Brainstorming is a wonderful tool. It solves problems, is great for networking and getting people working as a team. Many joint ventures and partnerships have formed from folks participating in these kind of sessions, as well as business deals and long term friendships ( including a marriage or two).
Brainstorming is a fantastic way of getting solutions to problems or issues you may have. It can be done on or off-line. It’s usually done in a group of 6- 12 people. It should be in a relaxed creative atmosphere, where ideas can flow freely. it should be fun and productive. There are simple rules:
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Everyone participates.
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There should be a theme or a specific topic up for discussion.
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There is absolutely NO criticism of ideas no matter how silly they may seem.
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The facilitator should provide a relaxing and creative atmosphere.
- Everyone should give feedback and help choose the best ideas.
The group should consist of people of varying backgrounds and/or experience. I’ve seen many great ideas stem from a novice. Brainstorming sessions should be relatively short~ 20-45 mins. Once the session starts, everyone is to either vocalize their ideas/solutions or text them if they are online. All ideas are written down and after a given time period, say 10-15 min. the group discuss them and come up w/ the 5 best. Those 5 are tweaked until a final solution is created.
At this time we only have 10 spaces open.
