Brainstorming Rules

How will you react the next time your boss takes you to an impromptu brainstorming session? I hope that in my previous articles you have learned tools and techniques that will help you come up with creative ideas that will wow your colleagues and bosses, but first you need to establish the ground rules of the session so that your brilliant plan is not ignored. .

I know what you’re thinking; “Rules in a brainstorming session? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?”

Most people don’t set brainstorming rules before a session, but I’ve found that setting the guidelines before you start really helps start—and keep—the creative flow.

This list of rules is the result of trying many, many different rules and ideas from hundreds of websites, authors, instructors, friends, and universities on the subject of brainstorming. I’ve added a heavy dose of my own experience to solidify this list. These are the ones I’ve found most useful so far, but I’m always trying new things too. I encourage you to do the same, experiment and see what works best for you.

Rule number one: generate as many ideas as possible.

Go for quantity, not quality.

The best way to have a great idea is to have lots of ideas to choose from. Try to write four or five hundred ideas in your session. The list can always be narrowed down and prioritized later.

Another reason I emphasize quantity over quality is because quality doesn’t matter at this stage of the game. Have you ever been in a discussion where someone says something that’s crazy and someone else in the room stops and says, “That won’t work” or “We don’t have the budget for that?” That kind of judgment stops momentum and drains creativity from idea creators.

Rule number two: encourage wild and exaggerated ideas, no matter how crazy, ridiculous, or far-fetched the idea may be.

Say, “Okay guys, the person who comes up with the most creative idea in the next hour wins.” Letting everyone know that craziness is okay for an hour, that craziness is in fact encouraged, will open the door for new ideas. You’d be surprised at the creativity that will blossom when you encourage crazy ideas.

Rule number three: There will be no detailed discussions of an idea, except to provide clarification.

When someone says something that’s really creative, many times the other people in the room will try to give a twenty-minute lecture on why the idea isn’t completely crazy. Because the idea doesn’t fit into normal business conversation patterns, the person feels responsible for defending the merit of their suggestion. Don’t let this happen. Each person is allowed 10-15 seconds to explain the concept if it is really strange and unknown to the rest of the group, but they are not allowed to carry out a detailed conversation until the session is over.

Rule number four: Assign someone as a scribe.

The Scribe Must Write Down Each Idea – No Projection.

I must emphasize the second part of this rule because detection happens all the time. Everyone is shouting ideas and someone will say something really crazy, and the scribe won’t register his idea because he thinks it’s too far fetched. Make sure the scribe understands this rule.

Rule number five: keep a copy of the rules in plain sight

The rules must be easily visible to everyone in the room. If someone tries to cross the boundaries and break a rule, point to the list and politely tell the detractor to shut up.

Rule number six: the brainstorm list must be visible to everyone

Don’t let the clerk hide his list out of sight. Everyone should be able to see the ideas that have already been generated. The list could provide the inspiration for the next big idea, which brings me to the next point.

Rule number seven: the accumulation of other ideas is encouraged

There is no such thing as a truly original idea. I said it there. If you think you have one, you are arrogant and/or naive. Many of today’s biggest innovations are the result of someone leveraging someone else’s ideas. Even if one idea is only 10% different from another idea, say the new thought out loud and write it down. That 10% difference might be enough to make someone else think about the idea differently and allow you to expand the concept even further.

Rule number eight: postpone and withhold judgment on any idea

Judgment is one of the greatest creative killers out there. Judgment is even worse when it comes from a superior. Almost everyone has been in a situation where someone pitches a crazy idea and the most senior person in the room makes a face, raises an eyebrow, or makes a derogatory comment. Suddenly, there is a deathly silence. I was once in a meeting when the chairman of the board stormed into the room and angrily demanded, “What son of a bitch came up with this ridiculous, stupid idea?” How many people do you think raised their hands? What do you think that did to the creativity of the team?

Rule number nine: leave your titles at the door

This is the hardest rule for coups. Whenever you do a brainstorming session, there is no vice president. There are no directors, bosses or owners. I teach a lot of sessions in the military, and when I get to this rule I have to look at the highest ranking officer and say, “Is that clear? Do you understand that you are not the boss for the next hour? I want you to be full, total, and consciously aware that you are the person most likely to kill creativity in this room.”

I almost have to embarrass the most senior person in this room to make it clear that they will probably ruin the session. To further drive this rule home, I sometimes place a camera in the room from a distance and actually bring the camera up to the manager’s face without telling him. The camera records your facial expressions and body language in response to really creative ideas. I play the video for them during lunch on the big screen and point out their expressions. I ask them: “Don’t you think that your attitude hinders the creative process?”

Rule number ten: the optimal number of people is between 8 and 12, one third of the group being strangers

This is the largest and unfortunately the least practiced in business. The critical part of this rule is to attract outsiders. Get people from outside your department, your company, or better yet, people from a completely different industry to participate in your session. Companies rarely ask outsiders to join them, but outsiders offer a unique point of view that insiders can’t. Consider this: Every business in the world struggles with costs, employee retention, and other common business issues. Your problems are not unique, everyone has very similar problems to deal with. An outsider might be able to shed some light on your company’s particular hurdle.

Most people think that this rule won’t work because strangers won’t be interested in attending a session, but the reality is that everyone wants to brainstorm. Try implementing a “brainstorming” program with another company. Both companies will benefit from the experience.

Setting rules for your brainstorming session will allow you to come up with more creative ideas and solutions for your business.