Who do you typically brainstorm with? The same group of people, time after time? Do you ever detect a certain “sameness” in the ideas generated?

Are you surprised???

The quality and creative yield of ideas in any brainstorming session will only be as good as the people who make up the group. In today’s highly competitive, innovation-driven marketplace, truly breakthrough thinking almost always depends upon high quality collaboration.

In his book, Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration, author Keith Sawyer explains, “When we collaborate, creativity unfolds across people; the sparks fly faster, and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Collaboration drives creativity because innovation always emerges from a series of sparks—never a single flash of insight. This is the essence of group creativity.”

Group Creativity and Flow

The most productive brainstorming sessions occur when the group becomes so absorbed in their activity that they slip into a state of creative flow. Flow is that peak performance state athletes refer to as “The Zone.” It occurs when a group becomes single-mindedly focused in its creative problem solving activity, all sense of time, place, and self-consciousness (ego) disappear. Everyone feels highly alert and on top of their game. It is under these conditions that a unified sense of effortless collaboration emerges; the group begins to function as a single, collective mind that intuitively knows the best ways to build upon, amplify, or refine one another’s ideas.

Clearly, selecting the most appropriate and effective group for your specific challenge is the key to an enjoyable, super-productive idea generation session.

Creating a “Dream Team’ vs. Inviting the “Usual Suspects”

If you were a basketball coach with your eye set on the championship, you would want to assemble an all-star, powerhouse team of accomplished players. You wouldn’t settle for a mixed bag of amateurs that just happened to be nearby and were easy to recruit. To assemble this “Dream Team,” you would scout for the most talented athletes who possessed the specific skills, talent and experience your team would need to win.

Likewise, when faced with a tough business challenge, shouldn’t you carefully evaluate who in your organization or network possesses the best knowledge, skills and experience to successfully tackle the challenge? Shouldn’t your goal be to assemble the smartest, most capable, most creative problem-solving all-stars you can find?

Surprisingly, few brainstorm leaders invest adequate time or effort in this important step. They forego any due diligence scouting and more often than not simply extend invitations to the “usual suspects” (those who work in the same department or division, or work on the same product, service, account, etc.). Most don’t even consider the value of inviting “outsiders,” since they already know and feel comfortable with the usual suspects. After all, “the team” understands your product, service, goods, or process; and they understand the underlying issues, situation, and challenges, right? Aren’t these people the best qualified to help you develop innovative solutions to your problem?

Not necessarily.

Conformity/uniformity in thinking (groupthink), a lack of objectivity or perspective, internal politics or infighting, personal agendas, and a general aversion to risk-taking or radical new ideas are all common pitfalls experienced when the same group of people come together repeatedly to generate ideas. When participants work under the same conditions and circumstances, confront the same challenges day in and day out, repeatedly run into the same limitations or obstacles, and share the same assumptions about what is or is not possible, options can appear scarce—boxing in the group’s thinking abilities.

The power of diversity

Who you invite to your brainstorming session can have a dramatic impact on your productivity and the session’s ultimate success. When you deliberately recruit a diverse group of participants—an all-star team from different backgrounds, cultures, genders, age, talents, skills, knowledge, expertise and perspectives—you exponentially increase your group’s ability to deliver innovative solutions.

In Group Genius, Keith Sawyer also writes, “…when solving complex, non-routine problems, groups are more effective when they’re composed of people who have a variety of skills, knowledge, and perspective.” He goes on to say, “The reason groups are so effective at generating innovation is that they bring together far more concepts and bodies of knowledge than any one person can. Group genius can happen only if the brains in the team don’t contain all the same stuff.”

7 ways to enhance diversity in your groups

1. Invite a mix of generations. Boomers, Gen-X, Millennials… They each bring a different generational perspective, values and skill sets, cultural reference points, beliefs, attitudes and archetypes.
2. Invite a range of expertise, professional backgrounds, and specialties. Great ideas can come from anyone. People from any discipline, even one not directly related to the challenge at hand, may offer incredible insights and value. Chances are someone has already solved a problem similar to yours in a different company, industry or country.
3. Balance gender and social orientation. Just as different generations can provide a variety of perspectives, so can individuals with diverse personal backgrounds.
4. Invite people from different countries of origin. Thanks to today’s global economy, we are increasingly working side-by-side with individuals from across the country and across the globe. Capitalize on their diverse world viewpoints and cultural understandings. Cultural fusion is a powerful element of innovation.
5. Invite right- and left-brain thinkers. Yes, in the same group! Creative types and linear thinkers, artists and bean counters. You may not think they’ll mix well. But in fact, the Yin and Yang of linear/analytical and non-linear/creative thinkers can be an important element in the creative process.
6. Invite introverts and extroverts. Maybe add a dash of Myer’s-Briggs personality types. Look for individuals with different ways of perceiving and interpreting: feeling, intuiting, judging, etc. This will add a richer dimension to your group’s problem solving abilities.
7. Throw in one or two “wild cards.” An unexpected participant can stir things up and add a new dynamic into the mix. You can invite customers, clients, suppliers, kids, etc.—anyone who can provide fresh, new perspectives on your challenge.

