Is it really possible to turn a really bad idea into a really great one? Absolutely.

The Worst Idea technique is not only one of the most popular with brainstorm groups, it’s extremely effective. As you might suspect from the name, the facilitator asks participants to come up with the worst possible idea they can think of. Nothing is “too bad” – distasteful, rude, crass, embarrassing, off-color. The worse, the better.

How about a car that automatically runs over pedestrians who cross against the signal? A new diet pasta that is mixed with worms and human hair, to get dieters to eat less? A new recycled product that’s good for the environment – like previously used toilet tissue? How much worse could you get? Keep trying.

What’s the point of such an exercise?

First, it “loosens up” the group. We have been taught to reject bad ideas, and therefore won’t allow ourselves to go there. By encouraging people to think outlandish thoughts, the creative process is jump-started.

Second, many bad ideas contain some provocative element, something powerful and compelling. By making a simple change, you can often turn a bad idea into a great one. A car that runs over slow pedestrians might not be practical – but one that senses pedestrians ahead and automatically brakes might be. A diet pasta mixed with worms and hair might not be such a palatable notion – but one fortified with extra protein and fiber might be.

The Worst Idea can be a lot of fun. Give it a try next time your brainstorming. Be gross, outrageous, cynical. You just might come up with your BEST worst idea ever.

Virtually every business depends on the ability to generate ideas—ideas for new products, ideas about how to communicate more effectively with customers, ideas about how to operate more efficiently, ideas about how to engage employees and strengthen internal communications. Without ideas organizations stagnate, and eventually, wither and die.

The most widely used tool for generating and developing new ideas in organizations is group brainstorming. Literally hundreds of thousands of brainstorm sessions take place in offices and conference rooms across the globe, every single day.

The problem is, most people need help in how to brainstorm better.

In our work, we have the opportunity to question business people about the effectiveness of their brainstorming efforts. And it is rare that we don’t hear a negative response. “Boring.” “Intimidating.” “A big waste of time.” “The same old ideas over and over again.” “Nothing ever happens with the concepts we do come up with.” These are all comments we hear repeatedly, from individuals at every level of an organization, and from every business category.

In fact, brainstorming as traditionally practiced is a sloppy, haphazard process. Remarkably, this single activity, which is so vitally important to business success, is allowed to take place in a manner that is completely lacking in structure, facilitated by individuals with little or no training and who have no idea what tools or techniques might make their efforts more productive. One can only imagine the cost of ineffective brainstorming to business, in wasted manpower, lost opportunity and damaged employee morale.

The topic of how to brainstorm better is a big and important one. But here are seven things you can start doing today to make your sessions dramatically more effective.

1. Make a Plan, Stan

It is sometimes said that professionals plan, amateurs wing it. Before your brainstorm ever begins, take the time to plan your session. What is the challenge you will present to the group? What is your objective for the session? Ten new ideas? One hundred? What idea generation techniques will you use to inspire your group’s imagination and make new connections? When you create a vision and a plan for the session, you increase the odds you will actually realize it.

2. Invite Diversity

Tired of getting the same old ideas in every brainstorm session? Maybe you should consider not inviting the same usual suspects. By including individuals with refreshingly different backgrounds, perspectives, ages, genders, ethnicities, etc., you will be creating a group mind with a wealth of divers experience to draw on. Consider who in your organization might make an unexpected contribution to your idea pool, and make sure they’re there.

3. Kick Out The Boss

I once knew the president of a company who would insist on attending every brainstorm session, and then start it off by saying, “You know how they say there are no bad ideas? That’s wrong. There are very bad ideas that should never be expressed. So, anybody got anything?” Nothing will more effectively shut down a brainstorm session than the fear of saying something stupid in front of the boss. It’s sometimes easier said than done, but unless your company leadership is extremely supportive and accepting, they shouldn’t be in a brainstorming session. Idea generation requires a safe environment, where people aren’t afraid to share their thoughts. Ensure the boss you’ll review everything with her after the session is over.

4. Play By The Rules

Of course it’s not just the boss who can derail and brainstorm. Anyone with a big ego, loud voice or attention-seeking personality can do the same. Negativity and judgment bring instant death to spontaneous idea sharing faster than negativity and judgment. Establish a list of “rules” for your session right at the start. Ask for everyone’s agreement. No negative comments. One person talks at a time. Crazy, even audacious ideas are encouraged. If anyone breaks the rules, ask others in the group to good-naturedly remind him—perhaps by pelting him with crumpled paper balls!

