Seven ways to achieve business brilliance with brainstorming

Seven ways to achieve business brilliance with brainstorming

In an interview with Entrepreneur Magazine, Richard Branson stated that: “When you face a problem and are groping for answers, brainstorming is a great way to harness your staff’s collective knowledge in order to come up with innovative solutions”. This post will outline how you can achieve greater success in your business meetings through productive brainstorming.

1. Choose a creative environment for the session

Enjoy a change of scenery before you start a brainstorming session. Doing so will help reignite creativity among your employees. Remember to take regular breaks, such as playing games, exercising or listening to music, as this will help everyone relax and go back to work feeling refreshed.

2. Start with a well-honed statement

While encouraging creativity is important during a brainstorming session, there should be a clear goal and purpose to the gathering, otherwise progress may be hindered. If the session seems to go off topic, remind everyone of the goal they are trying to reach.

3. There’s no such thing as a bad idea

All ideas, no matter how crazy they may seem at the time, should be encouraged and recorded without comment or criticism from the group. The general goal of brainstorming is to collect as many ideas as possible, making quantity much more important than quality at this initial stage.

4. Keep the ideas fresh

Rather than just surrounding yourself within the same people at every brainstorming session, invite employees, if possible, from other parts of your company to join in. You might just find that employees elsewhere in your business have great ideas too!

5. Make the best ideas reality

Make sure you say yes to ideas that have potential and make sure you follow this promise through. You might make an occasional mistake, but if you take a risk, you’re more likely to find success. When a session comes to an end, and before the group disperses, ensure that you plan out how you’re going to follow up these ideas.

6. Take note or all will be forgotten

Any ideas that come up during your sessions should be recorded appropriately. The good suggestions aren’t going be very helpful if they’re forgotten. Top entrepreneurs, such as Richard Branson, suggest the importance of carrying a notebook in order to jot down any important ideas that may pop into your head at any given time.

7. Write your ideas down on the right surface

One superb tool for brainstorming is Post-it Notes. Each member of a session should be given a pack of notes which they should use to record their ideas. Using Post-its allows the facilitator to easily pull together all the ideas after a meeting, arranging them to show a particular thought process or plan of action. They’re a great business tool for spurring creative innovation and collaboration.

Take your brainstorming to new heights

If you want to try out these brainstorming techniques for yourself, why not enlist the help of the best business partner you’re ever likely to have? Get to grips with NoteShel, a stylish Post-it Note holder and pen – the perfect brainstorming tool on the go, at work or in a meeting. For more information, visit our website or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.