It’s often said that “variety is the spice of life.” It just might also be the “secret sauce” in successful brainstorms. Take the time to assemble your brainstorming dream team. Rather than settle for “same old, same old,” try embracing the unexpected!

It works for the most innovative companies in the world. And it will work for you, too!

2012 will almost certainly be “The Year of Ideas.”

With a major national election on the horizon, cataclysmic changes in business, finance, society, culture—in both the online and offline arenas, big ideas will be in great demand.

The truth is, we live in a world of continuous change, where the “status quo” is, in fact, a state of flux. Organizations and individuals must continuously reinvent themselves in order to remain relevant.

Even your Facebook page format changes on a regular basis!

If you and your team are going to be masterful innovators, you are going to have to make use of the most widely practiced technique for idea generation—group brainstorming. The problem is, the vast majority of brainstorms are random, haphazard, poorly planned and ineffectively facilitated. And the results are usually just as disappointing.

Here are a dozen simple tips to help you squeeze maximum effectiveness from every brainstorm session—and experience the kinds of results that will keep you and your group at the top of your game.

1. Plan Ahead – Take some time to plan your brainstorms before you walk into the room. Nothing can have a greater impact on brainstorm success than simply considering what will actually happen during the session. How will you set up your challenge? What types of techniques will you use to engage your participants and keep energy high? How will you manage any potential conflicts? By planning ahead, you free yourself to be a masterful leader during the session… rather than the person at the head of the table frantically trying to make things work.
2. Invite Diversity – Tired of hearing the same old ideas? Then stop inviting the same old group to your brainstorms! Invite a stranger, or two. Seek out new and different participants who can bring a different, often surprising perspective to your challenge. And don’t worry if they aren’t experts in your topic. You have plenty of those already. Welcome the unexpected… and see how the quality and freshness of your ideas skyrockets!
3. Change the Scenery – Just as diversity in participants can stimulate new thinking, so can meeting in different locations. The same, familiar conference room or office can, over time, become mind-numbing. Move your team into a new space in 2012. How about outdoors? In a museum? At the mall? Use your imagination… and your team will find it easier to use theirs!
4. Go Crazy! – “Playing it safe” is no longer safe. In pretty much every industry and organizational environment, people today are looking for things that are new, unexpected, different and even shocking. Inspire your team to go for more wild and edgy ideas in 2012. Encourage them to think outside their comfort zone. The results will be exhilarating.
5. Become a Two (or More) Trick Pony – How many idea generation techniques do you know and use? If you answered, “None,” then you are just like the vast majority of brainstorm facilitators. Make a point of familiarizing yourself with at least two new ideation techniques in 2012. Don’t know where to find them? Just type “brainstorming techniques” into your favorite search engine and see what pops up. There are dozens, if not hundreds of proven techniques for stimulating the mind to think in new and different ways. Try some! They work!
6. Get More Stimulation – Creative idea generation is an associative process. In other words, it happens when we make new connections to existing information and experiences. The more information and experiences we have to work with, the more (and more exciting) connections we can make! Make it a regular practice to seek out new sources of inspiration (stimuli) to stock your team’s creative pond. Provocative imagery, art, music, advertising – anything that interests or excites you. Encourage the team to do the same and share. The quality and quantity of your new ideas will improve dramatically.
7. Channel Your Inner Steve Jobs – What made Apple’s late founder and creative catalyst such a powerful visionary was his unwavering commitment to innovation. You can do the same. Simply decide that you will never accept “good enough.” Practice thinking forward rather than thinking practical (safe). Strive for solutions that are not only viable, but that set you and your team apart from the herd. In short, unleash your inner creative genius!
8. Question Everything - We all tend to think of ourselves as “know-it-alls,” and walk around every day with firm beliefs about what’s right and what’s wrong, or what is and is not possible. But true innovators continually question their own pre-conceived beliefs, and those of others. This is the basis of the most creative question you can ask: “What if?” This year try questioning more of your assumptions before generating ideas. What do you know to be true about the challenge? In what circumstances might it not be true? And if it’s not absolutely true, what are the possibilities? You just might be surprised at how much you didn’t really know all along!
9. Trust Yourself More – After you’ve challenged all those pre-existing beliefs, trust your intuition. Make a commitment to yourself and your team to stop self-editing. If you think it, say it. Then see where it goes. Sometimes the craziest and most embarrassing thought leads to a game changing idea. So give yourself permission to think the unthinkable and say the unspeakable.
10. Cover All the Angles – The world’s greatest thinkers are those who can attack a challenge from many different angles. This is yet another example of “What if?” Develop the habit of intentionally exploring different viewpoints or perspectives. How would our customer approach this problem? How would our competition? How would Einstein? How would someone from another planet? How can we do this simply? How can we do it inexpensively? How would we do it if we had all the money in the world? You will be amazed at how different a challenge looks and feels when you look at it from a different vantage point.
11. Kick Out the Boss! – You read right. With all due respect for the bosses out there, no one can kill a brainstorm faster or more effectively than you. It’s not necessarily your fault (although it may be!) But some people just aren’t comfortable expressing wild ideas in front of authority figures—especially those who sign the check. So figure out a way to minimize the boss’s intimidating impact on the group. If they insist on participating, respectfully ask them to join the session later, after the team has generated a first round of ideas. Or better yet, suggest that ideas be shared with them after the session. They can always have veto power. But it does no one any good if potentially great ideas are never shared in the first place.
12. Choose Wisely – Generating ideas is one thing. Selecting them is another altogether. Develop a sound, objective process for evaluating and choosing your best ideas. What criteria will define a winning solution? Where can you combine or eliminate ideas that are similar in their approach. Remember, a great brainstorm can generate a lot of ideas. Be prepared to manage the selection process as effectively as you do the idea generation phase.

