Encouraging Creative Solutions

When it is done right, the technique of brainstorming taps people's capacity for lateral thinking and free association and boosts creative output.

When you begin a brainstorming session, invite ideas, perspectives, recommendations, and insights. Encourage participants to be speculative and open--the meeting should be energetic, exciting, and fun. Resist any temptation to evaluate ideas as soon as they are put forward--anything goes. The opportunity to be innovative invariably yields richer results than if individuals feel constrained by rules and limitations.

When it is done right, the technique of brainstorming taps people's capacity for lateral thinking and free association and boosts creative output. The concept was conceived in the 1920's by Alex Osborn, partner in international advertising BBDO (he was the "O" in the company). Osborn summarized the technique in the statement "It is easier to tone down a wild idea than to think up a new one." Many precede their their brainstorming sessions with creativity or relaxation exercises to help participants move into a more creative

ACTION POINT: Let ideas flourish when brainstorming.