Bringing out the best of your team’s Brainstorming Sessions

The end of the year has always had an aura of reflection, introspection and a touch of melancholy, at least for me. And 2022 makes no exception. One of my most challenging years yet, full of growing pains, realizations and lessons. A year that has shown me more of Sonia, the team player.

Team. It was a notion that has been hanging over my head in one way or another all throughout this year.?How can I be a better team player? How can I elevate my teammates? How can we find a more efficient way of collaborating and bringing our best traits to the drawing board? How can we tap into our knowledge and creativity to find better solutions?

One thing 2022 has not been short of are..ruts. Feeling like you’ve reached the end of your ideas on finishing a given task, you don’t have the results that you wanted and there is no perspective of how to push the needle forward. Or in a more simple approach: the old way of doing it is no longer working!

And this is what (finally) brings us to the subject of discussion: brainstorming.?An easy idea on paper (‘I’m stuck, let’s brainstorm solutions!’) but far more intricate when you put it into action (“We’re here. Now what? Where do we start?”). Having had my fair share of brainstorming sessions with my team this year (some better than others), I have nailed down some rules, some guidelines that I think will improve the efficiency of your brainstorming.?

? Face-to-face interaction

I know it’s a hot topic and the world is moving to a more digitized way of working, my team included, having a hybrid approach. But I found that bouncing ideas off each other in real time, looking in each other’s eyes, pacing the room, the sheer exchange of energy that happens when minds come together in the same room with the purpose of creating, that is something that I cannot replicate in a Meet call.?

That is why I make it a rule of thumb to set or attend brainstorming sessions whenever I know we’ll be in the office together. At least for the initial meeting, the one where you create the concept, sketch solutions, provide direction, exchange ideas.?

! When that is done - we draw specific and async actionable items that we can work on in our own time and in the comfort of our own home (or the closest beach). That’s one way to tap into face-to-face creativity while also saving time moving forward.

? Prep!

I hate wasting time, mine or my team’s, so I always try to be as clear as I can about the scope of the session and what we need to prepare beforehand (data, numbers, mood boards, initial drafts etc.), even if it’s mostly a creative process. That way the meeting doesn’t transform into an opportunity to chit chat or stare into each other’s eyes while we think about lunch.?

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the need to find solutions, so I try to prepare discussion points (a framework, if you will) that we can build upon, and reserve a big chunk of time (that way there is no pressure to force the creative juices - and bonus: if you finish earlier you get some time to do whatever you want!).?

Also, however obvious this may be, it’s imperative to have someone leading the conversation and keeping things on track. That person (or a designated person) should take notes, even conceptual, bare ideas, catching the tone and the direction (that makes a huge difference when reaching the implementation phase).?

If possible, pause all notifications to keep focus, momentum and intent.?

? Nurture a culture of trust and honest communication in your team

This right here is a gift that keeps on giving!

The possibilities within an united team that has chemistry are endless. But staying on our topic at hand, this is a huge part of an effective brainstorming session.?

Brainstorming is an imperfect, chaotic process and that’s the beauty of it. Throwing ideas around, some of them outrageous, some that might seem stupid, some of them on point (but you don’t know which is which unless you put them all on the table). Sometimes you’ll come up with the best idea (in your vision) only to be shut down immediately (rightfully). And that’s why you need people who you can trust, whose opinions you value, who are not scared to be blunt and who can take a risk with you if it’s needed.

Tiptoeing around, being scared of sharing your honest thoughts, that’s a recipe for a dull brainstorming session that leads to the same old ways.?

So make sure you invest in your team and you nurture your work relationships! That will reap more benefits than you thought!

? The task force

Two heads are better than one. That’s the whole principle of brainstorming.?

But do more heads mean more ideas?

Ironically, my opinion is…no. The most qualitative brainstorming sessions I’ve ever had have been in 2 or 3 people. Choosing those people is very important. The most obvious criteria is choosing people that have experience in what you wish to accomplish or how you want to do it.?

But I will divulge another precious criteria. Choosing people who have a trait that you want to explore within yourself in the pursuit of solving your problem. That’s a lot to take in but it’s golden once you grasp it.?

Luck or faith or something of my own doing have led me to be part of an awesome team that has different personalities, approaches, qualities and mindsets. So when I encounter an obstacle for which I want to brainstorm solutions I think about how I want to approach the task. And then I ask for help from the person that embodies that. It can be someone who is more methodical than me or more creative or has a more modern take. Besides their input they also help me find that trait in myself. For which I am more than grateful.?

That approach, having one person, the right person, is oftentimes better than 5 or more heads in the room.?

? What next?

By this moment I would hope the fog has lifted a bit and you have a direction in solving your problem.

To keep momentum while you are still engaged there are a few things you can do to wrap things up:

• lay down next steps;
• highlight actions that you need to take moving forward;
• set another session (do it now) if it’s needed or just a quick follow-up to discuss results after the actions were taken.

Rinse and repeat!

Simple guidelines but with punchy results, especially when you find yourself in a rut.

Keep learning, trust your team, stay flexible and everything will show its way eventually.?

I hope this helped and I’m looking forward to finding out your tips for taking your brainstorming sessions to the next level!?:)