Why Brainstorm as a Team
Brainstorming. Is it a nebulous, “feel-good” sort of idea, or is there really value to be found in this method of idea generation? First, what is brainstorming? Well, it’s simply the process of generating as many useful ideas as possible in the shortest period of time possible. Many contend that the process is much more fruitful in a group setting – and I totally agree with that!
Recently, we held a CarrieColbert.com More Color, Please! team retreat brainstorming session. And I was reminded of the efficacy of these sessions – and just how fun they can be! We made a full day of the experience, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day! Our purpose was to establish our creative direction for the rest of 2018. We discussed questions like this: Who are we? What do we do best? Where do we want to be by the end of the year? And lastly, how are we going to get there?
Over the almost twenty years of my corporate career, I led various sessions like this. Facilitating a team brainstorming session is really quite simple! But it can go off the rails incredibly easily – and end up seeming like a waste of everyone’s time.
So, in order to lead the most effective, efficient, productive team brainstorming session, follow these twelve steps.
Plus, keep reading for more details and pics from our day offsite. Keep in mind – we didn’t plan to turn this into a business article topic. But the day was so successful and everyone benefited so much from it that we wanted to share the idea! So, what you’ll see here are simply our iPhone pics snapped during our retreat.
This post inspired me to book an upcoming planning session for my HR team off-site in a more inspiring setting than our usual conference room. Thanks Carrie 🙂
Sheri – your comment made my day! Yay.
It’s amazing what a change of scenery can do in boosting creativity and energy.
Let me know how it goes!
You bet, Carrie! I even booked the venue. It’s not until October, but I’ll let you know how it goes. Super excited to try something new.
Wonderful! Thanks as always for chiming in.
This looks like fun! Brainstorming in a creative environment can be very rewarding!