5. Hold The Phone

“Phone” here, of course, means any device that will distract one’s attention from the task at hand. The remarkable convenience and productivity provided by PDAs is nothing short of miraculous. They also suck the life out of a brainstorming session. One of your most important rules is, “All phones, smartphones, iPhones, Blackberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, whatever OFF during the session—and put out of sight, out of temptation’s reach!” Reassure attendees that you will provide breaks during which they can check messages or email.

6. Ask Lots of Questions

Not getting what you want from your brainstorming group? Maybe you’re not asking the right questions. You can immediately change the consciousness and output of any group by simply posing a provocative question? “What if we combined the last two ideas?” “That was a wild idea. How can we rein it in to make it more on strategy?” “What are three more ideas like that one?” Learn and apply the art of powerful questioning and you will get an exponentially greater return on your ideation investment.

7. Maintain Momentum

Most brainstorming sessions tend to start out slow and low energy. People are feeling their way into the process. After awhile, the energy sometimes picks up for a few minutes. Ideas come from everywhere. Then it stops. They’ve run out of steam. They start talking about last night’s episode of Mad Men. You’re lost. A great facilitator is like an accomplished surfer—they can “sense” the crest of the wave, where it is now and where it’s going, and ride it all the way to the end. Be tuned into the energy of the room, when it’s high, let it rip. As soon as you feel it start to wane, ask a powerful question to make the leap to a new direction and get it going again. Brainstorming facilitation is work—fun work, but work nonetheless. Stay focused, ride the wave and you’ll walk out with a stack full of great ideas.

Great brainstorming and creative idea-generation is multi-faceted process that requires structure, trained facilitation and a full toolkit of proven techniques. There’s a lot to learn. But you can start your ongoing education with these seven key improvements, and start seeing better results right away.

How’s that for a great idea?

To date, 72% of those who have responded to our survey (see our first blog post dated March 19th) have responded that a typical brainstorming session in their organization is either “pretty much a waste of time,” or worse, “torture.”

We’re keeping the poll up indefinitely, so if you haven’t voted yet, please do.

In the meantime, why is it that so many people hate, dread or at the very least, feel ambivalent about brainstorms? What is it about the question, “Anybody got any ideas?” that makes the majority of brainstorm participants cringe?

In our own research, we find this to be a consistent response across industries. Virtually everyone seems to know that their approach to group idea generation is broken; but they haven’t a clue how to fix it.

One of the key issues is a lack of established process. Almost by definition, people believe that brainstorm sessions should be “loose.” Too much structure is certain to squash people’s natural creativity, right?

Wrong. All innovative thinking (creativity, lateral thinking, eureka moments, etc.) takes place within some sort of process.

The creative genius may appear undisciplined and totally random. But ask any one, and he or she will explain some sort of process — how they seed their thoughts with inspiration, how they set the stage for free association, how they separate the wheat from the chaff, how they develop and expand upon their fledgling ideas. And that’s just a single person, a solitary mind struggling against itself. Put ten such individuals into a room, and the need for a process is even greater. It is naive to think that a group of individuals can effortlessly flow through the process of idea generation and development without some sort of process or structure to guide them.

Big egos, crippling insecurities, peer pressure, intimidation by senior staffers, shyness, arrogance, fatigue, lack of understanding, too much caffeine, Blackberries and iPhones, last night’s outstanding episode of Mad Men — a thousand different things can turn the best-intentioned brainstorm into a waste of time for participants and a waste of resources for an organization. At their worst, poorly structured and facilitated brainstorm sessions are completely demoralizing and produce no worthwhile concepts.

So what’s the answer? How can you transform your organization’s ability to generate fresh, innovative ideas, efficiently and consistently, and maybe even enjoy the process?

First, plan your brainstorming sessions ahead of time, establish a process, create ground rules for participants, and stick with them.

Second, make sure that anyone running sessions knows and understands the process, and applies it consistently. The best process is worthless if it isn’t applied.

Finally, educate yourself on the processes, techniques and approaches developed by others. A lot of experienced people have spent a lot of time considering this topic, and developing, testing and implementing systems that work. SmartStorming, of course, is one. (Our favorite!)

Innovation and the ability to think and act creatively is crucial to any organization, and particularly in today’s unsettled environment. Brainstorms should not be treated as casual, unimportant events. They represent an opportunity for your group to move the organization forward.

Now, have you got any ideas?

A recent news release on SmartStorming.

Companies In Need Of Innovative Thinking Are Turning To Smartstorming®