How to Brainstorm Successfully in Meetings
Brainstorming ideas can be a great way to flesh them out and fully develop them; the most important thing you can do is share the undertaking with others. This means taking the big step and sharing your new ideas with others for them to pick over, question and analyse.
Being able to do this confidently in front of a room of your colleagues can be challenging, and it can be even harder to hear criticism. You must go into the meeting knowing that this is the best way to take your idea from the drawing board to fruition.
People who are confident while their idea is being discussed and debated by other people are seen as natural leaders. Whether this is something that you aspire to or whether you would prefer a more background role is entirely up to you. Being seen to lead brainstorming sessions with colleagues will very likely set you on the path to career progression at your company, so don’t be shy about mentioning the brainstorming session to your managers.
In recognition of the challenges that you will be facing going into the brainstorming session, we have compiled some tips below for how to get the most out of the session with your team.
Don’t Shoot Down Ideas / Improvements
We understand that the original idea is yours, but as soon as you let it out in a semi-public environment, like a meeting with your colleagues, they will have their own views and interpretations. Try not to shoot them down reflexively, even if they sound pretty far from where you had hoped to be. Every iteration of an idea brings new offshoots and challenges that can add to the whole, so make the meeting as safe a space as you can for the expression of new ideas.
The danger with too tightly controlling the discussion is that you strangle creativity and rein in some of the most creative people in the room. They may then think that you are not a person to approach for help with their own ideas in the future. This represents potential lost opportunities as being in the presence of multiple creative people can help to transform an idea from being a passable one to being an amazing one that can generate profit for years to come.
Ensure Nobody is Talked Over
If you are the one chairing the meeting, then act like it, and be sure that you don’t allow people, particularly women, to be talked over. This happens way too much in meetings, and if you see it happen, the best way to proceed is to interrupt the person who has spoken over them and say, “Sorry, Laura, you were saying?” thereby delivering a subtle rebuke to the man who talked over her at the same time as encouraging her to continue with her point.
It is a feature of modern workplaces that women’s voices and creative input are often stifled by men in meetings. It is only possible to stop this from happening by taking a proactive approach when we witness it.
By doing this, you will signal to the women in the room that their voices and input are valued, and they will be far more likely to provide you with their creative input and ideas. This can only be good for the development of your project. Behaving in this way will enhance your credibility within the company and increase your reputation for being able to provide leadership.
Focus on the Goal
Allow the ideas to be as free-flowing as possible but try not to lose sight of the goal at the same time. Remember what you want to achieve from the meeting and do what you can to guide the conversation in that direction gently without appearing overbearing.
Having an abundance of people spitballing their ideas can be fun, and some of them can veer toward the wacky and the wild. Some will just go massively off-topic, though, and it is a great skill to be able to recognise where that line is and to pull the conversation back onto a better track without losing your audience.
There’s nothing wrong with having some wilder ideas, and people who can think a little bit differently should definitely be encouraged to speak up and make their ideas known. These are often the people who are able to add a massive amount of value to the product design stage.
People with minds that can see things in new ways are your ideal team member for a brainstorming session, as others can then use their ideas as jumping-off points to elaborate on them and improve them. Be kind when someone expresses their opinion, and never try to stifle creativity, even if you’re not a fan of the particular direction of travel.
Utilise Mind Maps
Many people’s brains are much more visual than verbal, so using mind maps can help to stimulate those creative impulses and get ideas flowing within the team. The beautiful thing about mind maps is that they don’t just have to be text-based. They can incorporate images and drawings along the way so that the final mindmap is more easily interpreted by a casual viewer who has perhaps not taken part in the discussion.
Drawing a mind map on a whiteboard as the ideas begin to flow is a great and colourful way to visualise all of the thoughts and suggestions that are being expressed. A mind map is a brilliant tool, and once the meeting is finished, you should take it away and refine it to ensure that it is an accurate representation of the meeting.
You could choose a different pen colour for every member of the team so it is immediately apparent who has contributed to each of the ideas just by the colour of the writing and drawing. Once this has been completed, you should share it with your colleagues and ask them to ensure they are happy that this reflects how the meeting happened.
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