
As I have said before, many consider brainstorming to be a fad or a waste of time, largely due to unsatisfactory results. A big reason for this is poorly facilitated sessions which assume that a flip chart and some pens are all you need, with everything else taking care of itself. Over at IdeaChampions.com they have compiled a helpful list of the key dimensions of a good brainstorming session:
- Investigation – you’ve got to do some work beforehand
- Immersion – you can’t just hop in and out, you’ve got to get stuck in
- Interaction – this is a team exercise
- Inspiration – bored people rarely come up with great ideas
- Ideation – create an environment where ideas start flowing
- Illumination – ideas are great, but to make a difference they must bring insight
- Integration – bringing ideas back into the real world
- Implementation – something has to happen afterwards or it really was a waste of time
For a full desciption of each dimension, see the original post.