7 Secrets for Supercharging Your Brainstorms

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7 Secrets for Supercharging

Your Brainstorms

Generate Bigger, Better Ideas

The New Darwinism: Innovate or Perish!

Not so long ago, “survival of the fittest,” at least in business terms, was all about operational efficiency—faster plus cheaper equaled better.

Today, the companies at the top of the corporate food chain are those that are willing to continuously reinvent themselves, reevaluate their products or service offerings and redirect their efforts. Today’s market leaders are the companies that introduce us to the new new thing— the bleeding edge technology, the better mousetrap, the reinvented paradigm—even before we know we want it.

Innovation: It All Starts with One Great Idea Innovation is always the end product of an idea. Of course, it takes

a lot more than an idea to generate an innovation solution. But without that initial idea, there can be no “doing something that hasn’t been done before,” “doing something better,” or “combining things in a way that has never been done together”—no innovation.

Brainstorming: A Critical Business Process Brainstorming is the primary tool used by organizations to generate

new ideas. Every day in offices, conference rooms, and classrooms around the world, tens of thousands of brainstorming sessions are held.

Yet, remarkably, the vast majority of individuals planning and facilitating brainstorms in every industry have had little, if any, formal training in how to do so. And so this vitally important activity that produces the lifeblood of an organization—its ideas—is often conducted in an amateurish, haphazard manner by unskilled leaders.

Today, brainstorming can no longer be viewed as a casual, hit-or-miss endeavor. It is a vital business process that can contribute significantly to an organization’s success and continued growth.

A Better Way to Brainstorm The goal of this report is to help you rethink forever the way you ap-

proach creative problem solving, and specifically the way you brainstorm. The “7 Secrets for Supercharging Your Brainstorms” offered here are valuable, practical tips you and your team can begin using today. And they serve as an introduction to SmartStorming®, an innovative, step-by-step approach to producing fresh, creative ideas. It is a completely new paradigm in the area of innovative thinking and group idea generation, and it can revolutionize the way you work.

We hope you find this report valuable, and more importantly, benefit from its insights. Please feel free to share or forward it with others in your organization. We look forward to supporting you and your organization in the future.

Mitchell Rigie & Keith HarmeyerPartners, SmartStorming LLC

Co-authors of the book, SmartStorming: The Game Changing Process for Generating Bigger, Better Ideas

“The way to get good ideas is to get lots of ideas, and throw the bad ones away.”

–Dr. Linus Pauling

2©2014 SmartStorming LLC. All rights reserved.

Pre-Session Planning

Breaking the Ice (Group

Alignment)

Statement of Goals

and Objectives

Idea GenerationProcess

Idea Evaluation

and Selection

Next Steps and

Follow-through

Secret #1: For Greater Productivity...Structure Your Sessions

Many believe that because brainstorming is a creative process, it should be as free of structure, rules, and process as possible. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, effective creative problem solving always follows a structured approach, whether the problem solvers realize it or not.

Structuring your brainstorming session can significantly increase your team’s productivity and channel the creative thinking efforts of the group.

The SmartStorming 6-step process helps you quickly achieve group alignment, focus attention, clearly state goals and objectives, inspire enthusiasm, and create the momentum for spontaneous idea contribution.

Like the carefully sequenced acts in a tightly choreographed play, each of the 6 steps of the session format builds on the step before to help maximize your group’s creative performance and productivity.

SmartStorming 6-Step Session Structure

Step 1: Pre-Session Strategy PlanningPlanning your session provides you with a step-by-step blueprint to follow during the brainstorm, resulting in more efficient use of time and a dramatic increase in your group’s creative yield of fresh ideas. We have included the SmartStorming Pre-Session Planner Checklist on page 6.

Step 2: Breaking the Ice (Group Alignment) Starting off your session with a fun group activity helps break down interpersonal barriers and frees up participants’ attention from outside concerns.

Step 3: Statement of Goals and Objectives Clearly defining your session goals and objectives, and presenting a clear, inspiring challenge statement ensures that participants understand the task at hand and your expectations for the session.

Continued on next page


Step 4: Idea Generation ProcessThe heart of every brainstorm, the idea generation process, is when an effective brainstorm leader actively engages and guides the group in the exploration of ideas. Be sure to use a variety of ideation techniques to stimulate new and different ways of thinking.

