Brainstorming is a powerful technique to generate and explore new ideas with your team. But sometimes, you may feel stuck, uninspired, or frustrated with the results. How can you overcome this creative slump and spark some fresh thinking? Here are some facilitation tools that can help you and your team brainstorm more effectively and enjoyably.
Before you dive into brainstorming, make sure you have a clear and compelling challenge or question to guide your team. Define the scope, the criteria, and the desired outcome of the brainstorming session. Also, create a positive and safe environment where everyone feels comfortable to share their thoughts, opinions, and feedback. Establish some ground rules, such as no judgment, no criticism, and no interruptions. Encourage your team to be open-minded, curious, and playful.
Für kreative Ans?tze hilft es, bekannte Muster zu verlassen: - Uhren Ablegen und Einsammeln: Die Zeit kennt nur die Moderatorin - Smartphones alle in den Flugmodus und in eine Kiste/Tasche: Ablenkung unerwünscht :) - Nutzt ungew?hnliche Locations: Mein bester Workshop war in einem Kloster.. - Lasst die Gedanken flie?en. Dafür helfen Bewegung, z.B. bei einem Walk&Talk-Format - Wenn ihr in einem Raum seid, nutzt Musik. Unterschiedliche :) - Kombiniert Phasen "stummer" Zusammenarbeit mit kurzen Reflektionen: Magic!
To rekindle creativity within the team, initiate a change of scenery or environment to break routine. Encourage open communication and create a judgment-free zone where every idea is welcomed. Introduce diverse stimuli, such as thought-provoking articles, inspiring visuals, or even a quick team-building exercise to foster a collaborative spirit. Consider implementing brainstorming techniques like mind mapping or reverse thinking to approach challenges from different angles. Set clear objectives and time constraints to fuel urgency and focus. Lastly, celebrate small victories and maintain a positive atmosphere to energize the team, helping overcome the creative slump.
The biggest hurdles we face in the creative process are the ones we place upon ourselves. Knowing this, I find it compelling to encourage others to create an ideal "end goal" scene without restrictions and then articulate what this looks and feels like. Once the end goal has been established, you can reverse engineer the process and deal with the real-life hurdles that require adjustments.
El must 1 si tienes la posibilidad, es realizar un encuentro o actividad presencial en otro entorno. Acercarnos, vernos, abrazarnos, compartir charlas y risas. Muchas veces no es posible, ya que cada vez más somos los que trabajamos en distintos lugares y de manera asincrónica. Tratar de priorizar la posibilidad de agrupar a las personas en encuentros presenciales en entornos amenos será vital, ya que esto fomentará la alegría y cambiará el estado de rutina de la mente. Así se garantiza una nuevo aire en el sentimiento de compartir y pertenecer del equipo; un aumento de la creatividad y la buena predisposición para traer nuevas ideas!
One way to break the monotony and stimulate your team's creativity is to use different formats for brainstorming. For example, you can try brainstorming individually, in pairs, or in small groups. You can also switch between verbal and visual brainstorming, using words, sketches, diagrams, or sticky notes. You can also experiment with different time limits, such as 5 minutes, 10 minutes, or 20 minutes. By changing the format, you can create more variety, energy, and perspectives for your brainstorming session.
Another way to boost your team's brainstorming is to apply some techniques that can help you generate, organize, or evaluate ideas. For example, you can use the SCAMPER method, which stands for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, and Reverse. This method helps you to think of new ways to improve an existing product, service, or process. You can also use the affinity diagram, which helps you to sort and group ideas into themes or categories. This method helps you to find patterns, connections, and insights from your brainstorming session.
My go-to techniques for group brainstorming: ??Brainwriting/ silent writing ??1-2-4-All ??Round Robin/ Go Around ??Mind mapping ??'Yes, And...' technique No matter the technique- always scribe & write down ideas! This helps: ??Develop Group Memory ??Validate contributions ??Visualize connections ??Free mental capacity
Le SCAMPER : o Utilise l’intelligence du groupe pour la résolution de problèmes o Structure le processus créatif o Favorise l’agilité du groupe Substitute : On remplace une partie du produit, service, process. On échange un élément. Combine : On combine la solution actuelle à d’autres produits, éléments, services. On fusionne avec un autre concept. Adapt : On cherche à appliquer la solution actuelle à d’autres situations ou marchés. Modify : On modifie une caractéristique du produit. On augmente ou on diminue. Put to another use : On modifie l’usage de tout ou partie de la solution actuelle. On propose un autre usage. Eliminate : On supprime le superflu. Rearrange : On réorganise les éléments du problème étudié. On repense l’organisation.
A third way to enhance your team's brainstorming is to ask some questions that can challenge, provoke, or inspire your team. For example, you can ask "What if" questions, such as "What if we had unlimited resources?" or "What if we had to do the opposite?" These questions help you to imagine different scenarios and possibilities for your challenge or question. You can also ask "How might we" questions, such as "How might we make this more fun?" or "How might we simplify this?" These questions help you to frame your challenge or question in a positive and actionable way.
Curiosity is the key to unlocking people's creativity and moving beyond their energetic stuck points or limiting belief systems. When curious, ask open-ended questions that begin with "what" and "how" as a way to encourage self-exploration.
A fourth way to enrich your team's brainstorming is to mix some stimuli that can trigger new associations, ideas, or solutions. For example, you can use random words, images, objects, or sounds as stimuli for your brainstorming session. You can also use analogies, metaphors, or stories as stimuli for your brainstorming session. The idea is to use stimuli that are unrelated, unexpected, or surprising for your challenge or question. By doing so, you can stimulate your team's lateral thinking and creativity.
After you have generated a lot of ideas with your team, it's time to review and refine them. You can use different criteria to filter, prioritize, or select the most promising ideas for further development. For example, you can use the feasibility, desirability, and viability criteria to assess how realistic, attractive, and profitable your ideas are. You can also use the dot voting, ranking, or rating methods to involve your team in the decision-making process. The goal is to narrow down your ideas to the ones that best fit your challenge or question.
In the collaborative and creative process, team members must embrace compromise to achieve a unified end goal. This requires time to review and refine the process and find this sweet spot amongst team members.
Creative slumps require patience and curiosity; the more willing members are to be accountable and self-explore, the more able they become to unlock stuck points and enter new arenas of creativity.