Successful brainstorms do not happen by chance. They are planned and executed by individuals who put in the time and effort to ensure things run smoothly. Make a resolution to be a masterful brainstormer in 2012.

It just might be your most innovative year ever!

Every day, in conference rooms around the world, tens of thousands of brainstorms take place. Workgroups come together (often with trepidation) to generate fresh ideas, solve problems, explore opportunities and identify new ways to achieve success. In fact, in a world where advancing technology allows more and more tasks to be accomplished by fewer and fewer people, the brainstorm is one of the few remaining collaborative business processes.

Some question the effectiveness of brainstorming, and for good reason. Most sessions aren’t planned or facilitated very well, and all-too-often deliver disappointing results in terms of the breadth and depth of ideas actually generated, as well as a less-than-pleasant experience for participants.

However numerous studies show that when brainstorms are conducted well, the opposite is the case – the process is consistently productive and gratifying. So apparently the problem isn’t brainstorming, it’s brainstorming as typically practiced.

So just what does the typical brainstorm look like? Here are several of the most common types of brainstorming experiences, each of which is a reflection of the personal style of the individual leading the session, the participating group and the prevailing business culture in which the brainstorm takes place.

Pressure Cooker
Don’t you realize that generating ideas is serious business? The Pressure Cooker brainstorm is intense, overly focused and not the least bit fun. In fact, just a few moments of spontaneous laughter or lightness is frowned upon, and the offenders are reprimanded for “not taking the task seriously.” The team has work to do; this is no time for play! Of course, the most effective brainstorms always contain a degree of lightness and joyful exploration and wonder. They are a creative process, after all. An overly serious environment reduces spontaneity and can literally inhibit or even shut down creative thinking. Try approaching even the most serious challenges with a sense of childlike curiosity. Think of brainstorms as “play with purpose.”

Margaritaville
The antithesis of the Pressure Cooker, in these excessively laid back, “no worries” brainstorms, everyone wastes away…their time, that is. No structure, no clear goals or objectives, no leadership skills, all contribute to an enjoyable, but otherwise worthless experience. The conversations veer repeatedly off topic, the fun and lightness referred to earlier escalate to the level of silliness, and little, if anything, gets accomplished. Many people fall into the Margaritaville trap because they believe that brainstorms, as a creative activity, should be loose and unstructured. But nothing could be further from the truth. It is a well-known fact among creative professionals that creativity without structure leads to chaos. The most effective brainstorms always provide an organized process to help keep people’s creative thinking focused and productive.

Friday the 13th
These high-stakes brainstorms inspire fear in even the most courageous of participants. There is danger lurking at every turn, and you never know who’s going to get their heads chopped off next—simply for sharing an idea that the resident “Idea Assassin” feels is unworthy of consideration. And not only are potentially great ideas systematically killed off…so is everyone’s enthusiasm and willingness to participate. These brainstorms typically start off uncomfortable and end up in utter discouragement. In contrast, high-powered brainstorming sessions are always “judgment-free zones,” where everyone feels safe to share even their most off-the-wall ideas.

