Techniques For Effective Brainstorming Sessions

Want better brainstorming sessions? Start with this unexpected icebreaker: Have everyone share an embarrassing story. Here’s why it works (and why research backs it up): 🧵 This comes from Leigh Thompson, a professor at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. Her research found that teams who start with embarrassment generate more ideas—and better ones. Why? A few reasons: *It reduces self-censorship, so people feel freer to share bold ideas. *It builds vulnerability and trust, making collaboration stronger. *It shifts the mood—less pressure, more creativity. Instead of filtering ideas out of fear, people open up. Instead of playing it safe, they take creative risks. Instead of shutting ideas down, they build on them. Try this at your next brainstorming session: *Share the time you… *Sent a risky email to the wrong person. *Walked into a meeting with food on your face. Completely blanked on someone’s name—twice. Watch what happens next.

Early in my career, I worked with two very different leaders within the same company. Under the first, team meetings were silent affairs where new ideas were often met with criticism. We stopped contributing. When I moved teams, my new manager actively encouraged input and acknowledged every suggestion, even the imperfect ones. Our productivity and innovation skyrocketed. This experience taught me the power of psychological safety. That feeling that you won't be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, or concerns. Here are three concrete ways leaders can foster psychological safety in meetings: 1. Practice "Yes, and..." thinking. Replace "That won't work because..." with "Yes, and we could address that challenge by..." This simple language shift acknowledges contributions while building on ideas rather than shutting them down. 2. Create equal airtime. Actively notice who's speaking and who isn't. Try techniques like round-robin input or asking quieter team members directly: "Alyzah, we haven't heard your perspective yet. What are your thoughts?" 3. Normalize vulnerability by modeling it. Share your own mistakes and what you learned. When leaders say "I was wrong" or "I don't know, let's figure it out together," it gives everyone permission to be imperfect. AA✨ #PsychologicalSafety #InclusiveLeadership #WorkplaceBelonging

Ensure all voices are heard by leaning into CURIOSITY! Designing inclusive working sessions can start by inviting questions from EVERYONE- for example, the technique below honors introverted voices and fosters diverse perspectives. Try out some of these practical techniques below in your next meeting or collaboration session… Quiet Reflection Time:  ↳ Create an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts. Structured Brainstorming Sessions:  ↳ Ensure each participant has designated speaking time to reduce pressure. Rotating Facilitators:  ↳ Vary leadership styles and ensure diverse voices are heard throughout discussions. One-on-One Discussions or Smaller Group Settings:  ↳ Provide intimate settings where introverts can freely express their ideas. Techniques like this create an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts. This approach isn't just about diversity. It's about harnessing the power of all perspectives. Together, we can foster environments where every voice contributes to success. Let's ensure that every team member feels empowered to bring their best to the table.

Sometimes, finding a compelling problem instantly inspires possibilities. Other times, crickets. Rather than waiting around for lightning to strike, we recommend that teams take a more proactive approach, and deliberately provoke their own imaginations. One of the most effective, powerful, and fun tools we have created for such self-provocation missions is what we call “Analogous Exploration.” Building upon the extensive research demonstrating the power of unexpected new combinations, we encourage folks to seek radically unexpected sources of inspiration to provoke their thinking. This means not only leaving the room, and not only leaving the building, but also leaving the industry and the conventional definition of “competitor set” behind. Analogous Exploration is not benchmarking. One early application of this radical tool was with a struggling Semiconductor Company whose sales organization had been refined over time to cater predominantly to its largest customers (who ordered hundreds of millions of units annually). The company’s senior leaders felt they needed to “reinvent the customer experience for smaller customers,” and asked for our help. (Story too long for LinkedIn tldr: they instituted a radical new information-sharing agreement with their largest distribution partner, which they believe is one of the largest supply chain innovations in their industry in the last 50 years.) The COO of the company jokingly confided later that they had been watching the competition closely… but the competition didn’t know how to solve their problems either! By deliberately seeking out unexpected sources of inspiration, the organization was able to jump-start revolutionary innovations that serve the smaller businesses every bit as well as they already did the large customers. Getting out of the box like this will not feel efficient. But it is effective. We have since seen Australian financial services organizations glean insights for how to establish trust with new customers from a barber shops & tattoo parlor (those are fascinating stories), Israeli tech companies learn from farmers’ markets, New Zealand fisheries take notes from prominent tea purveyors and bespoke coffee shops, and Japanese conglomerates attracting top-tier millennial talent based on insights from a rock climbing studio and a belly dancing instructor. Despite their differences, one critical commonality among each of these environments is that the teams positioned to solve the newly-defined problem lacked the requisite inputs to trigger fresh ideas. Imagination is fueled by fresh input, and yet all too often, teams are stuck in a conference room, post-it pads in hand, banging their heads against an all-too-ironically spotless whiteboard. Analogous Exploration is a tool to help folks get out of their context on purpose, with intention, to come back with the inspiration they need to fuel fresh thinking.

