What do you do if you're trying to facilitate a brainstorming session with a diverse team?

In my experience with diverse groups, considerations are: ensure everyone has equal voice, ensure people feel safe to contribute & ensure focused discussion. Techniques to ensure everyone has equal voice: establish ground rules at the start, e.g.use of the "talking stick". Techniques to establish safety: ground rules will help with this. Also, consider using small group discussions - most people open up more when they are talking to 2 or 3 other people than everyone. E.g. using Liberating Structure's '1-2-4-all' technique. Techniques for ensuring focused discussion: before the session let people know what the outcomes are. At the start, remind all about the outcomes to be reached, and do a thumb vote to determine commitment.

It can lead to innovative ideas and solutions. To make the most of this opportunity, consider starting with a quick icebreaker activity to encourage interaction among team members. Utilize whiteboards, flip charts, or online brainstorming tools to visually capture ideas and foster collaboration. Allocate sufficient time for brainstorming, but also keep the session focused and avoid getting bogged down on any single idea. After the session, take time to debrief and categorize the ideas generated. Evaluate them based on feasibility, potential impact, and alignment with the overall objective. By creating a safe space, using inclusive techniques, and fostering active participation, you can ensure a successful / productive brainstorming session.

A brainstorming session with a diverse team can unleash unparalleled creativity and innovation. By bringing together individuals from varied backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, the session becomes a melting pot of ideas, where the unique blend of viewpoints leads to the discovery of novel solutions and approaches. This diversity fosters an environment where every voice is valued, encouraging open, inclusive conversations that challenge conventional thinking and pave the way for groundbreaking ideas. In such a setting, the synergy of different talents and insights not only enriches the brainstorming process but also significantly enhances the potential for exceptional outcomes.

Running a brainstorming session with a diverse team unlocks varied insights but demands thoughtful facilitation. Start by setting a clear goal and creating a welcoming space. Kick off with an icebreaker to relax everyone, then employ multiple brainstorming methods to suit various communication styles. Utilize collaborative tools for real-time input from both onsite and remote members. Guide discussions to stay focused and productive, encouraging an open atmosphere where all ideas are welcome. Build on suggestions collaboratively, capturing every contribution. Post-session, organize and evaluate the ideas. Being culturally sensitive and bias-aware is crucial. These steps ensure you leverage your team's diverse strengths, and unity.

You run the session and setting up the rules is part of it. Your objective is for the session to be successful, so you need to make sure all participants feel part of the process and contribute. Your rules should accommodate for this to happen. They need to be specific enough, yet flexible to also accommodate for unexpected. It is also wise to divide the session into smaller parts that build on each other.

One of the best tools I use is from KAOSPILOT and is a way to set the context and connection for the group. It’s IDOHARRT and I’ve adapted it a bit to make it work for me. Intention - Why are we here? Make it aspirational Desired Outcome - what 3 outcomes can we revisit at the end of the session to tick off that we’ve achieved them? How- I always use purposeful play Agreements - how do we want to show up together? Let the participants come up with ideas. This is the most important! Roles - who is doing what? Resources - I provide a resource box of fidget toys Time - how long is the session? When are there breaks? Do this at the start before anything else and it creates the rights conditions for connection and creativity to flow.

[2/2 - the first post is under 'What else to consider'] If you're in a room together, then LEGO Serious Play is a fantastic tool for making the most of everyone and the exponentially valuable space in the links between them. If not, then structure the brainstorm using the underpinning principles of LSP to, for example, properly connect at the start; to aim for 100% particpation; to give people time to think individually; to ensure the discussion is about the ideas not the people; to frame the discussion through story; to give freedom within structure to explore new territories. Diversity can be hugely valuable; but you need to do the work to make sure that the potential value in the differences is realised.

Yes apart from those mentioned: 1. Case study 2. Live experience to solve the organizational problem. 3. Role Plays as to how teams have handle obstacles.

To make sure that you have a successful brainstorming session, you need to unlock the creativity in everyone. An icebreaker is very important to everyone feel comfortable to share.

You want to employ tools and techniques that allows everyone to safely share their ideas and viewpoints. This starts with the 'working assumptions' or ground rules for the facilitated time. You plan ahead thinking through ways to engage everyone who is participating. You prepare other tools that you might require if one of the tools you're using isn't accomplishing what you had hoped. As people begin to see how the contributions of others are moving the group/team to a better result, you celebrate those moments. This creates momentum and signals that the diversity in the room is one of its strengths.

