GETTING TO THE BIG IDEA
OUR BRAINSTORMING MODEL MARCH 13, 2017
We use the entire whiteboard Every day, companies all over the world walk into meeting rooms and try to develop a big idea. And while there are hundreds of different approaches, at elevator we have the opportunity to regularly conduct brainstorms, looking to create the next BIG communications idea. We wanted to peel back the curtain and let you, the reader, look at our process. For us, the key is open collaboration. Everyone gets involved and different strengths are leveraged throughout. Before we get into our approach, one last note: Our focus is creating ideas around effective communications for our clients. However, this process has far reaching applications: from business, to employee development. We hope you enjoy! And if you need help coming up with your next BIG idea, feel free to contact us using the contact info on the last page.
WHERE DID BRAINSTORMS COME FROM AND WHY DON T THEY ALWAYS WORK?
«
Brainstorming is a group creativity technique by which efforts are made to find a conclusion for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members. The term was popularized by Alex Faickney Osborn in the 1953 book Applied Imagination. * Since 1953, brainstorming has been a part of business. However, we now face several challenges with brainstorming, like blocking, free-riding, overpowering individuals, collaborative friction, and everyone’s favourite challenge: Group Think. Furthermore, we always risk walking away from a brainstorm with a bunch of ideas and not much else. We’ve tackled some of the common challenges in our outlined brainstorming process.
»
Big
Source: JWP Canadian Total Retail 2016 Report
* Brainstorming, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainstorming
Our team’s brainstorm process
in three simple steps How we kick things off
Before we even start a brainstorm, we make sure everyone is set up for success. This includes picking a productive time, like 10 am vs. 4 pm, making sure everyone knows the topic that we’ll be discussing, and getting the supplies required, like a whiteboard / sticky notes, etc. This may seem obvious and it is, but this is one of the most neglected steps in a traditional brainstorming process. In addition, we encourage everyone to do preliminary research and bring case studies to guide and inspire the meeting. Finally, we create a briefing doc., so everyone is literally on the same page.
Getting everyone involved Even the best scheduled, most prepared brainstorms can fall victim to lack of contribution. People may have a million things on the go and feel that the brainstorm “is getting in their way of real work.” The key we’ve found is to set the tone of the brainstorm by addressing the elephant in the room – “Why are we even having this brainstorm?” The better we can articulate the reason why everyone has been called together, the better everyone can contribute. Plus, it’s much easier to become invested in a brainstorm once you know what the brainstorm is all about, who it ultimately benefits and why you’ve been selected to join the discussion.
Capturing the BIG idea If we are successful in scheduling a highly-productive brainstorm where everyone is involved and invested, the real challenge becomes capturing the great ideas that are being shared. We use a multi-step approach to make sure we get everything down. First, the facilitator at the front of the room captures as many ideas as she can, writing quickly on the whiteboard in short hand. Next, we use sticky notes and pads to jot down ideas from everyone. This works especially well during group brainstorming sessions. Finally - and again a step that is often missed, at the end of the brainstorm when everyone has departed - the facilitator captures all the ideas that have been shared in a quick Word doc. When properly captured, it’s much easier to connect the vast amount of ideas back to our client’s business objectives, narrow our focus and select the best ones to build out. This in turn helps us solidify why a client should move forward with the ideas we’re proposing. The reason why so many brainstorms leave people with an underwhelming feeling is because they weren’t properly set up / prepared, they didn’t get involved, or a previous brainstorm was poorly captured and their ideas were lost. By avoiding these three pitfalls, we enjoy the benefits that brainstorms can deliver, like working in a creative / collaborative place where everyone has a voice. Even better, through effective brainstorms, we deliver better results for our clients, which makes both us and them happy.
Drop us a line If you want to build trust and infuse this thinking with your communications plan, why not drop us an email at: melanie@elevatorinc.com
elevatorinc.com
416-363-6444
@elevatorinc
Many thanks to i cons, aguycalledgary, Stefan de Haan, Patrice Curci, Arthur Shlain, dilayorganci, LA Great Streets, and Alepio at thenounproject.com for the icons.