4 Tips for Enhancing Remote Brainstorms
By Lisa Bodell for Forbes
Organizations across America are now considering WFH a permanent reality — or at least the default through 2020 — and re-imagining their approach to everything from onboarding to technology and infrastructure. As a futurist helping companies anticipate and embrace change for more than a decade, I’ve witnessed firsthand the challenges of innovating in times of uncertainty.Working remotely comes with logistical challenges for nearly every aspect of the innovation process, but idea generation shouldn’t be one of them. From modified icebreakers to virtual whiteboarding, explore the proven tips below and apply one or more when you host your next brainstorm.
Come with at least one original idea. Most of us know that including a specific session goal (i.e. “identify three new audiences for X product or Y service”) and links to relevant research or imagery is a best practice. In addition, consider asking that each attendee joins the brainstorm with an already generated idea or solution. Solo ideation often leads to a more diverse pool of ideas, according to a study referenced by Harvard Business Review, and it allows the group to invest more time in collectively building out ideas.
Warm up with an icebreaker. To change up the usual structure of meetings — and open participants’ minds to creativity — introduce an icebreaker called “Tattoo You.”