Déjà Vu
Been there, done that. These brainstorming sessions feel eerily the same—as the last one, and the one before that and the one before that. Same people, same group dynamics, same areas of exploration, and worst of all, same tired, old ideas. When you remain in safe, familiar, territory and never venture out from the status quo, how can you NOT generate the same results? And when you have no fresh, new thinking, there is no innovation. Successful teams regularly inject their brainstorms with a healthy dose of diversity in personalities, background and points of view, plus new types of ideation techniques to engage minds in new and different ways.

Wrestlemania
Let’s get ready to rumble! This brainstorm style is a true battle royale, where two or more participants duke it out to decide whose ideas are best. Funny thing is, it’s always their own ideas they’re fighting for. Most of the time one or two strong, imposing personalities totally dominate these sessions, leaving very little room for others to share.  The conflict rages on throughout the brainstorm, and when the dust settles, everyone is emotionally bruised, battered and exhausted. In contrast, great brainstorms feel effortless. Teams quickly get into “the zone” and stay there. Time flies, and so do the game-changing ideas!

Of course, these are just a few examples. There are as many different styles of brainstorms as there are brainstorm leaders and participants. It is human nature to superimpose our own personalities, interests, beliefs, insecurities, preferences, etc. onto whatever we create, and brainstorms are no exception.

By all means, make your brainstorms your own. Research, learn and make use of your favorite ideation techniques. Try different icebreaker activities to get your group aligned and collaborating quickly. Just make sure that whatever you do, you always foster an environment where participants feel safe in sharing, where they can embrace and enjoy their creative spirits, and where the seeds of innovation can take root and grow.

Allan Snyder and his amazing thinking cap creation

If you are one of the many people who consider themselves “creatively challenged,” take heart! There is hope for you yet!

Reported today in The Sun, scientists have finally created a real live “thinking cap.” That’s right – a device that works by “zapping electricity through the brain” in order to suppress more logical, linear “left brain” thinking and, therefore, enhance “right brain” creative activity.

Huh! Go figure!

According to the article, the device “was inspired by accident victims who experienced a sudden surge in creativity after damaging the left side of their brains.” WHOA! Really??? One of the device’s creators said that the goal of the device is “to suppress habits and opinions gathered through life experiences to help users see problems and situations as they really appear.”

“The dream is that one day we may be able to stimulate the brain in a particular way to give you, just momentarily, an unfiltered view of the world.”

I’m not entirely sure what to say about all of this. On the one hand, in a society where we all seek a “pill” to solve every challenge we encounter, from weight gain to hair loss, this “brain zapper” is a perfectly understandable development. On the other, do we really need such a “brain zapper” to tell us that creativity happens when, for whatever reason, we are able to view the world in an “unfiltered” way?

We all have this ability – really – even without the miraculous, magical and mystical brain zapper. We simply need to “quiet” that part of our minds that tells us what is and is not possible, what is right and wrong, and to look at the world for just a moment, as the scientists said, “with a child’s view.” That is where creativity is born. No external electricity source necessary.

But who am I to judge? For those who feel the brain zapper (can’t help thinking about a bug zapper, mercilessly frying mosquitoes and other flying insects on my mother’s patio) would be helpful, go for it. Maybe under its influence, you’ll be able to invent – the next generation brain zapper!

For me, I’ll just keep on battling that big box my “left brain” constructs around my creative consciousness. I’ll keep asking that miraculous, magical and mystical question, “What if?” and see what answers come to, uh… mind. And maybe, if I’m lucky, I’ll keep on being creative without having to plug in.

Give it a try. “Plug in” to the part of your mind you forgot – the part you used as a kid, when you were a soldier, or Barbie, or a cowboy, princess or astronaut. The part that asked, effortlessly, “What if?” – and then provided an answer, just as effortlessly.

ZAP!!!

There are people out there whose job it is to make us say, “Wow,” on a daily basis. They are the “creative types” among us – the ad men and women, entertainers, writers, artists and just about everybody working at Apple.

It’s not easy making us say, “Wow.” Sure, sometimes it’s fun. But often it’s just plain, old hard work. Some days we are in the mood to say, “Wow.” But many days, we’re just like, “Yeah, so what?” That’s when it’s a grind.

The funny thing is, those people don’t really do what they do because of us. They do it because they don’t know how to do anything else. Making us say, “Wow” is just who they are.

There’s something to be learned from these people. Not necessarily about being creative (although there is that, too) – but about “being” your work, rather than just “doing” it.

