Brainstorming Tips
Tips on Better Brainstorming Sessions
To conduct a productive brainstorming session there are several things that
need to happen before and during the session
Pre-meeting check list
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Be sure your objective/problem is stated clearly on the meeting notice
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Gather several black magic markers and two or three different colors
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Gather a roll of masking tape
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Ask someone with legible handwriting to come to the meeting as a scribe
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Bring a stop watch and a bell
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Bring notepads and pencils for each meeting attendee
Before the meeting begins
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Put the pads/pencils at each seat
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Have the scribe write the objective/problem on an easel sheet and display
where everyone can see throughout the meeting
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Tear strips of masking tape and put around the easel board so it will be
easy for the scribe to tear off and tape up each sheet
Meeting is ready to begin
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State the rules of a brainstorming session
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You will give time (reason for stop watch) for them to write down ideas before
the session begins
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You will be going around the room in a logical order
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Anyone who passes will be given a turn before you start with the first person again
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There will be no side conversations (reason for bell)
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When you begin going around the room, repeat the person’s idea. This ensures
you and the rest of the group heard and understood what the person said and
also gives the scribe a little more time to get the idea written down
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Continue to go around the room until you have almost no ideas coming. Open it
for anyone who has ideas left to give them all
- When no more ideas, review each idea written and revise, combine, mark out
duplicates, etc.
- Give time (stop watch again) to review and vote on the top ideas. You will
need to be the judge of how many ideas each one should vote on. Will depend
on how many ideas and how many people attending meeting.
- Begin with the same rotation asking for the number of those they voted for.
- When all votes are in and it is determined which have the most votes, the
brainstorming meeting is over. You can tell them what you plan to do with the
ideas, such as assign teams to review and/or develop plans to use
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