Step 5: Evaluation and Selection ProcessA well planned and facilitated brainstorm can generate hundreds of ideas—a handful of which may have real potential. It is critical to efficiently and accurately guide your group through the process of separating the wheat from the chaff.

Step 6: Next Steps and Follow-ThroughIn this important final step, action steps are determined and deadlines, roles, and responsibilities are assigned.

Pre-Session Planning

Breaking the Ice (Group

Alignment)

Statement of Goals

and Objectives

Idea GenerationProcess

Idea Evaluation

and Selection

Next Steps and

Follow-through

SmartStorming 6-Step Session Structure Continued


Secret #2: Dramatically Increase Your Group’s Yield of New Ideas… by Planning Your Sessions

The vast majority of traditional brainstorms begin with virtually no thought beforehand about what will actually take place in the session. Planning a SmartStorming session has a number of valuable benefits: session leaders have a blueprint indicating exactly how to most effec-tively conduct the brainstorm; groups stay focused and on track so the likelihood of wandering off course or lethargy is minimized; and most importantly, planning maximizes the creative yield (the breadth, depth, and number of new ideas) your group generates.

The SmartStorming Pre-Session Planner will help you quickly organize and structure the important aspects of your sessions by asking you to:

1) Clarify the specific goals and objectives you wish to achieve.

2) Craft a clear and provocative statement of the challenge being addressed.

3) Identify the best participants to invite.

4) Determine what background information your group needs.

5) Pick an icebreaker activity to help create group alignment.

6) Select ideation techniques that will inspire fresh thinking.

7) Determine the selection criteria needed to judge the merits of ideas.

8) Identify the necessary action steps to take right after your session.

Use the SmartStorming Pre-Session Planner on the next page to plan your next group idea generation session.


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SmartStorming Pre-Session Planner

1. Goal/Objective: What specific outcome, end result, or deliverable do you wish to achieve from

this session?

2. Challenge Statement: What is the simplest, most concise and compelling way to present this

challenge? (Formulate a thought-provoking question, e.g., “In what ways can we…?”)

3. Participants: Who are the best people (based on talent/knowledge/experience) to help you

succeed? Create a problem-solving dream team. Be sure to invite diversity.

4. Background Information: What essential information, data, or context does your group need

to know? What sources of inspiration would be helpful?

5. Icebreaker: What activity would quickly foster a spirit of collaboration and focus the group’s

attention? (See 25 Great Icebreaker Activities in SmartStorming book on page 255.)

6. Ideation Techniques: What idea-generation techniques would best inspire your group’s prob-

lem-solving thinking in new, innovative ways? (Select two or three different techniques for your ses-

sion. See Idea-Generation Techniques in SmartStorming book Chapter 20.)

7. Selection Criteria: What specific objective criteria will you use as a yardstick for measuring

the merits of a winning idea? (See Idea Selection Criteria Worksheet in SmartStorming book on

page 264.)

8. Next Steps: What specific action steps need to occur immediately after this session? Who are

the best people to assign responsibilities to?

©2014 SmartStorming LLC. All rights reserved.

Secret #3: For Fresh, Unexpected Perspectives...Invite Diversity

Who you invite to your SmartStorming session can have a dramatic impact on its ultimate success. Simply inviting the same old crowd more often than not results in generating the same old ideas. When you deliberately include a diverse group of SmartStormers—all-stars of dif-ferent backgrounds, cultures, genders, ages, talents, skills, knowledge, expertise, perspective, and ways of viewing the world—you exponentially increase your group’s ability to deliver innovative solutions.

Diversity is the best remedy for the malaise of groupthink conformity. If conformity within an organization breeds limitations and blind spots in perceptions and imagination, then it stands to reason that the opposite condition—diversity in viewing a challenge—will breed far greater fresh insights and possibilities.

Secret #4: Keep Sessions Running Smoothly...by Establishing “Rules of the Game”

Just hearing the word “rules” is a turnoff for some people. It sounds like they will be restricted, limited, or told what they are and are not allowed to do.

But rules are essential. Every well-conducted and successful group activity has rules—sports, games, meetings, legal proceedings, medi-cine, classrooms—even demolition derbies. If there are a group of people coming together to accomplish something, there must be rules and guidelines established to ensure that the process runs smoothly and productively.