“Work,” here, may not be the thing you do to earn money. The work we’re talking about here is what you do with passion, the thing you love. The work that, on good days, doesn’t seem like work.

You may not be a writer or actor or artist or Steve Jobs. You may not have a blog or a business or a platform. But you do have a masterpiece in your head. Everybody does.

Just bring yours to life and share it with the world. And then watch us say, “Wow!”

Back when I worked in advertising, it took me years to understand that some of my clients simply weren’t able to “see,” in their minds, the things I “saw”’ when I presented them with new ideas. What it would look like, the sounds, the mood, the tone.

Many of them were just too literal. They had to actually see it with their eyes to understand it. They weren’t trying to be difficult when they rejected an idea. They just didn’t really understand what the idea actually was. In some ways, it required a much greater leap of faith on the parts of those who actually did approve the work.

Can you see what’s not there? Can you hear the words no one has spoken? Can you complete the sentence, “What if…” with confidence and clarity?

If you can’t, learn to. It is a critical component of innovative thinking, and therefore, success in today’s world of continuous reinvention.

And then, get really good at painting the picture for others. Help them “see” your vision. Because whether your work lives or dies almost always depends on a thumbs-up from someone else.

Being a creative genius isn’t enough. You must be a brilliant painter, storyteller and tour guide, too!

Do people generate ideas more effectively in groups, or flying solo?

You probably have an opinion. Most people who regularly engage in idea generation do.

Those who consider themselves naturally “creative,” and more talented thinkers than their peers, tend to believe they work better when unencumbered by others’ limitations. Those who value the unique perspectives and abilities of their teammates tend to favor brainstorming.

In fact, the comparison is somewhat unfair. Gifted and highly skilled creative problem solvers will almost always shine when compared to teams that are untrained, unpracticed, clumsy and poorly led.

But what about a team that’s on top of its game?

A recent study conducted by researchers at North Carolina State University revealed that when utilizing several proven, effective group ideation techniques (at least 10 or 11 of over 20 identified), brainstorming was extremely effective. Conversely, when such best practices were not employed, the sessions failed.

In order for any team to succeed, it needs talent, skill, experience, practice, a proven play book… and most of all, a dynamic coach and leader.

Will a team like that outperform a single, solitary superstar on the field?

Why not build one and find out for yourself?

Not so long ago, all you had to do was show up, do your job (a.k.a. “the minimum expected of you”), try not to make waves—and you could live a pretty good, hassle-free life. And if you did that long enough you could eventually get paid for doing nothing at all.

Being a small thinker offered big rewards. But oh, how times have changed.

Today, the people (and companies) that sail through life and recessions are those that show up early and stay late; that continually reinvent and ramp up their “jobs” (a.k.a. “the value they deliver to others”); that, rather than avoiding waves, joyfully stir things up on a daily basis.

Big thinkers. Like artists. And athletes. And Apple. And anyone who desperately wants to succeed.

Small thinking leads inevitably to greater challenges, increased frustration and, eventually, non-relevance. Big thinking is, well…it’s the easy way out.

Are you a small thinker? Why on earth would anyone want to work that hard?

Where do ideas come from? Usually, they just pop up, seemingly from nowhere. You might suddenly see them. Or hear them. Sometimes you have to go digging to find them, but not usually.

But that’s how ideas show up. The question remains, where do they originate?

We all have lots of “noise” in our heads these days—messages, images, articles, sounds, songs, Tweets, posts, updates, pitches, “conversations.” Every once in awhile a few of those noise particles ricochet off the walls inside our heads and shoot back an echo – some new, but somehow familiar, mashed-up reflection of everything that’s flying around in there.

The noise is good. Keep it. It’s what echoes are made of. Just remember to turn it off every now and then so you can hear what bounces back.

If you already know who Seth Godin is, and listen to him, then read on only if you’re curious. If not, read on because you really will benefit – and then as soon as possible, read even more: Permission Marketing, Tribes, Purple Cow, The Dip, Linchpin, and/or any and all of Seth’s books.

The question here isn’t WHO Seth Godin is, but rather, why so many people stop and listen whenever he opens his mouth. The reason? They’re on a journey. And Seth Godin knows a thing or two about the land in which they travel

Seth Godin is a modern-day tour guide, and a particularly good one. He points out the worthwhile sites. He tells us what is worth paying attention to, and what is not. He reminds us why we are on this particular trip to begin with, how we got here, and where we are headed.

And most of all, he inspires us to take advantage of the revolution that is going on all around us.

People listen to Seth because he says what they already know – but are all-too-often too lazy to do anything about.

Embrace this journey, or just go along for the ride. Your choice.