10. Always allow for rabbit trails but have a facilitator who keeps things moving in a certain direction.
11. Keep the fun factor high. Keep the fun meter above 50%. If it drops below that, stop and re-establish the fun factor.
12. If you have anyone leaning towards operations or finance or asking the question of “how much will that cost,” then they are banned and can’t ever come to a brainstorming meeting again. Unless they can think outside the box, keep the bean counters out.
13. Think/dream way bigger and with no limitations whatsoever. Try to develop ideas outside the norm and outside your industry or niche.
14. Make sure you do your homework. Research ideas, get on YouTube for a couple of hours, see what others are doing, and intentionally find ideas and insight that will fuel conversations and idea development.
15. Music, vibe, and atmosphere are crucial. Set a tone with the appropriate music, appropriate and energetic lighting, lots of snacks, and plenty of coffee and caffeine. A high-energy environment makes being creative way easier.
16. Invite friends from outside your team. Most creative people love being invited to creative meetings with other teams because they know it will be invigorating and fun.
17. If possible, make sure your facilitator is NOT a participant. It keeps them neutral and away from “liking” certain ideas and thus influencing the nature of what ideas seem to be the most popular.
18. The meeting is only the beginning. The best ideas typically are created, gathered, and decided on outside of creative meetings. Make sure your creative meeting is a Catalyst for ongoing conversations and creative ideas.
Hopefully, these are helpful as you create, brainstorm, and ideate in your own environments…
