Cloudy with a chance of creativity

How to get the most out of brainstorming.

Whether you’re looking to attract more attention to your direct-mail campaign or spice up a sales meeting, you can benefit from creative ideas. Enter brainstorming, an oft-used idea generator, but one that frequently produces mediocre results. The following advice can help individuals and groups get the most out of a brainstorming session.

Provide a storm warning. When possible, give yourself and others who will participate in the session at least 24 hours advance notice of the topic. This allows the subconscious to start working on ideas.

Go for quantity, not quality. Turn out as many ideas as possible. You’re not looking for a polished solution, so the more ideas you come up with, the better the chances of finding something truly creative. Once you identify a winning idea, then you can work on the execution.

Ban the negativity. Most people excel at torpedoing new concepts the moment they are launched. We even do that internally when we come up with new concepts. This kills brainstorming. Make a rule that no one can voice negative comments about any idea during a brainstorm. Encourage people to offer all their ideas, no matter how boring, silly, or expensive. You never know when a "bad" idea will spark a thought that leads to a good one.

Keep track. Write all ideas down. Not only does this prevent you from forgetting a good possibility, it helps build starting points for new thoughts. In a group setting, it’s best to write on something everyone can see.

Sift your results for a nugget. When you’ve tapped your creative output, go back through your list. Now you can evaluate each idea, explore them, and, start polishing the one (or ones) with the most promise.

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