Brainstorming meetings have a lofty goal – coming up with great ideas. In order to make the most of your brainstorming time, preparation is key. We’ve put together a few key tips to help you prepare for a successful and effective session.
- Define Your Objective
Decide on no more than two goals for your meeting. Be as specific as possible. With a clear objective, your team will produce realistic and high-quality ideas. Write your goals on a dry-erase board to keep ideas on track.
- Choose Your Attendees
Avoid inviting too many people. A small group can often lead to more fully-formed ideas. To create a solid brainstorming team, invite people from the following groups:
- Choose one team leader: This person will take charge and lead the session by asking questions.
- Choose two to three informed participants: This group will be familiar with the project and bring ideas based on their knowledge and experience.
- Choose two to three newcomers: These individuals should not know anything about the project. They will introduce fresh ideas and may propose new questions.
- Be Ready to Ask Questions, Questions, and More Questions
The best way to get people involved is to ask open-ended questions. To get through any awkward silences, prepare some questions to spark ideas. Some examples may be:
- What alternative approaches have we looked at?
- What would our competitor’s response be?
- What if this idea doesn’t work?
- Who else should we talk to before moving forward?
- Get a Conference Room
Make sure you book a meeting room. Working together in-person makes it easier to bounce ideas around and track ideas on a dry-erase board.
We hope these tips help as you prepare for your next brainstorming meeting. When in doubt, remember: the best ideas come from collaboration. Good luck!