Brainstorming – reprogramming others to think like never before – is what we do best.
No, not brainstorming as you know it. The term has been overused and somewhat abused in business over the last two decades. It even underwent a (not very successful / halfhearted) rebrand, with some advocating that everyone start saying ‘Thought Shower‘ instead.
What are brainstorms good for?
Brainstorming sessions can have any number of objectives: to find a new strap line, to refresh your employees’ perspectives on their daily roles, to rewrite customer service guidelines, to visualise a launch event.
The general rules are that a group comes together to solve a problem by offering a variety of solutions. The principle ‘X number of heads are better than one’ is applied and hey presto! Ideas are born.
How can brainstorms go wrong?
Many of us have attended bad brainstorms. Despite best intentions to create positive ideas, brainstorms can often cause negativity, demotivation and decreased productivity. Here are some commonly encountered problems:
- Free Riding: people not pulling their weight – brainstorms can be seen as an ‘afternoon off’, an opportunity to joke around
- Evaluation Apprehension: people worry about how their ideas will be judged, so they suppress their own creativity to save face
- Blocking: the loudest, most outgoing people get all the air-time, with the more restrained group members not getting a chance to voice their ideas
- Social Matching Effect: individuals in a group feel inclined to match the level of productivity by others in the group – so if few ideas are being produced, this is seen as the norm
- Illusion of Group Productivity: Members of groups often overestimate their productivity – based on the fact that it is more difficult to measure a group’s output compared with that of an individual.
Another problem is that brainstorming with the people you see everyday, led by a person you see everyday, can feel just like an everyday event. Brainstorms should be different – a departure from the everyday.
So how do you make your Brainstorm thoroughly productive and not just another meeting in your busy schedule?
Enter Brewhouse. We can shake up your regular way of thinking, problem solving and generating ideas.
Our techniques will take your team’s thoughts in new directions, so routine tasks and once-in-a-lifetime projects become absorbing and energised. By working with you and your employees, we can thrash out all sorts of creative musings you didn’t know you had. How? By giving you the time, space and techniques to think a little differently.
Break the routine and you could break new ground.
We can come to you or we can find an inspiring location to host your team with a tailor-made brainstorming package. We run full day (£750) or half-day (£450) sessions, and recommend at least two per year.
We visit some clients once a month, to help keep them at the forefront of their industry by employing progressive thinking and an innovative approach.
We’ll take some time to swot up on your business beforehand, so we know how to lead the session so it’s as productive as possible. During the session we’ll also explain what we are doing and why – teaching you some techniques you can use on your own to spark the creative thought process.
For more information or to book a session, email ideas@brewhousegroup.com.
Or, if you want some inspiration right now, visit our creativity page!
