what doesn’t, because you have good judgment calls, and most of all because of your leadership qualities. That is why it is ok to let someone else have the fame, after all that is the point of the session. So take number three and blend number two together and you will find your team is also more relaxed.
If it is anything that can ruin a brainstorming session, that would be the negative criticism presented while ideas are flowing. Negativity causes people to one, feel like they let the boss down by presenting a weak idea, when in fact could have been salvaged if the remark was more positive. Two, it un-relaxes not just the person being criticized but also everyone in the room. People want to share their ideas, but not if they are going to get shot down. If that is your attitude, do the team a favor and don’t attend the session. Plus on top of all that it makes the environment less conducive. People need nurturing and assurance, regardless of the person. Therefore work as a team and help one another out.
Similar Posts:
Breaking Away from Cluster Brainstorming
Creative Writing | Creative Writing Exercise
Visual Literacy – Expand Your Creativity
August 21st, 2008 at 11:01 pm
This post is candid — however, real. Many people do have a hard time working in a cohesive environment and I believe that everyone can take a few of these tips and turn them into positive reinforcement not only for themselves but for others as well! Keep up the good work!
August 22nd, 2008 at 4:28 am
Every time we have a meeting it always goes over, you could not be more on the money about that. Everyone looses focus and its pretty much useless after that, except management thinks its called time management…
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:44 pm
LOL after reading that I think my team makes most of those mistakes, but we are finance people and love who i guess just dont get how to be MORE CREATIVE..
August 22nd, 2008 at 3:23 pm
My boss has the same problem as number 6 that you pointed out and all of us always feel like we have to memorize so much before we even starting thinking, great read my friend
August 26th, 2008 at 4:00 am
[...] presents 10 Greatest Mistakes While Brainstorming posted at Invent [...]
August 26th, 2008 at 10:50 am
A great list that many people can relate to. It doesn’t even have to be a business meeting setting, it can be just a simple every day problem solving branstorm too.
August 26th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
That’s a good article on some of the mistakes with Brainstorming. The untrained facilitator can be a major issue. For instance, an experienced facilitator can realise that one of the biggest mistakes with brainstorming is brainstorming itself, no matter how well it goes.
For lack of a better reference, look at the issues with productivity noted in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainstorming.
For better references, pick up a starter book on Social Psychology or search on Google for “social psychology brainstorming” and you’ll find some more underlying issues.
For what it’s worth, group passing is a good way of normalising the input from the group.
Alan
September 8th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
very beautiful post. please continue. i will not miss any article of yours. thank you.
http://evergreenhelpline.blogspot.com
September 13th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
[...] is an instructive post at Invent Creativity called “10 Greatest Mistakes while Brainstorming.” Brainstorming is usually used for small groups attempting to come up with new ideas. It [...]
October 4th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
[...] presents 10 Greatest Mistakes While Brainstorming posted at Invent [...]
October 18th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
Wow a blog dedicated to creativity…very unique topic. Im going to pass this post onto my boss LOL
December 11th, 2008 at 4:55 am
Nice one my friend. There is only ONE decision maker.
As the old saying goes… I never saw a statue to a commitee. Brain storming is the worst. As you rightly point out, two or three take part, then when things go wrong listen to the rest who knew better when decisions were being made.
Happy Christmas.
the Baldchemist
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:22 pm
I love this article. Thanks for the informative information.
September 23rd, 2009 at 4:44 pm
[...] Ways To Get Inspired 10 Greatest Mistakes While Brainstorming Learn to Think Intuitively Creativity Stop Where You End [...]
October 19th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
[...] Solanki presents 10 Greatest Mistakes While Brainstorming posted at Invent [...]
February 6th, 2010 at 10:15 pm
Extremely superb article, very informative information. Never considered I’d obtain the tips I want in this article. I’ve been scouring throughout the web for a while now and had been starting to get frustrated. Thankfully, I came onto your site and acquired precisely what I had been looking for.
June 25th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
Thanks for the info on the article. I really enjoyed reading it.