If you set up a meeting, you are responsible for documenting the discussions and outcomes. You can either take notes yourself, or delegate this task out before the meeting starts. There are pros and cons to both. I personally like to run the meeting notes myself and screenshare live, especially if Im the one that set the meeting up. It helps me drive towards the intended objectives and document decisions. In the words of others, I'm also pretty good at taking notes; an acquired skills over years of practice (and one I would say is worth learning). But if the meeting is larger/more involved, I'll delegate the notetaking so that I can ensure the meeting flows. Then I'll do a pass afterwards, mostly focused on extracting key points. I'm notorious for being a stickler on format and color. A yellow highlight is not the same as a blue highlight 🟡🔵 Everyone loves have something to look at during the meeting, whether that is bullet points on a page, a technical drawing, or a timeline view of the schedule. Bonus points if you are building up the artifact live, during the meeting. Taking good meeting notes is: 》A strategic tool to for building clarity and alignment during the meeting. 》A form of respect to those that couldn't attend the live meeting. 》A record of discussions and decisions that everyone can refer to in the future (note: for heavier meetings, get the notes signed by representatives so they represent agreement) Also...recordings are not equal to notes. If you held a meeting, I don't want to watch the 2-hour recording, just give me the three bullets that I need to know and what I need to do next. #fieldnotes #notes

Want more productive workshops? Try stopping them sooner. Workshops often lock people in a room for two or three hours and expect them to do their best thinking on demand. Do we really have to hold people hostage to be productive? Lately, I’ve been using a technique I call "Echo Sessions." Instead of forcing deep work to happen in real time, we kickstart an activity, get clarity, but then stop just as people are getting into it. That pause is intentional. It’s based on the same principle as the Pomodoro technique—when you leave something unfinished while still feeling engaged, you'll find it easy to return to it later and give it space to percolate. Instead of dragging out a long workshop, I schedule an Echo Session later—often in the same day—where everyone brings their independent or small group work back for discussion, iteration, and action. Why does this work? ✅ Encourages Deep Work – People get time to think, research, or create in their own way, rather than being forced into artificial collaboration. ✅ Optimizes Meeting Time – Workshops should be for shared understanding, decision-making, and iteration—not for quiet focus time. ✅ Respects Different Work Styles – Some need time to walk and think. Others need to sketch. Some want to research or tap into AI. Echo Sessions give people time and space to work in the way that’s best for them. ✅ Creates Natural Momentum – Stopping at a high-energy moment makes people want to continue later, giving them space to create, rather than leaving them drained from a marathon session. ✅ Reduces Calendar Lockdowns – Instead of monopolizing hours at a time, work is distributed more effectively and meetings are only used when necessary. Most importantly, this approach treats participants like adults. It gives them flexibility and agency while ensuring that meetings serve a clear, valuable purpose. We don’t need long workshops. We need better workshops. Curious—how do you approach workshop fatigue? Would this work in your team?

🤐 "Dead Air" on Zoom? It’s Not Disengagement — It’s Cultural. 🌏 Your global team is brilliant, but meetings are met with silence. You ask for input, and… nothing. It’s not that they don’t care. It’s cultural. In many cultures, challenging a leader publicly can feel disrespectful. Speaking up might risk "losing face." So, instead of collaboration, you get cautious nods, and critical ideas die quietly. 💥 The cost? Missed feedback, hidden conflicts, derailed timelines, and talent feeling unseen and unheard. But it doesn’t have to be this way. 🚀 Here’s how to encourage real participation and build trust across cultures — starting today. 1️⃣ Invite opinions privately first. Many cultures value privacy and may hesitate to disagree publicly. Before the meeting, send out an agenda and ask for input by email or private chat. This gives team members time to reflect and feel safer sharing. 2️⃣ Create "round robin" sharing moments. During the call, explicitly invite each person to share, one by one. Use phrases like: "I’d love to hear a quick insight from everyone, no wrong answers." This reduces the fear of interrupting or "stepping out of line." 3️⃣ Model vulnerability as a leader. Share your own uncertainties or challenges first. For example: "I’m not sure this is the best approach — I’d really value your perspective." When you show it’s safe to be open, your team will follow. 4️⃣ Acknowledge and validate contributions publicly. After someone shares, affirm them clearly. For example: "Thank you for that perspective — it really helps us see this from a new angle." This builds psychological safety and encourages future participation. 5️⃣ Use cultural "mirroring" techniques. Mirror verbal and non-verbal cues appropriate to different cultures (e.g., nodding, using supportive phrases). Show respect for varying communication styles instead of forcing a "one-size-fits-all" dynamic. ✨Imagine meetings where every voice is heard and your team’s full potential is unlocked. Ready to stop the silence and turn diversity into your superpower? #CulturalCompetence #GlobalLeadership #InclusiveTeams #PsychologicalSafety #CrossCulturalCommunication 

