BY ABBY WILSON

When it comes to problem-solving, most people agree that two heads are better than one. Yet many organizations trudge along with just one person at the top coming up with all the ideas. It’s great for leaders to have a clear vision and strong convictions, but if theirs is the lone voice dominating the room while the rest of the team nod and smile in silence, ideas will inevitably become stale and any opportunities for true innovation will fall by the wayside.

Group brainstorms are a great way to invite diverse perspectives to the conversation, allowing one person’s idea to inspire another’s until you’ve reached an innovative solution you would not have reached on your own. Not all brainstorms are created equal, but we’ll get into that in a minute.

At Hencove, we respect the value of a good brainstorm. If you don’t believe us, swing by our office and you’ll see three of our four walls covered in whiteboards (we had to save one wall for the door). That’s because, when done well, brainstorming sessions 1) generate lots of valuable ideas quickly, 2) help employees feel more connected to the company’s mission, and 3) build team camaraderie and collaboration.

The challenge with group brainstorms is that they’re easy to botch. Without proper facilitation and forethought, they can become chaotic, unproductive, and even disheartening. Seriously, who wants to be invited to the table to share their ideas just to have them repeatedly shut down?

We’ve developed some rules of the road to help you lead and participate in effective brainstorms so that you can unleash the creative talents and brainpower of your team while avoiding some of the more common pitfalls.

🔎 Define what you’re solving for. Before you head to Outlook to put your next brainstorming session on the calendar, pause for a minute to ask yourself: What exactly are we trying to achieve in this meeting? It sounds simple, but taking a moment to be intentional about the purpose of your meeting can make or break its value. Resist the temptation to make the topic overly broad, and instead, articulate a few core questions you’d like the group to react to. For example:

• What would happen if we _______?

• What benefit will _______ have?

• How do we fix _______?

• Who would benefit most from _______?

• How does _______ make you feel?

• What can we improve about our current process?

🏗 A little structure goes a long way. While a free-flowing dialogue is important for any brainstorm, having a structure in place is just as critical for creating a collaborative environment. Each meeting should have a facilitator who is responsible for managing the logistics and keeping the train on the track if the meeting starts to descend into total silence or free-for-all chaos. Along with the designated facilitator, a meeting should include from four to eight participants, all of whom should have diverse roles within the company to invite fresh perspectives and prevent biases. Depending on the topic, the meeting itself can run anywhere between 45 and 90 minutes for maximum engagement. If you have your heart set on hosting a longer session, be sure to schedule breaks to keep the group’s energy level up.

💭 Prework makes the dream work. We have one rule at Hencove (OK, maybe we have more than one, but this one is a biggie): every team member invited to a brainstorm is responsible for “pre-storming” prior to the meeting. This means that we’re asked to carve out dedicated time to think critically about the meeting topic and come prepared to share some preliminary thoughts, ideas, and questions for the group that can help spark a dialogue. Showing up to a brainstorm session without pre-storming is like showing up to class without doing the required reading. Can it be done? Sure. Is it the most effective use of the group’s time? Not really. Are you going to get and contribute the same value you would have had you come prepared? Definitely not. This is also a good reminder to meeting planners: try to ensure that you’re sharing any relevant pre-read materials and allowing enough time for participants to effectively pre-storm. It will make all the difference.  

👍 Adopt a “Yes, and…” philosophy. In improv, actors create a scene for the audience by thinking outside the box and building on the ideas of the other performers. Group brainstorms aren’t all that different from improv. The number one rule in improv (and brainstorms) is to always lead with the “Yes, and…” principle. This helps reinforce the message that no idea is bad, and it discourages shutting others down. The goal of a brainstorm should be to lead with curiosity, not criticism. This helps generate as many new ideas as possible and fosters an environment for unconventional and original thinking. Remember: brainstorms aren’t decision-making meetings. First, create. Later, you can take the list to the cutting board as you firm up your plans.

⚖️ Level the playing field. Succumbing to the HiPPO approach (highest-paid-person’s opinion) is a difficult trap to avoid in a brainstorm, but organizations that can do so effectively are far more likely to maximize the value of their group discussions. We’ve been privileged to partner with leaders who are aware of this unconscious bias and have been deliberate in creating a safe environment for everyone. It’s important to be mindful of the experience for everyone, including colleagues who may be introverted, new in their career, or part of a minority group at the company. We encourage organizations to try tactics like anonymous polling, regularly resetting the conversation to prevent one person from dominating the discussion, and having the most senior person share their opinion last.   

📝 Capture and synthesize. We’ll say it loud for the people in the back: don’t forget to document your discussion! Forgetting this step can be one of the biggest culprits in spoiling what was an otherwise productive and engaging brainstorm. You’ve seen it before: the ideas are flowing, spirits are high, and there’s a palpable energy in the room (or via Zoom). But almost as soon as the meeting ends, the clarity of the conversation begins to fade, and suddenly the next steps seem much harder to recall. To combat this, someone should be a designated notetaker, and ideally this person should not be the most junior person in the room (see previous section). In fact, sometimes you can have the HiPP take notes to help create more balance in the discussions. If they’re busy writing, they can’t be as busy talking. If you’re worried about being distracted by oscillating between participant and scribe, take turns being the notetaker, or record the discussion to capture notes and action items and then share the link after the meeting. This is a great time to identify any patterns that emerged during the discussion and to ensure that you keep up the momentum from the conversation with concrete next steps.

Thinking about gathering your team to brainstorm on marketing efforts for 2024 and beyond? We’d love to help.