Eight Ways to Generate More Ideas in Groups
The scene is repeated in meeting rooms around the world every
day. A problem has been identified and a group has gathered to
solve the problem. When ideas are needed, the group decides to
brainstorm. And all too often this exercise leads to a short
list of not-that-creative ideas.
We know that if we generate more ideas we have a better chance
of finding better ideas. This leads us to the logical conclusion
that if we can find techniques to create more ideas, we will
find better ones. No one technique however will guarantee the
perfect solution. Instead your goals should be to have a variety
of approaches to help stimulate idea creation in your
repertoire. By doing this you will improve the overall quality
of ideas by virtue of having more to choose from.
Whether you are unhappy with the current creativity of your
group or are having good success with brainstorming sessions,
but would like them to be even better, any of the eight
suggestions below can help.
Look at problems in different ways. Get the group to
change their perspective on the problem. Once people "lock into"
one way of looking at things the idea flow will slow to a
tickle. Have people take a new persona. Ask them to look at the
issue from the perspective of another group - accounting, HR, or
sales for example. Ask them to think about how their Grandmother
or an 8 year old would solve the problem. These are simple ways
to force people into a new perspective and the new perspectives
will generate more ideas.
Make novel combinations. The ideas that land on the
flipchart or whiteboard in a brainstorming session are typically
considered individually. Have the group look at the initial list
and look for ways to combine the ideas into new ones.
Force relationships. Once a group is finished with their
initial list, provide them with words, pictures or objects. The
objects can be random items, the words can come from a randomly
generated list (email wordlist@KevinEikenberry.com and we'll
send you such a list), or from pictures in magazines or
newspapers. When people have their random word, picture or item,
have them create connections between the problem and their item.
Use questions like, "How could this item solve our problem?"
What attributes of this item could help us solve our problem?"
Make their thoughts visible. Have people draw! Too often
the brainstorming session has everyone sitting except the person
capturing the ideas. Let people doodle and draw and you never
know what ideas may be spurred.
Think in opposites. Rather than asking your direct
problem question, ask the opposite. "How could we ensure no one
bought this new product?" could be one example. Capturing the
ideas on "the opposite," will illuminate ideas for solving the
actual problem.
Think metaphorically. This approach is similar to forcing
relationships (and is another way to use your words, pictures or
items). Pick a random idea/item and ask the group, "How is this
item like our problem?" Metaphors can be a very powerful way to
create new ideas where none existed before.
Prepare. Too often people are asked to brainstorm a
problem with no previous thinking time. If people have time to
think about a topic, and let their brains work on it for awhile,
they will create more and better ideas. Allow people to be
better prepared mentally by sharing the challenges you will be
brainstorming some time before the meeting whenever possible.
Set a Goal. Research shows and my experience definitely
confirms that the simple act of giving people a quantity goal
before starting the brainstorming session will lead to a longer
list of ideas to consider. Set your goal at least a little
higher than you think you can get - and higher than this group
typically achieves. Set the goal and watch the group reach it!
While these suggestions have all been written from the
perspective of a group generating ideas, they all work very well
for individuals too. The next time you need to solve a problem
by yourself, use these techniques and you will be astounded by
the quantity of ideas you will generate!