Comments on: When Brainstorms Fizzle http://timberry.bplans.com/2009/01/when-brainstorms-fizzle.html Tim Berry on business planning, starting and growing your business, and having a life in the meantime Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:26:20 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Dale Stokdyk http://timberry.bplans.com/2009/01/when-brainstorms-fizzle.html/comment-page-1#comment-294 Dale Stokdyk Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:40:31 +0000 http://timberry.bplans.com/2009/01/when-brainstorms-fizzle.html#comment-294 <p>I've seen brainstorming work well, and I've seen it fail miserably. When it works well, it usually because of most the right ingredients were present:</p> <p>* size of group -- too many people gets unwieldy; I think I've seen studies show the right number is around 7-10</p> <p>* diversity -- it helps to have members from different departments, different disciplines, etc. to bring different perspectives</p> <p>* preparation -- I believe it also helps to have the group 'prepare' for the brainstorm session - by sharing research/articles/books; field trips; shopping for competitors' products; etc.</p> <p>* leadership - the best brainstorm sessions have a leader that encourages participation, discourages negativity, and captures ideas -- all the while not taking sides or expressing a viewpoint.</p> <p>* structured -- I think the most successful brainstorming sessions I've been involved in were fairly structured, with exercises that broke the 'big problem' into smaller chunks to work on, and stressed speed and quantity of ideas </p> <p>* non-judgmental -- last, brainstorming participants need to be non-judgmental during the brainstorming; evaluating the ideas generated should happen only after brainstorming is complete. </p> I've seen brainstorming work well, and I've seen it fail miserably. When it works well, it usually because of most the right ingredients were present:

* size of group — too many people gets unwieldy; I think I've seen studies show the right number is around 7-10

* diversity — it helps to have members from different departments, different disciplines, etc. to bring different perspectives

* preparation — I believe it also helps to have the group 'prepare' for the brainstorm session – by sharing research/articles/books; field trips; shopping for competitors' products; etc.

* leadership – the best brainstorm sessions have a leader that encourages participation, discourages negativity, and captures ideas — all the while not taking sides or expressing a viewpoint.

* structured — I think the most successful brainstorming sessions I've been involved in were fairly structured, with exercises that broke the 'big problem' into smaller chunks to work on, and stressed speed and quantity of ideas

* non-judgmental — last, brainstorming participants need to be non-judgmental during the brainstorming; evaluating the ideas generated should happen only after brainstorming is complete.

]]> By: Mark Smallwood http://timberry.bplans.com/2009/01/when-brainstorms-fizzle.html/comment-page-1#comment-293 Mark Smallwood Sun, 01 Feb 2009 00:34:13 +0000 http://timberry.bplans.com/2009/01/when-brainstorms-fizzle.html#comment-293 <p>IDEO has made a pretty successful business by integrating brainstorming into their core design process. The brainstorming sessions I've attended seem to fit the mold of the one you describe, but I ascribe that to the fact that 1) the so-called "creatives" were protecting their turf and didn't engage in the process in the right spirit, and 2) most of us haven't been trained in high-quality brainstorming techniques. As a consequence, brainstorming sessions aren't taken seriously by anybody (the creatives don't think anybody else could have a good idea and nobody else thinks they'll be taken seriously anyway, so why bother) and simply become a checklist item. If organizations don't value and reward creativity by employees in all areas, then ultimately they'll lose market share. A marketing department can't carry an entire business. </p> IDEO has made a pretty successful business by integrating brainstorming into their core design process. The brainstorming sessions I've attended seem to fit the mold of the one you describe, but I ascribe that to the fact that 1) the so-called "creatives" were protecting their turf and didn't engage in the process in the right spirit, and 2) most of us haven't been trained in high-quality brainstorming techniques. As a consequence, brainstorming sessions aren't taken seriously by anybody (the creatives don't think anybody else could have a good idea and nobody else thinks they'll be taken seriously anyway, so why bother) and simply become a checklist item. If organizations don't value and reward creativity by employees in all areas, then ultimately they'll lose market share. A marketing department can't carry an entire business.

]]> By: Click and Inc http://timberry.bplans.com/2009/01/when-brainstorms-fizzle.html/comment-page-1#comment-292 Click and Inc Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:41:16 +0000 http://timberry.bplans.com/2009/01/when-brainstorms-fizzle.html#comment-292 <p>I think brainstorming is essential to the creative process. Ideas need to come from somewhere and although sometimes you do have to force them, brainstorming puts things out there so that there are ideas in existence to work with. </p> I think brainstorming is essential to the creative process. Ideas need to come from somewhere and although sometimes you do have to force them, brainstorming puts things out there so that there are ideas in existence to work with.

]]> By: Rocky Cipriano http://timberry.bplans.com/2009/01/when-brainstorms-fizzle.html/comment-page-1#comment-291 Rocky Cipriano Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:22:31 +0000 http://timberry.bplans.com/2009/01/when-brainstorms-fizzle.html#comment-291 <p>When I was the creative director at my agency, we would routinely gather our staff to brainstorm ideas. This was most effective when working with a new account or campaign when we wanted broader input from people with different backgrounds and perspectives. More than once our secretary came up with a creative idea we ended up using.<br /> But this process should be used judiciously, otherwise it does become a waste of time. Certainly, the day-to-day creative process and projects should be left to the creatives.</p> When I was the creative director at my agency, we would routinely gather our staff to brainstorm ideas. This was most effective when working with a new account or campaign when we wanted broader input from people with different backgrounds and perspectives. More than once our secretary came up with a creative idea we ended up using.
But this process should be used judiciously, otherwise it does become a waste of time. Certainly, the day-to-day creative process and projects should be left to the creatives.

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