Most of us enter into brainstorms blind. We get an email request, a heads pops into our office or its part of a schedule so we just show up. We bring our brains, some trepidation, and the hope that a) candy will be provided and b) it’ll be over soon. And when we leave, we’re rarely sure if we really accomplished anything. One of the many reasons for this is that we didn’t get a chance to set ourselves up for success. Hell – we probably didn’t even know what success looked like. There’s an even better chance that the stakeholder didn’t know either. This is a recipe for serious time wastage.
So next time you’re invited to a brainstorm, try raising these three smart questions asap. It will not only help to make organizers accountable, but to establish exactly what’s expected of you.
1. Do we have a clear challenge statement and can we evolve if it necessary? Nothing frustrates me more than going into a brainstorm and being told “we’re coming up with ideas around X”. What the heck does that mean? That anything left or right of it is ‘good’ or anything I can think of in the general vicinity of ‘X’ is gold? Course not. This is pure laziness. Stakeholders need to take the time to decide EXACTLY what you’re supposed to be ideating on and then form that into a carefully worded evocative statement designed to elicit creativity. And if they don’t have one, you should know this going in – because it’s a signal that it may be a time wasting cluster-you-know-what. The ‘evolve’ part of the question will tell you whether you’ll have the opportunity for input in the room in pursuit of that challenge statement or whether you’re just a automaton brain for hire.
2. Will we be generating ideas or also selecting them? This will give you a sense of how the brainstorm will or should be structured. For example, if it’s scheduled for an hour and you’re expected to both generate and select ideas, it means that the stakeholder probably doesn’t have a realistic grasp on how long convergence (selection) can actually take. In addition, it will mean that you probably won’t have ample time to clean your brain pipes to allow you to dig into uncharted idea territory. It’ll also tell you how much accountability and / or ownership you’ll have. If you’re generating ideas and then walking away, you’re likely to have no input in the development or selection of the final ideas. Which is fine too – but you deserve to know that in advance so you can deliver on those expectations.
3. What does success look like? Will you be expected to just come up with pant loads of wild and crazy ideas? Or are they hoping to have three perfectly formed and evolved ideas by brainstorm end? Or something in the middle? Establishing this up front will help you look at the time allotment realistically and perhaps even give you a heads up that some pre-work might be advisable. Or if you want to deliver a reality check, you might point out that success, under the suggested circumstance, ain’t too likely and that more time might be needed. After all, if you’re going to participate, you deserve the opportunity to get the job done properly!
A while back I wrote a post called Three Things That That Cause People to Reject New Ideas where I cited ‘brain freeze’ as one of the causes. I promised that I’d serve up something antidotal as a follow-up.
So what do you do when faced with a room of people who’ve asked you to deliver something truly innovative and, upon hearing your radical solution, appear to have frozen stiff on the spot – with the only signs of life their wild, darting eyes? The room is still, save the sounds of shallow breathing and the pounding of your heart… Quick – it’s time to break out the brain defibrillator and jump start some synapses before it’s too late!
Here’s Three ways to get your critics out of their paralyzed state and back into real idea consideration mode…
1. Don’t get defensive: I know, I know – if it appears someone is reaching into their pocket for a Magnum, the first instinct is to throw yourself in front of your baby. But stop. Defending implies that the idea requires it. But remember that your audience isn’t attacking you. They’re just scared and it’s your job to reassure them. So start by smiling, being open and acknowledging there’s an issue. This will begin to put them at ease and create an environment for discussion (which is your secret weapon).
2. Trick the ‘brain bouncer’: Remember it’s their brain stem (reptilian brain) that’s causing the brain freeze. Think of this primordial response as a bouncer who’s trying to block you from getting into an amazing club. Trying to push past him won’t work. But he’s not too bright. So you need to trick or seduce him into letting you in. Ask open ended questions. What’s making them nervous? Can they be specific? What’s the disconnect between what they asked for and what you’ve brought them? Does the idea have any redeeming qualities for them at all? Keep smiling and asking (not solving) until you feel like they’ve really expressed their concerns.
3. Get THEM to solve the problems: Now that they’ve armed you with all of the ammo you need to change their minds, ask them whether, theoretically, if the problems they identified were solved, whether the idea would be viable. The answer to this is usually yes because they can’t imagine how this might happen. If they say no, they hate it, it stinks – you’re probably out of luck. But if there’s a glimmer, you can move them through the final stage of brain thawing using ‘affirmative idea evaluation techniques’ (Google the term for a whole bunch of options) that allow THEM to identify the pluses, minuses and potential solutions, which has a powerful psychological effect. Odds are, before long you’ll have moved one or two of your audience onto the idea champion side, their brains will be dripping on the floor like popsicles in the sun, and your idea may be back in business.
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Great article, Leslie! I’m often on camera for short stints and always looking to improve my delivery. Great points, I will definitely keep... 61 days 12 hours ago
Very down-to-earth and realistic advice. Understanding digital should be a collaborative effort within agencies to track cultural... 303 days 12 hours ago
Thanks for chipping in Leslie! Totally agree. And in this case, putting the needs of the consumer first isn’t a nice to have, its a... 305 days 14 hours ago
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