How to run a successful brainstorming session
It was a Thursday afternoon in our Apollo Studio. Four people around the square table, a smartboard covered in coloured sticky notes and a timer set to thirty minutes. Within that half hour, the team had come up with a campaign concept they had been stuck on for weeks. “Why does it work here and not at the office?” the founder wondered out loud. We know the answer, because we have watched it happen for more than 50 years on the Keizersgracht. A good brainstorm is not a matter of luck. It is a combination of the right people, the right technique and the right environment.
What makes a brainstorm different from a meeting?
Let us start there. A meeting is meant for making decisions or sharing information. A brainstorm has a very different purpose: to generate as many ideas as possible without judging them straight away. That sounds simple, but in practice most teams revert to listing possible obstacles within two minutes, start a discussion and begin evaluating.
The most important difference is in the mindset. During a brainstorm there is no such thing as a bad idea. You filter afterwards. Anyone who keeps that distinction clear gets more out of every session.
Preparation determines the outcome
A brainstorm without preparation delivers exactly what you would expect: chaos. Sort out three things in advance. First, frame a clear question. Not “how do we improve our marketing?” but “which three channels can we use to generate fifty new leads in Q2?” The more specific the question, the more concrete the ideas. Second, choose the right group size. Three to six people is ideal. More than eight and you end up with spectators rather than participants. In our meeting rooms we notice that the best sessions happen in the smaller spaces. There is a reason the Prudence Lounge, which seats six, and the Apollo Studio, which seats eight, are so popular for brainstorms.
Third, send the central question round at least a day ahead. That way participants do not arrive with a blank page but have already given it some thought. The best ideas often come in the shower, on the bike or on the train, not on the spot under time pressure.
Five brainstorming techniques that genuinely work
There are dozens of brainstorming techniques. Not all of them are equally practical. These are the five we see working most often with teams that come together at our place on the Keizersgracht.
Brainwriting (the 6-3-5 method). Everyone writes down three ideas in silence within five minutes. Then you pass the sheet to the person next to you, who builds on your ideas. After a few rounds you have dozens of ideas without the loudest voice dominating the session. This technique is perfect for teams where a handful of people usually drive the conversation.
Reverse brainstorming. Instead of asking “how do we solve this?” you ask “how could we make this problem as bad as possible?” It sounds contradictory, but turning the problem on its head leads you to solutions you would never have thought of otherwise, and it is a lot more fun than the classic approach.
SCAMPER. This is a structured technique where you examine existing ideas or products from seven angles: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate and Reverse. Ideal for product innovation or improving existing processes.
Mind mapping. Start with the central theme in the middle of the smartboard and let the group make associations. Connect related ideas with lines. What begins as a tangle quickly turns into a visual map of possibilities you would never have spotted in a plain list.
Timeboxing. Set a tight timer. Five minutes per round, no more. The time pressure forces your brain to let go of perfectionism and simply produce. In our rooms we see that teams with a visible timer on the smartboard consistently come up with more ideas than teams without one.
The room does more than you think
Here is something we can say with confidence after fifty years: the environment affects the quality of your brainstorm. A stuffy little room with no windows is paralysing. A room with daylight, a view and a different feel from your everyday office is liberating.
In the Apollo Studio you look out over the Keizersgracht while you brainstorm. The Ceres Room offers calm with a view of our French courtyard garden, and in the Garden House you can literally step outside into the garden during a break. That change of scenery helps your brain make connections you miss at your own desk.
Choosing to rent a meeting room away from your own office is not a luxury, by the way. Research from Harvard Business Review confirms that a new environment stimulates creativity. You pull people out of their fixed patterns, and that is exactly what a brainstorm needs.
Get started on your brainstorm
The best brainstorm you have ever had starts with good preparation, the right technique and an environment that invites creativity. At EBC Amsterdam we bring all of that together: professional rooms with smartboards and modern technology, personal business support and a listed building five minutes’ walk from Central Station.
Want to plan a brainstorming session away from your own office? Call us on +31 (0)20 520 7500. We would be glad to show you around.
