Have you ever felt like you were wasting time brainstorming? Would you like your team to be more effective at coming up with new ideas and projects? Take 4 steps towards change with our tips.
We've talked about it several times, and we can't stress it enough: freelancing doesn't mean loneliness, as it's possible that you'll have to work with others, or even a whole team, as a freelancer. And brainstorming is an essential part of working together, but when we make a lot of mistakes, the time spent brainstorming together becomes ineffective.
The problem is not with groupthink, but with the fact that the initial ideas shape the further discussion and instead of creative ideas, we get lost in the trap of the statement “I’m just thinking out loud”. This phenomenon is called “anchoring” in the literature, when initial ideas create a barrier to further, deeper creative thoughts. Don’t you have those two or three loud colleagues who are always active during joint meetings and seem to come up with everything, even though it is possible that others have had the same ideas, but due to their different habits, they have a harder time implementing them? The following 4-step method will help you keep them in check.
How to brainstorm effectively?
1. If possible, everyone should come to the meeting with ready-made ideas. Allow everyone time to prepare and think about what they think are the best solutions.
2. Everyone writes down their ideas on a piece of paper at the beginning of the discussion. Each idea should be on a separate piece of paper. Participants should use as many pieces of paper as they need, do not limit them. Names should be on one piece of paper.
3. The discussion should have a leader who writes down or sticks all ideas on a board.
4. The team votes on the best ideas.
This method prevents the loudest people from controlling the brainstorming process. They find comfort in sharing their ideas with the team. The more humble and helpless ones are given the strength and opportunity to develop through this method.
Most people arrive at theMuse co-working space individually, not realizing that they will soon be surrounded by an entire team who can help with the creative work in many ways: partly with their own subjective opinions and tastes, and partly with their previous experiences, as there is a pretty good chance that others have been in similar shoes.
Do you already have an office but still feel like it? That's okay. Have you ever considered holding a longer and more important meeting in a different location? A change of location can also bring new color and excitement to your brainstorming. AtMuse , you can also rent a meeting room for small teams for a few hours or even several days. Contact us so we can help.