How can you ensure your brainstorming sessions are relevant to your team's goals?

1 Define the purpose

Before you invite your team to a brainstorming session, you need to have a clear and specific purpose for it. What is the problem or challenge you want to address? What are the desired outcomes or criteria for success? How will the ideas be evaluated and implemented? Having a clear purpose will help you set the scope, agenda, and expectations for the brainstorming session. It will also help you communicate the value and relevance of the session to your team members and motivate them to participate.

2 Choose the participants

The size and composition of your brainstorming group can have a significant impact on the quality and diversity of ideas generated. Ideally, you want to have a group of 5 to 10 people who have different perspectives, backgrounds, and skills related to the topic. You also want to avoid having too many people who are too similar, too senior, or too dominant in the group, as they might inhibit others from sharing their ideas. You can also invite external stakeholders, experts, or customers to join the session or provide input beforehand, as they might offer valuable insights or feedback.

4 Establish the rules

To create a positive and productive brainstorming environment, you need to establish some ground rules that will guide the behavior and interaction of your team members. Some common rules for brainstorming are: no criticism or judgment of ideas, no filtering or editing of ideas, encourage quantity and variety of ideas, build on or combine ideas, and respect and listen to others. You can also add some specific rules that suit your team's culture, style, or preferences. Make sure you explain and reinforce the rules at the beginning and throughout the session.

5 Facilitate the session

As the facilitator of the brainstorming session, you have a key role in ensuring that the session is relevant to your team's goals. You need to introduce the purpose, agenda, and rules of the session, and remind your team members of the expected outcomes and criteria. You need to encourage participation, enthusiasm, and openness from everyone, and use different techniques to stimulate their thinking, such as brainstorming questions, brainstorming methods, brainstorming games, or brainstorming tools. You also need to manage the time, energy, and dynamics of the group, and intervene when necessary to prevent or resolve any conflicts, distractions, or biases.

6 Summarize and follow up

After the brainstorming session, you need to summarize and follow up on the ideas generated. You need to collect, organize, and document the ideas, and share them with your team members and other relevant stakeholders. You need to evaluate and prioritize the ideas based on the criteria and goals you defined, and select the most promising or feasible ones for further development or testing. You also need to thank your team members for their contribution, and provide feedback and recognition for their efforts. You also need to communicate the next steps and actions, and keep your team updated on the progress and results.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?