Nowhere is this more important than in a group ideation session. People will participate more freely and enthusiastically when there is a safe, supportive environment in which to share insights and nurture ideas. Negativity and judgment will shut down spontaneity and create an atmosphere of self-consciousness and defensiveness. The role of a SmartStorming Pilot is to keep his/her session an ego-free zone.

Here are some important rules to share with your team:

“Suspend all judgment/negativity”

“There’s no such thing as a bad idea”

“Go for quantity, over quality”

“Encourage wild and exaggerated ideas”

“Go beyond the ordinary, edgy is better”

“Nothing is impossible”

“Build on one another’s ideas”

“No texting during session”

“The boss speaks last”


Secret #5: For Better Session Flow...Manage Your Group’s “Thinking Direction”

One of the most valuable skills a leader can develop is the ability to read the direction in which their group’s thoughts are flowing. Collabora-tive thinking flows in one of two very distinct directions: 1) it can diverge outward, in a broad, blue sky exploration of ideas; or 2) it can converge inward, narrowing focus in an effort to judge, select, and eliminate ideas.

Divergent thinking opens the imagination to all possibilities, while convergent thinking analyzes/discerns and chooses from among those possibilities. In a sense, divergent and convergent thinking are the Yin and Yang of creative problem solving. Neither is superior to the other—simply more appropriate for the task at hand.

The Benefits of Divergent Thinking: Blue Sky ImaginationDivergent thinking allows a group to generate as many fresh, new

ideas as possible in a short time frame. During this process all judgment is suspended, the group is encouraged to go for quantity of ideas, not quality, spontaneously build on one another’s ideas, and push the bound-aries of the imagination…even wild, crazy, audacious ideas are welcome. The motto for divergent thinking is, “Everything is possible!” There’s no such thing as a bad idea.

The Benefits of Convergent Thinking: Judging & SelectingIf divergent thinking is casting the widest net possible to capture new

ideas, then convergent thinking can be thought of as harvesting the very best of the catch. Just as a funnel decreases the scope of a substance so that it fits through a narrower opening, convergent thinking narrows down a large number of ideas through the process of analyzing, judging, eliminating, and selecting.

The Danger of Mixing Thinking DirectionsAs we mentioned earlier, both thinking directions are valuable—but at

different times during the brainstorming process. If the session leader allows convergent (critical, judgmental) thinking to be introduced during the idea generation process, openness, spontaneity, and free contribution cease. Individuals may feel intimidated or threatened and the energy and attention quickly shifts from blue sky ideation to critical, analytical conver-sation. Conversely, when it is time to evaluate and select ideas, abruptly venturing back into divergent (spontaneous, anything goes) idea genera-tion makes it impossible to stay on task and select your best thinking.

How to Manage for Success To keep your SmartStorming sessions super productive, it’s important

to keep each of these different thinking processes from interfering with one another.

A simple formula for success: start and sustain your session with divergent thinking to maximize the number of ideas. When your group is finished generating ideas, switch to convergent thinking to narrow down, evaluate, and select the very best ideas.


Secret #6: To Generate New and Dif-ferent Ideas...Stimulate Your Group’s Minds in New and Different Ways

Simply throwing ideas against the wall is hardly the most effec-tive way to help groups generate an abundance of innovative concepts. To get fresh new thinking from your group, you need to engage their thinking in new and different ways.

There are dozens of proven ideation techniques for stimulating the flow of original thoughts, helping teams expand and enhance the ideas of oth-ers and create totally new directions by combining or exploring various aspects of ideas.

The SmartStorming system provides a rich portfolio of proven idea-generation tools and techniques that help you and your group develop a wider depth and breadth of fresh, new ideas, session after session. These innovative methods offer a variety of ways to explore and solve problems. Some techniques are effective for coming up with volumes of ideas in a very short time, others help you drill down beyond limiting assumptions to see new possibilities, and others can help your group multi-dimensionalize a problem from a range of different perspectives.

(In our book, SmartStorming: The Game-Changing Process for Gener-ating Bigger, Better Ideas, we provide detailed instructions for 20 proven idea generation techniques—plus solo SmartStorming instructions for those techniques you can use when generating ideas on your own. In this report, we’ve included instructions for one of our most effective tech-niques, “Idea Sprinting,” described below and explained in detail on page 11.)

