I recently reviewed a deck of slides outlining a proposed workflow for campaign content development. In a seven-step process, the word brainstorm appeared no less than four times. Question: Amid all those storms, how can we hope for smooth sailing? Will we ever reach the harbor?
Don’t get me wrong — I love a good group idea-swap, complete with flip-charts and candy and blizzards of post-it notes. Many brains really are more powerful than one, and creative collaboration really does yield more interesting results than isolated effort.
But I worry that in our enthusiasm to collaborate and think big, we sometimes lose our way. Brainstorming has a specific purpose and place, and like any great tool it’s brilliant when applied in the right context, and dangerous if you use it wrong.
Google tells me the term “brainstorm” was popularized way back in 1953 by a smarty named Aleck Faickney Osborn. It offers this definition: “a group creativity technique by which efforts are made to find a conclusion for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members.”
“List of ideas spontaneously contributed by members of a group.” Check. Love it. But we tend to get a little squishy on the other part: “find a conclusion for a specific problem.” Brainstorms are by nature generative, broadening a discussion by layering on diverse perspectives and ideas. At its best, the brainstorm process is a rollicking adventure that takes us far from the original prompt, exploring the unexpected, the weird, the uncomfortable and the dead wrong. Together, we discover ways of thinking we never would have come up with individually. That’s the whole point of the exercise. But that shouldn’t be confused with the ultimate goal: to solve a specific problem.
The full value and beauty of brainstorming comes in its second phase, when we gather the rich fodder generated up front and mine it for nuggets of brilliance that will form the basis of our finished work. And unlike the generative phase, this part is rarely best served by a large, free-roaming group of diverse minds. When the moment comes for refinement, a lean, focussed group firmly anchored in a tight strategic objective is the golden ticket.
We can think about this in terms of answering a series of questions. In phase one, we ask “What are all the possible pieces of content we could create to fuel our holiday campaign?” Here we follow the (non)rules of good brainstorming; every idea is welcome and fussy details like cost and timing are brushed away like so much powdered sugar. Phase two addresses another question entirely: “What are the five extraordinarily compelling pieces of content we will create to fuel our holiday campaign?” Here we insist on a ruthlessly sharp strategic perspective, and wrestle tough feasibility questions to the ground.
Success depends on tackling both ends of the process with equal rigor. Without free and imaginative up-front exploration, we’ll routinely default to the obvious first solution and make boring marketing. But without disciplined strategic refinement, we’ll do too much, and not well enough. Or worse yet, stay mired forever in planning and do nothing at all.
Of course in practice a given challenge may require multiple cycles of expansion and refinement to reach the finish line. The key is always knowing exactly which phase you’re in, and being strategic about who’s invited to which party.
Language can help here. Rather than using “brainstorm” as a catch-all phrase describing any group working discussion loosely tied to a goal, there’s value in saving that special word for truly generative collaborative exercises, and structuring such sessions accordingly. Invite the most diverse group you can find, with representatives from functions as far from each other as possible. Then frame up the work with words like “explore,” “imagine,” “stretch,” and “create” to get everybody in the mood.
When the time comes to refine, opt for a tight group that includes just a handful of key champions for strategy and tactical execution. Reach for words like “define,” “identify,” “refine,” “select” and “decide” to guide the conversation toward a clear outcome. It’s also useful here to have an appointed stakeholder who holds the job of making a final call when the group is misaligned.
When the need for ideas comes knocking, go ahead and stir up storm. Just don’t let it blow away your strategy and your timeline. Happy sails!
