Synopses & Reviews
Your organization is run on ideas…and so is your department. But the task of leading a brainstorming session isn’t as simple as asking for thoughts and writing them down. From reluctant participants, to one person dominating the session, to the same ideas being repeated over and over again, the possibility of hitting roadblocks is high …and once the ideas stop flowing, it can be impossible to get back on track.
Packed with real-world, practical guidance, Quick Brainstorming Activities for Busy Managers gives you the tools, exercises, and guidance you need to pave the way toward the kind of innovation and creative solutions your company needs to beat the competition. Filled with fun, proven activities that will enable you to get productive brainstorming sessions started and keep them going, the book shows you how to:
Clarify the purpose of the session • Ask the kind of questions that provoke responses and inspire creativity • React to ideas in a way that encourages participants and prompts more input • Know what to record and what not to record • Sort and categorize lengthy lists • Evaluate ideas • Prioritize the most useful concepts and expand on them • And much more!
You’ll learn how to focus the group, use concepts such as playbacks and prompts, discourage criticism and self-editing, know the right time to take a break, and help your team arrive at outside-the-box, brilliant conclusions by collaborating with each other and building on each other’s ideas.
Truly productive brainstorming sessions are dependent on your ability to create the right environment and let your people’s ideas flow. Containing sample dialogues, as well as resources for virtual team brainstorming, this is the indispensable toolbox of activities you need to keep the energy high, and generate great ideas fast.
Brian Cole Miller is the principal of Working Solutions, Inc., a management training and consulting firm. He is the author of several books including Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers, More Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers, and Keeping Employees Accountable for Results.
Synopsis
Contrary to popular opinion, brainstorming isn’t magic. Truly productive brainstorming sessions are dependent on the ability of the leader to create the right environment and let his or her people’s ideas flow.
Filled with clear, concise guidance and quick, easily implemented techniques, this book provides supervisors, managers, and team leaders the fun, proven activities they need to get idea-packed brainstorming sessions started, and keep them going. Readers will discover how to:
• Ask questions that provoke responses and inspire creativity
• React to and record ideas in a way that encourages participants and prompts more input
• Sort and categorize lengthy lists
• Evaluate ideas
• Prioritize the most useful concepts and expand on them
• And more
Containing sample dialogues, as well as resources for virtual team brainstorming, this indispensible book gives readers the activities they need to generate great ideas, fast.
Synopsis
Contrary to popular opinion, brainstorming isn't magic. Truly productive brainstorming sessions are dependent on the ability of the leader to create the right environment and let his or her people's ideas flow.
Filled with clear, concise guidance and quick, easily implemented techniques, this book provides supervisors, managers, and team leaders the fun, proven activities they need to get idea-packed brainstorming sessions started, and keep them going. Readers will discover how to:
- Ask questions that provoke responses and inspire creativity
- React to and record ideas in a way that encourages participants and prompts more input
- Sort and categorize lengthy lists
- Evaluate ideas
- Prioritize the most useful concepts and expand on them
- And more
Containing sample dialogues, as well as resources for virtual team brainstorming, this indispensible book gives readers the activities they need to generate great ideas, fast.
Synopsis
Filled with clear, concise guidance and quick, easily implemented techniques, Quick Brainstorming Activities for Busy Managers provides supervisors, managers, and team leaders the fun, proven activities they need to get idea-packed brainstorming sessions started, and keep them going. Author Brian Miller helps you explore the most effective brainstorming method for your team and generate the best results using straightforward, focused activities that each take less than fifteen minutes to complete. Readers will discover how to: ask questions that provoke responses and inspire creativity; react to and record ideas in a way that encourages participation and prompts more input; sort and categorize lengthy lists; evaluate ideas; and prioritize the most useful concepts and expand on them. Contrary to popular opinion, great brainstorming sessions don't just happen. For brainstorming to be a truly productive activity, leaders must create the right environment to let employees' ideas flow. Complete with sample dialogues and well as resources for virtual team brainstorming, this indispensable book helps readers guide their teams to generate great ideas.
Synopsis
When you and your team are feeling mentally drained, these fifty brainstorming activities can help spark creative solutions, fast.
Synopsis
Author Brian Miller helps you explore the most effective brainstorming method for your team and generate the best results using straightforward, focused activities that each take less than fifteen minutes to complete.
Filled with clear, concise guidance and quick, easily implemented techniques, Quick Brainstorming Activities for Busy Managers provides supervisors, managers, and team leaders the fun, proven activities they need to get idea-packed brainstorming sessions started, and keep them going.
You will discover how to:
- ask questions that provoke responses and inspire creativity;
- react to and record ideas in a way that encourages participation and prompts more input;
- sort and categorize lengthy lists;
- evaluate ideas;
- and prioritize the most useful concepts and expand on them.
Contrary to popular opinion, great brainstorming sessions don't just happen. For brainstorming to be a truly productive activity, leaders must create the right environment to let employees' ideas flow. Complete with sample dialogues and well as resources for virtual team brainstorming, Quick Brainstorming Activities for Busy Managers helps you guide your team to generate great ideas.
About the Author
BRIAN COLE MILLER is the principal of Working Solutions, Inc., a management training and consulting firm. He is the author of several books including Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers, More Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers, and Keeping Employees Accountable for Results.
Table of Contents
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1: BRAINSTORMING 101
What Is Brainstorming?
Why Use Brainstorming?
What Are the Basic Rules of Brainstorming?
How Is a Brainstorming Session Conducted?
What Could Go Wrong?
Summary
CHAPTER 2: IT ALL STARTS WITH A QUESTION
Use Focus Questions to Kick Off a Successful
Brainstorming Session
Using Focus Questions for Idea Generation
A Final Note About Focus Questions
Keep the Ideas Flowing After the Focus Question
Putting It All Together
Summary
CHAPTER 3: THE POWER OF THE PEN
The Four Rules of Recording Brainstorming Sessions
Summary
CHAPTER 4: BRAINSTORMING TECHNIQUES
Traditional Brainstorming
Stickies
Bubbles
Chips
Grids
Last One Standing
Mind Maps
Paper Swap
Plus One
Round Robin
Silent Brainstorm
Taking Turns
CHAPTER 5: CREATIVITY EXERCISES
Associations
Brainstorm Bash
Mega-Doodles
Exaggerations
Forced Conflict
Free Writing
Jeopardy
Let’s Get Physical
Mind Readeri
Objects
Pictures
Reverse Brainstorming
Roles
Six Perspectives
Stop and Start
Storytellers
Web Surfing
CHAPTER 6: GROUPING METHODS
Alphabet Categories
Card Sort
Leaderless
Quick Sort
Symbols
CHAPTER 7: PRIORITIZATION PROCESSES
Balloons
Dots
Grid-Based Decision
Investing in Ideas
Ranked Pairs
Pros and Cons
Rotating Charts
Seven
Sudden Death
Thumbs-Up Consensus
Weighted Scores
CHECKLISTS
INDEX