Brainstorming should ideally be a medium to communicate the pros & cons of an idea, but what do you do when they become popcorn worthy performances of various competing characters?
A snarling man, a passive doormat, a silent listener, a tantrum thrower, the creative genius, the detail digger, a wallflower, the attention hog, a chronic complainer or the crisp and polished glib – Well, business meetings can introduce you to an array of personalities. Seemingly innocuous discussions can turn out to be a colourful exhibition of a multitude of emotions, depending on the level of gravity of the matter, geniality of the participants and the generality of the standpoints.
Being a Business and Communication consultant and having had a clientele including MNCs, Startups, Entrepreneurs etc., I have received umpteen opportunities of having front row seats to some of the most engaging, entertaining & exhilarating decision making meetings, review meetings, innovation meetings and the aptly named – brainstorming meetings! Many times, I have been split between “many hands make light work” and “too many cooks spoil the broth”. On a different note, this makes me wonder why does every proverb have an equal and opposite proverb (Hail Newton!)
Having said that, I do believe in tapping the collective intelligence of a team; after all, in the corporate training lingo isn’t TEAM the acronymized version of “Together Everyone Achieves More”?
It’s essential that every participant of the meeting gets an opportunity to contribute his/her ideas without being influenced by the ideas of someone else. It’s also essential that the team doesn’t fall prey to simply acceding to the most vociferous member of the team. It would be appropriate to note that creative conflict is good, a difference of opinion is normal, but the ultimate trick is to respect the objectivity of the process and not let the emotions invested in your opinion and your personal ego backing the opinion cloud your judgment.
Here are a few tips to have a successful brainstorming session:
- Having a Facilitator/Moderator: It’s effective to have a facilitator/moderator who manoeuvres thebrainstorming session without coming across as overly influencing.
Ideally, it should be someone who is well versed with the subject at hand, someone who can strike a balance between the creative flow and the objective focus of the discussion, with the agility of a funambulist. A facilitator for a brainstorming session should be able to inspire everyone to participate in the process. - Quantity over Quality: In the early rounds of the session, it would be wise to focus on the quantity of the ideas rather than the quality, even if some of those ideas might sound out of the ordinary or unusual. This ensures that everyone gets a fair chance to voice their ideas without the fear of being judged and no one feels unheard or unwanted. As the session proceeds and everyone has had an initial say, the ideas can be eliminated after dissecting them under the lens of ratiocination and measuring them on the parameters of attractiveness vs. achievability adhering to the set constraints and scope.
- Being Self Aware: Often times one can get caught up in the web of emotions while giving their opinion or expressing their ideas and this can lead to brainstorming sessions turning into **** debates. The problem arises when one takes a contradiction to his/her ideas too personally and considers it as a blow to his/her ego rather than focusing on the objectivity of the process. If you are that person, then it’s wise to cultivate the habit of self-awareness and mindfulness and be alert to keep a check on this unresourceful pattern.
- Empathy: It’s very essential that while communicating with other participants, especially, while critically
evaluating their opinion, we deal with empathy. Empathy can be expressed through our choice of words, our tone of voice and through our positive and encouraging body language as well. - Interpersonal Dynamics: It’s vital that we not only listen to the verbal communication of the fellow participants but also their non-verbal communication. You obviously have to listen to their words, but don’t be blind to their body language. Do notice the changes in the body language while they make certain points or even while they are silent. Paul Watzlawick said, “You cannot, not communicate.” People communicate even in their silence. Observing their body language and making a note of their patterns will enable you to get an idea of their state of mind. This will also help you in establishing a rapport with them and consequently help you to express or impress your opinions on them in an effective manner.
- Everyone’s Different: We all are programmed differently. We all operate and behave subscribing to a set of Meta
programs (our internal representation of the world). Some might operate from the “big picture” standpoint, while some might work from the “the attention to detail” standpoint. Every Meta program might be resourceful in a certain situation. The trick is to respect the need of the hour and adapt accordingly. In a brainstorming session, it’s paramount to take all these factors into consideration before judging an idea for its merit.
In conclusion, I would like to say that we all have something unique to bring to the table in terms of our ideas, our views and our opinions. All of them matter. But the selection or rejection of ideas in a particular scenario under the given constraints and scope is dependent on many factors. I have witnessed people leaving boardrooms with bruised egos, possibly not because their idea was turned down, but the way it was turned down was insensitive. This is where it becomes important to be emotionally intelligent while playing your role in a brainstorming session, either that of a participant or a moderator.
Here’s wishing you and your organization fruitful, creative and emotionally intelligent brainstorming sessions.
– Article by Abhishek Banerji