The saying goes ‘It takes a village to raise a child’...so it seems logical that a team discussion is the perfect starting point for any client brief... or maybe not!
Brainstorming is good for the ‘ideation’ (idea generation) process because it allows the thoughts of individuals to be combined to create something greater than the sum of its parts. You can see things from a new point of view and it’s more fun and easy creating ideas as a group than as individuals. But at outside the box we think the flaws of brainstorming outweigh the benefits.
• It’s time consuming and inefficient
• Sessions often go off track and become political minefields
• The whole session can quickly be overtaken by a couple of dominating individuals
• Everyone moans ‘oh do I have to?’ at the very thought
Brain writing not brainstorming... much calmer!
To remedy this, outside the box use exercises that have all the fun and idea alchemy of brainstorms, without the drawbacks.
Last week we were asked to work as a group to come up with new customer propositions for one of our clients. So we used a simple ‘Brain Writing’ exercise.
This technique really works if there are lots of people or overpowering team members as it is quieter and more organised than brainstorming.
Brain writing:
• Identify the topic – we announce the topic in advance to get the cogs turning
• Everyone sits in a circle and each writes down 3 ideas
• Participants then pass their ideas on to the next person in the circle
• This person considers the original ideas, adds value to them and/or develops new ones, writing these beneath
• The process is repeated until every person’s original thoughts have gone all around the table
• Put all the ideas in the centre of the table and discuss them as a team to see which are the best ideas, and see if you can develop them further
A few extra tips:
1. Bribery... cakes to tempt your team and get the brain cells working!
2. Bring examples of similar work by competitors or other industries for inspiration
3. Allow extreme ideas within the brief – it’s better to start ‘out there’ and rein them in later
4. Remind people of the objectives at certain points – although you want lots of ideas, you need to bear in mind what you want to achieve
Now write up your ideas. Even if some are a little unachievable it’s a fantastic way to show clients you’re being proactive and pushing the boundaries – they might just love you a little more for a little effort!
For more idea generating exercises or advice on how to ride the chaos of the marketing world check out Outside the Box’s latest book, ‘Making Waves’.
