Innovation is the key to staying ahead of the competition, solving problems, and creating value. But how can you foster a culture of innovation in your meetings, where ideas are often exchanged, evaluated, and implemented? Here are some creative ways to encourage innovation in meetings, whether they are online or in-person.
Brainstorming is a classic technique for generating and exploring ideas, but it can also be boring, chaotic, or ineffective if not done well. To make brainstorming more fun, engaging, and productive, you can use various tools that help you organize, prioritize, and visualize your ideas. For example, you can use mind maps, sticky notes, whiteboards, or online platforms like Miro or Stormboard to create and share your thoughts. You can also use different formats, such as brainwriting, reverse brainstorming, or SCAMPER, to stimulate your creativity and challenge your assumptions.
As facilitator of 100+ innovation projects all over the world, I love to share a CHECKLIST: 15 TIPS for THE PERFECT BRAINSTORM: 1. Define a relevant challenge 2. Create with the sponsor an assignment 3. Create momentum 4. Invite people for whom it is relevant. 5. Invite people for content as well as decision-making 6. Include outsiders 7. Invite the senior problem-owner 8. A special venue 9. An psychological safe environment 10. Never at the office 11. Spend twice as much time on the convergence - as on the divergence process. 12. Apply various idea-generating techniques 13. Keep up the pace 14. Appoint an expert facilitator 15. Make the output concrete Extra Tip: Check the FORTH innovation method for a structured approach.
Innovation thrives on diversity, as different people bring different experiences, insights, and opinions to the table. To encourage innovation in meetings, you should invite a variety of perspectives, both from within and outside your team or organization. For example, you can invite experts, customers, partners, or other stakeholders to join your meetings and share their feedback, suggestions, or questions. You can also ask your team members to adopt different roles, such as the devil's advocate, the optimist, or the critic, to explore different angles and scenarios.
One thing i have found useful is rotating meeting chairpersons or facilitators to ensure every voice gets a turn at leading discussions. The changing leadership can give a refreshing twist to routine meetings.
Games and challenges are not only fun and energizing, but also effective ways to stimulate innovation in meetings. They can help you break the ice, boost collaboration, spark curiosity, and unleash your imagination. For example, you can use games like Lego Serious Play, Improv, or Six Thinking Hats to build, act, or think differently. You can also use challenges like Hackathons, Design Sprints, or Innovation Tournaments to solve problems, create prototypes, or compete for the best ideas.
Gamifying processes can light up the competitive spirit, but there’s more. By introducing elements of narrative or storytelling in these games, you provide a context that can elicit more emotionally charged, and therefore memorable, innovative ideas. It’s one thing to win a game, but another to be the hero of a story.
One of the best ways to encourage innovation in meetings is to reward and recognize the efforts and outcomes of your team members. This can help you create a positive and supportive environment, where people feel valued, motivated, and inspired to innovate. For example, you can reward and recognize innovation by giving feedback, praise, or recognition, such as shout-outs, certificates, or badges. You can also reward and recognize innovation by providing incentives, resources, or opportunities, such as bonuses, time, or mentorship.
Innovation is not only about generating ideas, but also about implementing them and creating value. To encourage innovation in meetings, you should follow up on the ideas that emerge and take action to make them happen. For example, you should follow up on the ideas by documenting, evaluating, and prioritizing them. You should also follow up on the ideas by assigning tasks, setting goals, and monitoring progress. Moreover, you should implement the ideas by testing, refining, and launching them.
One creative way to encourage innovation in a meeting is by incorporating interactive activities. For example, you can try a "brainstorming game" where participants have to come up with as many ideas as possible in a given time limit. Another idea is to assign different roles to participants, such as a "devil's advocate" who challenges ideas or a "wild card" who proposes unconventional solutions. These approaches can help stimulate creativity and generate fresh perspectives during the meeting.
The physical environment plays a significant role in fostering innovation. Consider occasionally moving meetings to different venues, like a park or a cafe, to stimulate creativity. Such changes in environment can sometimes lead to changes in perspective, promoting out-of-the-box thinking.