Whether you’re trying to come up with new products, processes, or take on some of the big questions affecting your business and team, a brainstorming session can be a great tactic to tackle problems collaboratively.
Running a successful brainstorming session can seem like a challenge, but we’ve put together some key tips to keep in mind for your next attempt:
- There are no bad ideas
- Work in a new environment
- Remove distractions
- Get visual
1. There are no bad ideas
If you’re a cynic, you might want to instantly challenge this – but it’s true. Some great solutions have been found to problems by teams letting themselves think of the most ‘blue-sky’ potential scenarios, free of limitation.
By collating every possibility without considering roadblocks or potential difficulties, you can later assess what roadblocks are potentially removable or able to be adapted – while brainstorming, your goal is to get as many ideas down as you can in your session!
2. Work in a new environment
It’s easy to get stagnant in your daily environment – if your team is looking to have a valuable day, it may be worth heading off-site to somewhere new and set yourself up for a productive day.
Hub Australia offers premium serviced meeting spaces in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, and Canberra. With boardrooms, workshop spaces, and collaboration spaces designed to help you get the most out of your day, Hub Australia can create custom packages to help you work productively and create new ideas with your team.
3. Remove distractions
When you’re focused on creating and innovating, you don’t want to be interrupted or distracted by tech issues, calls, or trying to decide where to go for coffee and lunch breaks (which can very easily eat up your precious time!).
Remove distractions by organising as much as you can in advance – see if you can arrange catering or a coffee package to minimise time spent organising the logistics on the day – Hub Australia offers locally-sourced catering and unlimited coffee packages from just $10 per person.
It’s also difficult to get into the ‘brainstorming zone’ if you have fellow teammates popping their heads into your session regularly. Working offsite allows you to negate this, and ensure the people in the room remain focused.
4. Get visual
Whiteboards can be worth their weight in gold – Hub Australia offers floor-to-ceiling whiteboards in multiple spaces, allowing you to plot for multiple scenarios and projects simultaneously.
Whether you want to write on a board or use popular design thinking techniques to make the most of your session, having significant space for you to use for your brainstorming session is essential.
Choose a space that allows you to use as many mediums as you need – if you have remotely-located team members, bring them into the room with Hub’s Zoom kits, helping you collaborate effectively and letting everyone be heard and seen.