Breaking large groups into smaller random groups either in person or in break out rooms can ensure everyone has a chance to contribute either verbally or in writing and keeps the energy high. Inviting people to look at the problem or issue from different perspectives of roles and responsibilities can increase empathy.

You can use the 6 hats method so that everyone can have a different role in the conversation and switch the roles to encourage participants to think different.

A big part of fostering ideas from diverse groups will be to manage conflict. -Start with an icebreaker and warm them up to the conversation ahead -I have found using a talking stick to be very useful in allowing people to complete what they are saying. This allows the entire rationale behind a perspective to come out without being interrupted or paused -Reiterate listening actively and empathising, at the beginning of the discussion. -Call for a time-out if you think the discussion is getting too heated. Let people take a breather and reconvene. The above can help keep the discussion as a fruitful one with minimal conflict moments

In my experience, highlighting the opportunities of having a diverse team before, during, and while concluding the brainstorming session opens up all members to share whatever point they have without fearing to be criticized as they ‘hide under my perspective’. It is therefore important to celebrate diversity right from the introduction to prepare people to participate, through the sessions to encourage participation, and finally at the end to appreciate them for coming up with wonderful ideas because of their diversity. It is easy to use the excuse of ‘can I hear your perspective’ while asking less talkative people to enable them contribute. Interestingly, some people desire to have their perspectives heard but only wait to be asked.

It would be amazing to administer a strengths or YouMap? assessment before an experience like this so that everyone can feel confident in the unique natural talents they - and others - bring into the room.

A Brainstorming session with a Diverse Team means they're working on a Common Goal. Difficult but Possible. These are the steps I follow: 1] Start with an engaging Activity, getting everyone on the same page. 2] Divide the Group into 3-4 teams having diverse representation in each team. This creates empathy right from the start. 3] During the session, get all ideas on board and allot the shortlisted ones to each team. 4] Let the Teams validate the ideas and prepare a strong case themselves about each idea. 5] Then each team needs to present & convince the other team about why their idea is the best. Here Conflict Mgmt would be the key. The final points everyone would agree upon will be a result of the consensus of a Diverse Team.

Effective brainstorming doesn't just get individual voices (diverse or not) to shout out or write down their ideas Breakthrough thinking comes from connecting the knowledge, experiences, energy and creativity that exists in the connections between the participants and their ideas. The risk with diverse groups (whether that diversity is gender, ethnic, cultural, professional, age or anything else) is that they are either not safe enough for everyone to share deeply or that words have different meanings for different groups. To get a diverse group brainstorming effectively, you need to get the thinking to happen below the level of words and into the underlying ideas and stories that clarify them. [1/2 - 2nd post is in 'Use Diverse Tools']

In my experience, key to any brainstorming is the foundational fostering of psychological safety. I would start by setting clear ground rules (I call it to be agenda) that emphasise respect, openness, and non-judgmental communication. Everyone needs to feel like they can contribute by actively listening to each idea - without criticism or interruption. To create the initial trust I usually run icebreakers and warm-up activities to help participants feel comfortable sharing about themselves. As a facilitator, your then adjust the approach as needed to maintain a supportive and inclusive environment.

I love this topic ! What I would do as a facilitator is to use : -my different languages, - my stand up comedy skills -and my international background . In Italian we say” tutto il mondo è paese: which literally means : “ All the world is a village”. To be able to facilitate, and not to feel overwhelmed is to take it easy , use a lot of humour , and beslightly psychologist : Try to see if there are more man or woman or vice-versa, Try to figure out their nationalities, interest: Ask questions . Imagine yourself in the middle of this diverse crowd , what would you like to listen to? Someone empathetic, funny and knows his topic . Don’t take yourself too seriously, you have human in front of you not robots yet !

Congratulations! Facilitation of a brainstorming session with a diverse team is such a fun. You are blessed and privileged to work with bright minds. So, focus on the strength of each participant and ensure balanced flow of ideas provided. Let the audience know why their inputs are so valuable and how it will help common movement towards success. You need to do your job with energy and passion and let this energy light up the entire audience. Take as much as you need breaks as they help recharge and bring new energy. Remember the rule of candle. A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. Let the room light up each other so it becomes brighter and warmer.