We deconstruct the elements that lead to an effective brainstorm. Turns out, building in structure and constraints is key.
Think back to the last brainstorm meeting you attended. Perhaps you scheduled it to tap into the collective creativity of your team—with high hopes of coming away with a truly great idea. But what actually happened? We’re guessing everyone came in with a burst of ideas before moving off track, devolving into random word association, and amassing piles of sticky notes that went nowhere.
At Asana, they do a lot of brainstorming to come up with new topics to write about. But they’re also averse to inefficient meetings and try to avoid scheduling them unless they’re absolutely necessary. Browse any team’s calendar, though, and brainstorm sessions are sure to make a few appearances. The question is: why do bad brainstorms happen to good teams? And what can teams do to prevent the bad ones—and run more effective brainstorms?
Read more: Think inside the box for more effective brainstorms