You’re leading a brainstorming session. How can you make sure everyone’s ideas are heard?

I Like Brainwrite. Sit a team in a circle and give each person a pen and a piece of paper. Each individual is invited to write three ideas (one idea per sticky note). They then pass their ideas to the person on the right. Each individual is then invited to read the ideas and to then write three more ideas. This pattern can be used until a persons original ideas come back. Every voice has the opportunity to bring their own ideas to the table. Groups can then discuss, prioritise ideas into matrixes and so much more.

Research suggests if we want to increase our group productivity, we should first break out as individuals and come up with our ideas separately. Only once our ideas have been captured should we then come together to discuss them. According to one Yale study, groups in which individuals come up with their own ideas first, can produce twice as many ideas as a group-only method, especially for diverse teams. Our internal team workshops start by sending members off to ideate on their own, and then bringing them back together to build on each other’s ideas, using techniques such as plussing (Steve Jobs introduced this method during his time at Pixar). It’s led to some of our most satisfying outputs.

Brainwriting is better than Brainstorming. Sometimes the participants are clustering their ideas. You only need one pen per person and some post-its.

In any team meeting, there are those that are more vocal than others. In order that everyone is heard you can apply some simple rules. 1 Everyone's thoughts are important! 2. There are no bad/mad ideas. 3.Go around the table and ask each person in turn for their thoughts. The rule here is once you've spoken you cannot speak again until it is your turn - this stops the denominators. 4. Capture all ideas - they maybe useful at a later date at a different meeting.

When I lead session like this I establish so-called contract when audience and mysels agree on the set of rules, requirements, objectives. It has to be mutual Presenter or facilitator shouldn't set up objectives only by themselves

Encourage Visual Contributions: Encourage participants to contribute their ideas directly to the whiteboard. This could involve writing down key points, sketching diagrams, or using symbols. Visual contributions can sometimes express ideas more effectively than verbal communication alone. Create a Collaborative Space: Use the whiteboard as a collaborative space where multiple participants can contribute simultaneously. Provide markers of different colors and encourage participants to use the entire board. This ensures that the whiteboard becomes a dynamic canvas for diverse ideas.

Whiteboarding is one of the most important and my favorite thing to do during any brainstorming session. Its important because it helps us visualize the bigger picture and see how our ideas can fit into the same. We may start by writing down the key points that are up for discussion. making flowcharts to understand things better from a process standpoint, write down the list of action items identified corresponding to each discussion point and many more. From a more psychology perspective, our mind is capable to processing a lot of thoughts in a single time and this really helps us to pen down these thoughts and map them in a way to create maximum value.

Utilize a whiteboard or a similar visual tool to capture and display ideas. This allows everyone in the session to see the ideas being generated, promoting transparency and ensuring that no ideas go unnoticed or forgotten. Encourage participants to contribute their ideas directly on the whiteboard, fostering a sense of ownership and engagement.

Visual aides are excellent for sessions where ideas are being generated. My two favorite uses of a board are: 1. Graphic Recording Keeping a collective record of ideas shared is essential. If it's possible to involve a design or illustrative recording professional you can level up this record but not essential. Seeing the record evolve in front of them is a great way to visualize success so far and keep everyone on the same page. 2. Participation. Drawing ideas from participants is of course the goal. But leaving them floating in the air or locked on pages is less collaborative than recording them in a shared medium like a whiteboard. Having the participants share their ideas on the board is a great way to encourage active involvement.

It's valuable to use the 5W1H framework during a brainstorming session - Who - What - Where - When - Why - How This helps to set context, frame perspectives and structure the thought process. This could also be used as a prompting question to those who are quieter/more introverted during the brainstorming session. Do a roundtable and ensure everyone has a chance to provide their inputs either by further substantiating an existing point or including a new point. On a softer side, it is also imperative to be conscious to acknowledge that no points are wrong and all inputs are appreciated/valued.

One of the best ways to stimulate creative thinking and elicit diverse perspectives is ask open ended questions and avoid to ask leading questions. Asking an open ended questions, broadens the sphere of discussion as you are not confining the other person with a limited set of responses. We should also avoid to ask any leading questions that may anchor the other person's response hence creating a situation of bias.

Start with "How might we..." It's an easy way to open a problem to solutions. After that good start, you should direct the answers to address the brief and, importantly the audience's needs. For example: "Yes and how might that better address this specific audience need". But ensure the answers and ideas are not snuffed out at this early stage with interrogations. What we want is to iterate them, allow them to grow, and find their final state. Only after the ideation exercise should you ask questions designed to narrow the field. This ideation phase is a "yes, and" situation where thoughts diverge. Later when the options are many we can converge on the best options to pursue.

Right questions are the essence of problems solving. They give us the correct direction to navigate and not get deviated to non productive territories. We need to simplify the question and use less jargons, that way we will be able to get contributions from many more aspiring idea generators.

Instead of asking leading or closed-ended questions, pose open-ended questions that encourage participants to think creatively and share their thoughts openly. Open-ended questions prompt deeper exploration and generate a wider range of ideas. Encourage participants to build upon and expand on each other's ideas, fostering a collaborative atmosphere.

Assigning roles within the brainstorming session can help ensure that everyone gets an opportunity to contribute. Consider rotating the facilitator role or designating a note-taker who captures and summarizes ideas. This way, everyone has a chance to actively participate and be heard.

On think I've done in a meeting is to ask different colleagues to start the conversation when planning a brainstorm session. So before the meeting I ask different colleagues for different issues/questions. This ensures different voices and opinions are heard.

I have had success pairing feedback and follow-up with delegating or assigning sections for research. Allow each person (or team) to be responsible for fleshing out their ideas and them providing feedback to the entire group. This can be done with a 'touch base' style meeting or in a more formal presentation style. Everyone gets a chance to participate in research, presentation and follow-up!

Acknowledge and appreciate each participant's contribution during the session. Offer constructive feedback and encourage others to do the same. After the brainstorming session, follow up with participants to provide additional feedback, clarify any points, or discuss the implementation of ideas. This demonstrates that their ideas are valued and encourages ongoing engagement.

Research shows that brainstorming is most effective when people do it individually first, then come together as a group. Try using something like a poll everywhere word cloud or other group contribution tool to collect responses after giving time for individual idea generation.

It’s important to make sure the introverts are empowered to contribute. Whilst it may be too much to push them (like pulling teeth) mildly seeking inputs from those less noisy folks can enrich the whole brainstorming process.

I love the PPME method. Give everyone a post-it note pad and let them write down ideas or concerns and then place them on a large white board under the applicable headers of "people" "process" "materials" equipment". No need for turn-taking, trying to capture exact words, time for facilitator to write, and for reserved people to have to speak in front of the entire group. Then you can work together to collect common themes and ensure you evaluate everyone's input.

1. First and foremost, when you are conducting a brainstorming session, make sure you will be the last to give your opinion and feedback to avoid any biases or lead the conversation in a specific direction. 2. Create an inclusive and supportive environment where participants feel comfortable sharing ideas. 3. Set clear ground rules to encourage open communication and ensure that all voices are heard by asking each person for their input. 4. Be mindful of group dynamics and intervene if certain individuals dominate the conversation, ensuring balanced participation. 5. Employ structured brainstorming techniques such as round-robin, mind mapping, or brainwriting to ensure systematic idea generation.

I recommend providing various methods to provide feedback. This could include written or verbal feedback, synchronously or asynchronously. Additionally, provide processing time so collaborators can provide you with their best thinking, which may not always be their quickest thinking.