Examples of SmartStorming Ideation Techniques

Idea SprintingIn this technique, participants break up into small teams and play a

highly focused game of “Beat the Clock.” A new challenge is given every 3 to 5 minutes. Each team writes down as many possible ideas within the time period. This process will help generate hundreds of new ideas very quickly. (See page 11 for full instructions.)

BrainwritingBrainwriting is a technique in which each participant writes down an

idea they wish the group to consider. They then pass their sheet to their immediate neighbor who uses this idea to trigger a “build-on” to the original idea—or to trigger an entirely new idea.

Bad2GoodThis 180-degree thinking exercise asks participants to work in teams

to SmartStorm the worst ideas they can think of to solve a challenge. Next, teams pick out the most interesting ideas and work to turn them into good or great ideas.


Secret #7: To Avoid “Idea Over-whelm”...Harvest Ideas As You Go

As we mentioned earlier, a successful SmartStorming session can pro-duce hundreds of ideas. So how do we efficiently and accurately separate the wheat from the chaff, or identify the diamonds in the rough? This task can seem daunting when staring at a sprawling, untamed paper jungle of rough idea lists, post-it notes, and sketches.

It is important that you harvest the best ideas as you go through your session. Otherwise you will end up with an unmanageable number of ideas at the end. The way to accomplish this is to have your group select their best ideas after each idea generation exercise.

When you have finished idea generation, have your group vote on the best of the best ideas you have harvested throughout.

Assess your short list of winning ideas to determine if any can be com-bined or eliminated. Try to combine as many ideas as possible to elimi-nate any duplication.

SmartStorming provides a comprehensive process for helping groups quickly and efficiently narrow down their list of worthwhile ideas, harvest the best after each idea generation technique, and finally, vote on the best of the best ideas at the conclusion of the ideation process. Ideas are judged not solely on subjective preference, but on a set of objective selection criteria established during the pre-planning process.

Make Your Next Brainstorm Your Best One Ever

Planning and implementing a highly successful, optimally productive brainstorm—the kind that produces lots of smart, innovative, potentially game-changing ideas, and that people actually enjoy being a part of—is really just a matter of some thoughtful planning and skilled execution.

Understanding and applying these “7 Secrets for Supercharging Your Brainstorms” is a great way to start. We are confident that armed with this information, you and your team are on your way to your best brainstorms ever!


Idea SprintingHigh-velocity idea generation technique

At a glanceIdea Sprinting, as the name implies, is a fast-paced, beat the clock idea-

generation technique. It’s specifically designed to help a group generate a large quantity of new ideas quickly over a short period of time. For example, “Let’s shoot for twenty-five new ideas in the next five minutes!” The group is challenged to meet (or exceed) the number of ideas requested within the time frame defined.

This high-velocity activity gets participants’ attention focused, adrena-line pumping, and creative juices flowing; there is no time for inhibition or self-consciousness. Idea Sprinting can help your group generate dozens, if not hundreds, of new ideas. It’s a surefire way to get your SmartStorming session off to a roaring fast start.

Number of participants 4–25

Duration 5–10 minutes. This activity can be repeated multiple times.

How to pilot1. The Pilot begins by presenting his or her group with an ambitious goal for the number of new ideas to achieve within a short time frame. For example:

“Let’s shoot for fifteen or more new ideas in the next three minutes!”

“Let’s shoot for twenty-five or more new ideas in the next five minutes!”

“Let’s shoot for thirty-five or more new ideas in the next ten minutes!”

Try and make the activity sound like a fun game or contest—introduce the ambitious target goal with a sense of playful enthusiasm.

2. Set a countdown timer to the number of minutes you’ve decided on.

3. Next, introduce the challenge as a provocative question.

4. When everyone is ready to begin the Idea Sprint, announce loudly, “Time begins…NOW!” Start the timer immediately.

5. To help fuel the group’s idea-generation momentum, ask a rapid-fire set of provocative questions throughout the contest.

6. Have a volunteer serve as the session Reporter to write down those ideas on a large flipchart pad or whiteboard.

(In our book, SmartStorming: The Game-Changing Process for Generat-ing Bigger, Better Ideas, we provide detailed instructions for 20 proven idea generation techniques—plus solo SmartStorming instructions for those tech-niques you can use when generating ideas on your own. For more informa-tion, visit SmartStorming.com/book. )


Order Today...SmartStorming: The Game-Changing Process for Generating Bigger, Better Ideas

SmartStorming: The Game-Changing Process for Generating Bigger, Better Ideas is one of the most comprehensive how-to manuals and idea generation toolkits ever published on the subject of brainstorm-ing. It can help anyone learn how to consistently plan and lead highly effective brainstorms, and unleash the creative problem-solving genius of any group!

