Introverts rule in brainstorming
Is this your experience of brainstorming sessions? (Photo courtesy of Inc.)
It’s time to improve the model for brainstorming sessions
Think about brainstorming sessions you’ve been in. Often it’s the loudest people, the people who gesture the most wildly, the ones who make sure their idea is heard above everyone else’s, that have the biggest influence. This is what we picture as traditional brainstorming, but it’s no longer the model we should strive to live up to.
Even with all my years’ experience facilitating creative problem-solving, it didn’t hit me until recently that traditional brainstorming sessions, with outcomes based on who can talk the loudest, is not the most efficient way to get the best ideas on the table. That’s not to say that we should throw away the traditional model, rather that it’s time to improve it. There’s one specific reason for this, which is rooted in neurodiversity.
How “-troverts” fare in brainstorming sessions
The ever-expanding knowledge in neurodiversity shows that it’s important to cater for differences in “-troverts”, that is, introverts and extroverts.
Neuroscientist Friederike Fabritius points out that “being the most talkative person in the room may be a good way to get people’s attention, but it doesn’t necessarily mean [they] have the best ideas.” By the same token, just because someone doesn’t contribute ideas doesn’t mean that they have no ideas… they just can’t get a word in edgeways. While extroverts are good at capturing attention, introverts, says Fabritius, think more and can focus longer. These are excellent traits when it comes to seeking new, more effective ideas.
It’s time for team managers to facilitate ideating sessions in such a way that provides an environment where all voices find it easy and safe to participate and contribute ideas.
Introvert-friendly ideating
Part 1 – Instruct everyone to work independently before the meeting rather than during it… 3-5 days beforehand is a good window. Make sure people know what the problem or opportunity is, the goal for the meeting, and how many ideas they should bring to the meeting.
Part 2 – At the beginning of the meeting, start with a warm-up activity to help people relax, give everyone a voice, and encourage curiosity.
Part 3 – At the start of the ideating session, make sure everyone has an opportunity to contribute their ideas by getting agreement on ground rules.
Part 4 – At the end of the meeting, give people the last part of the assignment… take all the ideas away and sit with them for another 3-5 days, then regroup and allow everyone to contribute their feedback, especially those concepts that they think could be developed into a winning idea.
Hate long meetings?
Many introverts are not fans of meetings. Introvert-friendly ideating will also help shorten meetings, which everyone should be happy about! Let go of the idea that everyone has to be invited to every meeting so that they don’t feel left out.
Want to get noticed for your brainstorming facilitation skills?
You’ll learn more tips like these, as well as brainstorming tools that will help your team come up with new ideas, making you a highly valued manager in the process, in our small group coaching program “Rockstar Managers”. Head on over to our info page to learn more. Questions? Contact me at Ellia@ThePotentialCenter.com and we’ll arrange a time to talk.
I develop newly minted managers who want to stand out and become highly valued. I show them how to lead a team that comes up with solutions no one else could see before.
If you’d like to see what tapping into creative potential could look like at your place of work, contact me at Ellia@ThePotentialCenter.com to arrange a no-obligation call.