BRAINSTORMING: How this simple tool can help generate new ideas and solve problems for your business

We carry around such an interesting object every day, which we most commonly refer to as a Brain. By which, I am sure that you may be using it to break down what I am putting together for you right now...right? Good. What I like the most about our Brains, is its ability to support us in coming up with some of the most innovative ideas and solutions to our most pressing challenges. However, there are certain settings that we can create to get our Brain's creative juices flowing...and one of those settings is a Brainstorming session.

You might have heard of brainstorming sessions before, if not, let's dig in!

What is brainstorming? It’s simply a creative concept that’s often used to generate ideas and potential solutions to a specific problem. Brainstorming sessions are usually held between two or more people and have a leader or facilitator. Although there isn’t one standard way to host a brainstorming session, however, it always includes generating lots of ideas from everyone involved. It's important that everyone is active.

If you’re considering hosting a brainstorming session...consider these four general principles:

Quantity beats quality – Yes, in this case, don’t spend time thinking too much about having the right ideas. You just want to share as many ideas as you can about the topic that is discussed. Let your ideas flow and share them as they come it. Sharing is caring, so let it go!

Judge-free phase – Ok, we know with many ideas, some may seem off the wall. However, during the idea-collection phase; Try to fight off the urge to criticize anyone’s ideas or your own. You should feel comfortable letting any and all ideas out of your head while making others feel like they can do the same.

The “crazies” are welcomed – That's right, welcome crazy ideas. It's ok to think outside the box during a brainstorming session. In fact, it’s encouraged for you to be as wild as you want to be. As a facilitator, encouraging this could be the key to coming up with innovative solutions to the problem or challenge that you are brainstorming for.

Rounding it up – Finding solutions to tough problems or improving on an idea can be a process. After collecting a good number of ideas and suggestions, the facilitator will then work with the group to review them, draw some connections to identify potential solutions that can be tested or improved upon.

Brainstorming can really help you or your team come up with solutions to everyday challenges that you may be facing as a founder or creator. This is important because successful businesses often thrive based on their ability to come up with innovative ideas and solutions to the problems they are facing quickly. There are many benefits to brainstorming, which include creating space for people to think freely without fear of judgment, influencing different perspectives (great for innovation), and greatly increasing collaboration among people from different backgrounds.

How do you think hosting or participating in a brainstorming session can benefit you? We host brainstorming sessions called Creator’s Block. During those sessions, we help founders and creators flush out concepts, get unstuck or remove roadblocks, generate new ideas to come up with solutions for business challenges. This can range from a variety of areas or topics such as addressing the challenge of creating a marketing plan for a specific product, how to monetize an idea, or even how to come up with a new product line altogether. Brainstorming can really work for almost anything that you want to generate new ideas or solutions for, you just have to know how you want to make it work for you. If you are facing some challenges in your business and would like some help, or maybe just want to be an active participant at a session, consider joining us at our next Creator’s Block session.

Brainstorming sessions are awesome because of their ability to unlock creativity and increase collaboration. This could be your secret weapon to coming together as a team, or unleashing innovative ideas that can help you come through in the CLUTCH, as you take your business to the next level!

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