Go Beyond Brainstorming
with a
Breakthrough Follow-up Technique
by Adele Sommers
How do you get people to come up with truly extraordinary ideas?
When you need to summon people’s imaginations to design a system, bring new insights to a thorny problem, conjure up themes for a new campaign, or revitalize a lackluster program, what would you and your team do? You’d usually brainstorm, right?
Especially if your purpose is to explore a fairly complex, unfamiliar, or fuzzy problem that requires novel thinking, using this method can yield unexpectedly creative and powerful results.
One reason why this technique works so well is that it uses a highly inclusive approach to working with divergent contributions, and doesn’t discard any ideas.
The process begins with classic brainstorming, as described next. It then flows into a silent follow-up technique that produces fresh, unanticipated idea combinations and also blends dissimilar inputs into a cohesive whole.
Ready to try it? Great! Let’s go...
Part 1: Collect ideas from everyone.
This first step involves the traditional process for gathering everyone’s ideas.
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Set a time limit for your brainstorming, such as 30 minutes or more, and state the purpose of the session. Try to use neutral, unbiased wording to inspire a full spectrum of ideas. |
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Establish guidelines that encourage everyone to take part, regardless of their role or rank. For example, if you start by going around the room to gather initial input from each person, you’ll ensure that every participant makes at least one contribution.
Emphasize that no one should discuss, analyze, critique, or disparage what anyone else offers in the way of ideas, other than to perhaps request a brief clarification of the meaning. |
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Encourage people to be highly creative and come up with unusual, wild, and even “crazy” ideas. They can jot their ideas down as well as state them aloud for someone else to record. |
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Recapture each input on a sticky note or a card so that it can later be moved around. For clarity, use a short sentence or phrase to represent the idea rather than just one or two words. Similarly, avoid writing an entire paragraph of details. |
Part 2: Silently begin grouping the ideas.
After conducting a classic brainstorming session per the guidelines above, do the following to quietly group the ideas into what is called an “Affinity Diagram.”
Be sure that the ideas are recorded on physical note cards or sticky notes for the procedure below, which may require 30 minutes or more to complete. Remember that there should be no talking, commenting, whispering, or thinking out loud!
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Display the idea cards or notes in a random arrangement. Whether you’re placing the idea notes on a wall or on a flat surface, just be sure that they are as mixed up as possible. |
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Mobilize the entire group. Have all of the participants position themselves around the idea display area. Ensure that everyone takes part, but without any discussion or talking to oneself. |
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Begin silently moving the ideas around. Ask people to scan the ideas and freely place individual cards near any other cards that seem to “relate.” (That’s what the term “affinity” means in the name “Affinity Diagram.”) There are no logical criteria for arranging cards this way. Deciding which ideas relate to each other can occur based on gut-level instinct rather than logic.
In fact, the less thinking involved, the better! That’s why very quick reactions work best. You’re seeking brand new thought patterns. Those usually don’t arise unless you use a different part of the brain. |
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Keep moving the ideas around until they’re all grouped.
Don’t succumb to the temptation of letting someone in authority categorize them in a hierarchy or in some other obvious pattern.
If someone moves an idea away from the spot where you’ve placed it, don’t argue — but do be undiplomatic by silently moving it back, if you feel that it belonged where it was. Note, however, that all of the other participants have the same option! That way, no one can “pull rank” in this exercise.
Keep the process going until all ideas have found homes in groupings of 6–10, and everyone feels satisfied with where they have landed. Sometimes there will be a few stray cards left over that might not fit anywhere, and that’s perfectly fine.
Note: Team satisfaction will come from the idea arrangement “feeling right,” rather than from it “making sense.” |
Part 3: Create headings for the grouped ideas.
Whew! The most challenging part — the silent idea grouping — is complete, and it’s time to talk. However, you aren’t going to discuss the individual ideas. You’re simply going to agree on the headings that best summarize each idea grouping in your Affinity Diagram.
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Select a descriptive phrase for each grouping. Sometimes an existing card will fully describe the theme of its entire grouping. If so, it can then become the heading.
When there is no such card, have the participants suggest a short, expressive phrase that clearly communicates what that grouping represents.
Place a card or sticky note containing the heading label above each grouping. When two or more groups relate to one another, you can create a “super-header label” for them. |
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Evaluate the heading labels for clarity and quality. Can those labels convey the meaning of each grouping to someone who didn’t take part in the exercise? Be sure each heading phrase contains a clear descriptor rather than fuzzy or jargon-filled wording. |
Part 4: Decide what should happen next.
So, what do you do with these idea groupings? The answer depends on the nature of the problem and where the team landed with the exercise.
The Affinity Diagram alone might be enough to stimulate an all-new approach to the issue, where each grouping might represent its own action strategy. Or, it could be the first of several stages of exploring the ideas in more depth. If you do decide to continue the process, here are some possible next steps:
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Continue with other participants. Especially if the issue affects others, such as fellow team members, functions, or departments, you can engage them in a continuation of this exercise. Carefully roll up and transport the diagram to an accessible location where the others can visit it. It might reside in a hallway, a break room, or cafeteria, for example.
If it’s possible to leave the diagram there for a while, such as a week or longer, you and your colleagues can continue to add ideas, move the ideas around, or keep regrouping them until either the time runs out or the activity simply winds down. |
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Continue with other tools. Whether or not you’ve continued working with the idea groupings, you and your team might wish to explore various other angles related to the issue at hand. For example, you may want to look for cause-and-effect relationships or create a prioritized plan of action.
For more information on continuation tools you can use, refer to the Memory JoggerTM II, from GoalQPC.com. |
In conclusion, the power of this exercise lies in its ability to preserve all ideas and let them influence the big picture from unique and unpredictable viewpoints. Many teams find this to be a potent and refreshing way to honor the creative spirit of all members. Absent are quibbles over semantics and any filtering mechanisms, which can result in discarding potential solutions.
By combining classic brainstorming techniques with a silent grouping and labeling process, your team can manifest creative ideas that lead to breakthrough solutions!
Copyright 2017 Adele Sommers |