SmartStorming is a powerful brainstorming system, combining the essential structure, leadership skills, tools, and techniques necessary for success.

You will learn...

• 6 steps critical to brainstorming success

• The secret to helping any group think outside the box

• How to create group alignment to achieve a common goal

• How to inspire and guide groups through idea explorations

• 10 game-changing rules of play

• The art of powerful questioning

• How to keep a group’s productivity high and on track

• How to engage the “silent thinkers”

• How to manage “wet blankets” and “attention vampires”

• How to quickly and objectively select the very best ideas

Plus, it includes a valuable toolkit filled with planners, checklists, cheat sheets, and detailed instructions for 20 super-productive, idea-generation techniques, many of which are unavailable anywhere else.

This book is certain to become an indispensable guide you will want to refer to time and time again—every time you lead a brainstorming session.

Now Save 20% Off the Retail Price!Visit SmartStorming.com/Book

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“If the creators of brainstorming were alive today, they would be astounded at how far the concept has evolved. Rigie and Harmeyer have created the ultimate idea-creating machine. It’s going to be the textbook for the concept for decades to come.”

–Al Ries, marketing expert, bestselling author of Positioning and Marketing Warfare


SmartStorming Training Programs: One of the Most Valuable Investments You Can Make in Your Business

SmartStorming training programs are designed to transform the way your organization approaches problem solving and the generation of new, innovative ideas.

Participants learn a proven process and the specific skills, tools and techniques necessary for experiencing highly productive and rewarding ideation sessions, time after time.

Each of our programs is a state-of-the-art learning experience that combines advanced, yet easy-to-understand ideation principles with highly interactive exercises and activities that stimulate deep learning and immediate real-world application.

SmartStorming Brainstorm Leadership• For individuals who lead group/team idea generation sessions

• Teaches how to effectively plan, structure, and lead highly productive brainstorming sessions

• Provides in-depth instruction on basic principles of SmartStorming theory and application, session structure, piloting skills, and mastery of proven ideation tools and techniques

SmartStormer Brainstorm Participant• For individuals who participate in group brainstorming sessions

(or who generate ideas working alone)

• Teaches how to become a more confident and productive contributor of new ideas

TurboStorming Brainstorm Leadership• For individuals challenged with leading short-duration brainstorming

sessions

• Teaches how to effectively plan and lead fast-paced, productive brainstorm sessions in 60 minutes (or less)

SmartStorming Services• SmartStorming training programs

• Consulting (creativity, innovation, collaboration)

• Individual/team coaching

• SmartStorming session facilitation

• Team Building Through Creative Problem Solving

• Creativity & Innovation Summits (program design, hosting, keynotes, and facilitation)

• Coming soon: Online training programs


About SmartStorming LLCSmartStorming helps organizations solve tough business challenges

in new, more innovative ways than they ever imagined possible.We provide the expertise, structure, and proven tools that organiza-

tions need to think more creatively, change behaviors, and generate the kinds of groundbreaking ideas that drive innovation.

Our work isn’t ivory tower theory, but proven, practical methods that help our clients…

• Master powerful techniques for generating new, game-changing ideas. Our methods can be easily learned and applied throughout your organization, to solve any business challenge—marketing, product development, sales, production, operations, etc

• Develop critical leadership skills in the areas of group idea generation and creative problem solving

• Learn to confidently and persuasively communicate and present ideas, both to internal teams and management, and externally, to clients and customers

• Implement innovation strategies to establish more innovative organizational cultures, enthusiastically embrace new thinking, implement positive change, ramp up individual and team productivity, and inspire excellence

Stay Connected…For More Valuable Information on Idea Generation and Innovation

SmartStorming Website: SmartStorming.com

Follow us on Twitter: Twitter.com/SmartStorming

Facebook: Facebook.com/SmartStorming

LinkedIn:

Mitchell Rigie: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/mitchell-rigie/8/260/870

Keith Harmeyer: http://www.linkedin.com/in/keithharmeyer

For more information, please call (212) 614-1444,or email us at: [email protected]

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