Anyone can think better if you explore perspectives: That's what Edward de Bono figured out. At Microsoft, I needed a way to run better meetings, manage conflict, make better decisions, and basically think better in any situation. I turned to Six Thinking Hats, and I consumed Edward de Bono's shelf of books. Six Thinking Hats is a way to think better, together. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝘅 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗚𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 Each imaginary "hat" represents a perspective to explore and exploit: 1. 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝘁: Facts & Data (Focuses on objective information) 2. 𝗥𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝘁: Emotions & Intuition (Focuses on feelings and gut reactions) 3. 𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗛𝗮𝘁: Caution & Criticism (Focuses on potential risks and drawbacks) 4. 𝗬𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗛𝗮𝘁: Benefits & Optimism (Focuses on positive aspects and opportunities) 5. 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝘁: Creativity & New Ideas (Focuses on generating innovative solutions) 6. 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝘁: Control & Process (Focuses on managing the discussion and thinking process) You can use the Six Thinking Hats to think better by yourself. But the power comes when you think better together and swarm through a topic. 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 By default, people tend to argue a point or favor a side or one perspective. With Six Thinking Hats, you do Parallel Thinking. With Parallel Thinking, everyone involved considers the situation or problem from the same perspective at the same time. I've used Six Thinking Hats to turn hostile meetings at Microsoft into true team collaboration. 𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗶𝘅 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗜 / 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗚𝗣𝗧 The beauty now is that you can use AI to help you with Six Thinking Hats. First practice so you know how to use the Six Hats, then apply to meetings. Here's how to prompt ChatGPT to help you with Six Thinking Hats: 1. 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲: • Introduce the Problem: Briefly explain the situation or problem you're facing. • Introduce Six Thinking Hats: Provide a high-level overview of the Six Thinking Hats method and its different perspectives (White, Red, Black, Yellow, Green, Blue). 2. 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗛𝗮𝘁: • 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝘁: Clearly state which thinking hat you want ChatGPT to use for its response. (e.g., "Using the White Hat, summarize the key facts and data relevant to this issue.") • 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 (Optional): If necessary, offer additional details or questions specific to the chosen hat. (e.g., "For the Black Hat, consider the potential impact on the budget and timeline.") 3. 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝘂𝗽 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘀: • 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁: "Building on the Black Hat perspective, what are some mitigation strategies we could consider?" • 𝗥𝗼𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗛𝗮𝘁𝘀: Repeat the process for each hat, allowing ChatGPT to generate responses from different viewpoints. Think better my friend, with skill!

To my fellow EAs - let's talk meeting minutes. A few tips below: 🛠 Before the Meeting: - Know the agenda: Get a copy ahead of time. You'll anticipate key points. - Set up a simple template: — saves you from scrambling. - Clarify roles: Know who’s leading the meeting and who the key decision-makers are. 🗒 During the Meeting: - Capture major points, not every word: Focus on decisions made, key discussions, and assigned tasks — not side conversations or exact quotes. - Use bullet points: They're faster to write and easier to read later. - Identify action items clearly: Write what needs to happen, who’s responsible, and by when. - Mark follow-ups: If something is undecided, flag it for next time. - Stay neutral: Don’t add personal opinions or interpretations. 🛠 After the Meeting: - Clean up right away: Don’t wait — fresh memory = better notes. - Summarize clearly: Reword any messy notes into clean, short sentences. - Send it out quickly: Ideally the same day or the next morning, while things are still fresh for everyone. - Highlight key decisions and tasks: Bold or bullet them so people can skim easily. 🧠 Bonus Quick Tips: - Bring a laptop if you type faster than you write (I prefer writing) - If you’re unsure about something (like a decision), ask during the meeting: "Just to confirm, are we agreeing to [this decision]?" - Develop shorthand: "AI" for Action Item, "D" for Decision, "F/U" for Follow-Up. What would you add?

Do you have trouble getting the entire team to participate in group discussions, brainstorming sessions, etc.? To get people talking in group settings, create a safe and inclusive atmosphere. Here's how: 1. Set Ground Rules: Make it clear that all opinions are valued and that it's a judgment-free zone. 2. Small Talk First: Warm up with light topics so folks get comfortable speaking. 3. Use Open-Ended Questions: Questions that can't be answered with just "yes" or "no" open up the floor for more detailed discussion. 4. Direct Invitations: Sometimes people just need a nudge. Call on them directly but offer an easy out like, "Feel free to pass." 5. Silent Moments: Pause and allow silence. This gives people time to gather their thoughts and often encourages quieter folks to chime in. 6. Positive Reinforcement: When someone does speak up, validate their contribution, even if it's just a simple "great point." 7. Anonymity: Use tools or methods that let people contribute anonymously. Then discuss the anonymous points as a group. 8. Break into Smaller Groups: Big settings can be intimidating. Smaller group discussions can make it easier for people to open up. 9. Rotate Roles: Give different team members the role of facilitator or note-taker in each meeting to encourage active participation. 10. Follow-Up: If someone doesn't speak up but you think they have valuable insights, follow up privately. They may be more comfortable sharing one-on-one. Remember, the goal is not to pressure people into speaking but to make it easier for them to do so if they wish. #leadership #teambuilding #communication