The Key To A Creative Brainstorming Session

Brainstorming is an important part of working in a team environment and although it has become a bit of a cliché in the modern age; some of the best and most important ideas can still come about through this kind of collective thinking. But due to their nature and inability to function without creativity there are certain ingredients needed for a successful brainstorming session. Whilst a productive period of bouncing ideas off one another can be really beneficial; an uncreative brainstorming session will just have wasted valuable time that could have been spent on other things.

So what’s needed in order for a fruitful session to come to fruition? Here are some vital ingredients you shouldn’t neglect to consider.

The Timing

We’ve all been in a situation where you are supposed to be listening and contributing to the meeting but for some reason you can’t concentrate and your mind is elsewhere. This is most likely to do with the time of day at which the brainstorm is taking place. Just after lunch and towards the end of the day should be avoided as people tend to be a little bit sleeping after they have just eaten and too distracted by the thought of going home as the day draws to an end.

The mornings are said to be the most productive time but not as soon as everyone gets in. You should also think about what day of the week you are brainstorming on. If you have the choice then studies have shown that we are most productive and attentive on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The Size Of The Group –

Brainstorming works best in relatively small groups as if they are any bigger some less outspoken people will find themselves lost in the crowd and unable to voice their opinions. In smaller groups there is more chance that everyone will get their chance to speak and better ideas are likely to be produced as a result. It’s also important that whoever is running the session and deciding upon what should be discussed makes sure that it doesn’t get taken over by one or two individuals in order to give everyone a voice.

Brainstorm After Periods Of Passivity –

There has been a lot of research done recently into the correlation between boredom and creativity. The results have shown that we are all at our most creative directly after a period of boredom or following a job that has been done autonomously and has given us time to think.

The research involved an experiment in which people were asked to copy names out of the phone book and then immediately asked to find as many different uses for a polystyrene cup as possible. The outcome was that the boring task had clearly facilitated more creativity in the creative thinking task.

You may therefore want to think about setting your workers an everyday task prior to your brainstorm in order to breed creativity.

Brainstorm Training –

Believe it or not there are courses which you can take that will give you valuable insights into successful brainstorming, and they can be very helpful indeed. Brainstorming training like this will teach you the science and psychology behind the creation of ideas and help you to build an environment in which creativity comes as second nature. Creativity is so important to businesses in these times of austerity and so anything that promises to improve the innovation within your work place should be welcomed with open arms.

About Author

Chris Mayhew has a degree in Creative Writing and knows how difficult it can be to establish an environment which encourages innovation. He would recommend Now Go Create to any business that is looking to improve its creative thinking and brainstorming skills.