Successful Brainstorming

By Victoria Hudgins. Photography by Startup America.

If you are thinking about new projects and collaborations for the new year, start with a brainstorming session. I loved this great article, written by graphic design blogger Megan, about hosting an effective brainstorming session:

If you’re on a creative team, chances are you’re used to brainstorming ideas for new projects. But the process can end up feeling broken and not as thought out as it should be. This leaves creative teams with ideas that are not as revolutionary as they could be. I began thinking of better ways to cultivate ideas and initiate brainstorms after I read Quiet by Susan Cain.

Cain also wrote a great piece in the New York Times titled The Rise of the New Groupthink. She points out that throughout history we have seen amazing ideas created by research, and creative problem solving from individuals, rather than group brainstorms. In order to prevent brainstorms from becoming vaults for groupthink and mediocre ideas, I feel like brainstorms should be treated as positive sharing sessions where each team member can contribute and build on ideas that each member has thought of.

Read Megan's tips to think about when organizing a brainstorm for a project right here.