Creative ideas are generated in a group setting through brainstorming, usually organized at the beginning of a project to tap the creativity of each team member. Brainstorming, however, has many issues and hindrances as it often leads to conflicts and inefficient communication exchanged between members of the team. A good brainstorming session is essential to stimulating innovation at your business. Here are several brainstorming techniques you can incorporate to help build a more innovative organization.
Brain Writing
This technique involves having the team leader announce the topic to the group and asks them to write their thoughts and ideas. These ideas and opinions are shared to avoid bias and enable participation by all of the members. Along with facilitating participation, it provides an adequate amount of time for members to develop unique, effective ideas.
Question Generation
In this brainstorming technique, the group members are asked to generate as many questions as they can about a given topic. In this way, every aspect of the project will be considered before the project begins. Also, this can provide ideas specifically for website content or marketing copy.
Figuring Storming
This technique allows a person to step into another figure’s shoes and think of ideas from their perspectives. The other person might be a prominent executive, motivational figure, or an admired family member. This can help produce fresh ideas and avoid repetitive ideas for a project.
Online Brainstorming
As technology is becoming more prominent in driving innovation, so has the popularity of virtual teams. The creation of a central online location enables people to collaborate using brainstorming tools. Through this visual experience, team members can closely interact with and share their ideas.
Round Robin
During round robin brainstorming, team members form a circle, and a topic is shared with them. The team leader then individually asks every group member to share their ideas with the team and invite feedback. Through this system, every member gets a chance to participate and have their idea discussed among the group. This can help the team leader compare the quality of each idea based on the discussion from the group.
One of the essential elements of a successful business is innovation. Through brainstorming, companies can further facilitation innovation and bring out the best of the creative talents of their team members. There are many considerations to make when organizing successful brainstorming sessions. This involves enabling each member to participate, preventing conflicts, and generating thoughtful discussion. Through these techniques, you can create a more supportive brainstorming environment to drive innovation at your business.