What Everybody Ought to Know About Brainstorming

I've never understood those unorganized, unproductive brainstorming sessions that are just sprung on everyone around a boardroom table. To understand how to conduct a successful brainstorming session, is to first understand the people you're brainstorming with.

There are three types of people you might be brainstorming with:

1. The talkers: to these people, talking spawns thinking. The more they talk, the more they think. They're generally very comfortable saying the first things that come to their mind.

2. The listeners: these people like to think before they say anything. They're generally quiet during surprise brainstorming sessions because they're absorbing the information, only to process later.

3. The regurgitators: these people hear ideas and associate them with something that they've heard before. They're generally the type of people who come up with unusable ideas, or common ideas. These people often help to get brainstorming sessions started.

THE BEST BRAINSTORMING SESSION EVER

I was recently working on a campaign where brainstorming was required. I sent an email to all participants 2 days in advance, telling them about the brainstorming meeting. The talkers showed up and thanked me for the advanced notice so they could avoid scheduling conflicts. The listeners showed up and, having previously researched the brainstorming topic and digested some of the information, became talkers. They shared such good information that it spawned the talkers to talk even more. All of these great ideas helped the regurgitators come up with unique ideas.

WE GOT THE CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING - all for the price of an e-mail.

- Give 48 hrs notice, and get a fantastic brainstorming session. -