Like a good party, it’s important to create the right brainstorm atmosphere.
It’s more than just the room itself. In his book , James R. Evans points out that “intellectual playfulness” (that is, to have an extremely open mind) is one of the most critical elements of the brainstorm process.
Having fun or adding humour is important because it frees people from negative thinking, but at the same time, stimulates thinking that will go beyond the pedestrian. Humour allows people to have fun with the problem, or look to different solutions – often unusual solutions. This doesn’t mean to have a laugh-fest without purpose. It means allowing people to explore new avenues and thought in a risk-free environment.
In short, if it’s not going to be fun, forget it.
Here’s how to create the right atmosphere for brainstorming.
Have plenty of food and beverages.
We’re not talking laying out a smorgasboard. But like a car needing petrol to run, the brain needs fuel to stimulate creative thinking.
Food and beverages with caffeine and sugar are good – hello chocolate! – particularly natural sugar such as fresh fruit.
Lots of people ask if it’s OK to serve alcohol. Chemically, alcohol is a depressant which means it slows down brain activity. But on the other hand, it also frees a lot of people’s thinking … so use your best judgement.
Have games and exercises to kick-start the brain – and keep it stimulated.
To continue to car analogy, think of ice-breakers as letting a car warm up after starting it in the winter. Once you’ve engaged the brain, exercises keep it stimulated through exercises which use the basic elements of creativity, such as free association, metaphors, attribute listing, combining and merging, evolution, mind mapping and others.
Schedule your brainstorm when attendees’ brains are most active.
Granted, this one’s not always easy to implement. But, when I have the opportunity, I try to schedule two brainstorms: one in the morning for those who are more alert then, or one in the afternoon, for those who come alive at the end of day. While I’m all for food and beverages for brainstorms, I’m not a big fan of brainstorms over lunch. How can you say your ideas if your mouth is full?
Minimise distractions.
Modern technology has its value, but generally in brainstorms it gets in the way of idea generation. That said, there’s ways to integrate the internet and its tools into brainstorms. I love Google Images for visual stimulation, or smartphones for looking up quick facts. Generally, keep them handy but under control.
The easiest tip of all? Stand up.
Doesn’t it make sense that the brain ‘relaxes’ when the body is idle? Standing up simply gets more blood moving, and more blood moving increases the brain’s creative effectiveness.
You might also want to check out three related posts: What to do Before the Brainstorm, During the Brainstorm and After the Brainstorm.
What other things have you done to stimulate the right brainstorm atmosphere?
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