How will you react the next time your boss takes you on an impromptu brainstorming session? I hope that in my previous articles you have learned tools and techniques that will help you generate creative ideas that will surprise your colleagues and bosses, but first you must establish the ground rules of the session so that your brilliant plan is not ignored. .

I know what you’re thinking; “Rules in a brainstorming session? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?”

Most people don’t set rules for brainstorming before a session, but I’ve found that setting the guidelines before you start really helps to start—and keep—the creative flow.

This list of rules is the result of testing many, many different rules and ideas from hundreds of brainstorming websites, authors, instructors, friends, and universities. I’ve added a heavy dose of my own experience to solidify this list. These are the ones I’ve found most useful so far, but I’m always trying new things too. I encourage you to do the same, experiment and see what works best for you.

Rule number one: generate as many ideas as possible.

Go for quantity, not quality.

The best way to come up with a great idea is to have lots of ideas to choose from. Try to write down four or five hundred ideas in your session. The list can always be narrowed down and prioritized later.

Another reason I emphasize quantity over quality is because quality doesn’t matter at this stage of the game. Have you ever been in a discussion where someone says something crazy and someone else in the room stops and says, “That won’t work” or “We don’t have the budget for that?” That kind of judgment stops the momentum and drains the creativity of the creators of ideas.

Rule number two: encourage wild and far-fetched ideas, no matter how crazy, ridiculous or far-fetched the idea may be.

Say, “Okay guys, the person who comes up with the most creative idea in the next hour wins.” Letting everyone know that craziness is okay for an hour, that craziness is, in fact, encouraged, will open the door to new ideas. You’d be amazed at the creativity that will blossom when you nurture crazy ideas.

Rule number three: there will be no detailed discussion of an idea, except to provide clarification.

When someone says something that’s really creative, a lot of times the other people in the room will try to give a twenty-minute lecture on why the idea isn’t completely crazy. Because the idea does not fit into normal patterns of business conversation, the person feels responsible for defending the merit of their suggestion. Don’t let this happen. Each person is allowed 10-15 seconds to explain the concept if it is really strange and unknown to the rest of the group, but they are not allowed to carry out a detailed conversation until the session is over.

Rule number four: assign someone as a scribe.

The Scribe Must Write Down Every Idea – No Projection.

I must emphasize the second part of this rule because detection happens all the time. Everybody is shouting ideas and someone will say something really crazy, and the scribe won’t record his idea because he thinks it’s too far fetched. Make sure the scribe understands this rule.

Rule number five: keep a copy of the rules in sight

The rules must be easily visible to everyone in the room. If someone tries to push the boundaries and topple a rule, point to the list and politely tell the naysayer to shut up.

Rule number six: the brainstorming list must be visible to everyone

Don’t let the scribe hide his list out of sight. Everyone should be able to see the ideas that have already been generated. The list could provide the inspiration needed for the next big idea, which brings me to my next point.

Rule number seven: the accumulation of other ideas is encouraged

There is no such thing as a truly original idea. I said it there. If you think you have one, you are arrogant and/or naive. Many of today’s greatest innovations are the result of someone leveraging someone else’s ideas. Even if an idea is only 10% different from another idea, say the new thought out loud and write it down. That 10% difference might be enough to make someone else think about the idea differently and allow them to expand on the concept even further.

Rule number eight: postpone and withhold judgment on any idea

Judgment is one of the greatest creative killers out there. The judgment is even worse when it comes from a superior. Almost everyone has been in a situation where someone throws out a crazy idea and the most senior person in the room grimaces, raises an eyebrow, or makes a derogatory comment. Suddenly, there is dead silence. I was once in a meeting when the chairman of the board stormed into the room and angrily demanded, “What son of a bitch came up with this ridiculous, stupid idea?” How many people do you think raised their hands? What do you think that did to the team’s creativity?

Rule number nine: leave your titles at the door

This is the most difficult rule for hits. Whenever you do a brainstorming session, there is no vice president. There are no directors, bosses or owners. I teach a lot of sessions in the military, and when I get to this rule I have to look at the highest ranking officer and say, “Is that clear? Do you understand that you’re not the boss for the next hour? I want you to be whole, whole, and complete.” consciously aware that you are the person most likely to kill the creativity in this room.”

I almost have to embarrass the highest ranking person in this room to make it clear that they will probably screw up the session. To further drive this rule home, I sometimes place a camera in the room from a distance and actually bring the camera up to the manager’s face without saying anything. The camera records your facial expressions and body language in response to really creative ideas. I play the video for them over lunch on the big screen and point out their expressions. I ask them, “Don’t you think your attitude hinders the creative process?”

Rule number ten: the optimal number of people is between 8 and 12, with a third of the group being strangers

This is the biggest and unfortunately the least practiced in business. The critical part of this rule is attracting outsiders. Get people from outside your department, your company, or better yet, people from a completely different industry to join your session. Companies rarely ask outsiders to join them, but outsiders offer a unique point of view that insiders can’t see. Consider this: Every business in the world struggles with costs, employee retention, and other common business issues. Your problems are not unique, everyone has very similar problems to deal with. An outsider might be able to shed some light on your company’s particular roadblock.

Most people think that this rule won’t work because strangers won’t be interested in attending a session, but the reality is that everyone wants to exchange ideas. Try implementing a “brainstorming” program with another company. Both companies will benefit from the experience.

Setting rules for your brainstorming session will allow you to generate more creative ideas and solutions for your business.

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