Brains For Hire: How to run brainstorms and solve problems creatively

"You can't solve the problem with the thinking that created the problem"  Albert Einstein.

If that's the case, how long should you sit and try to find a solution?

That was the first thing we were told at the IPA's morning energiser on 'How to run brainstorms and solve problems creatively' with Mia Kennedy. A fairly simple question, but no one gave the same answer.

I am a designer and have only really sat in on a few brainstorming sessions with a big group and sometimes found them unstructured, unplanned or unmotivated, and sometimes no real convincing or solid idea that everyone understands came out of them. 

A new perspective on brainstorming

The morning started with an overview of how this method of brainstorm planning works and the order in which it runs to best maintain a productive flow. They also explained how the process had to be flexible enough that parts can be omitted if time, understanding or the need for a full blown brainstorm aren't required.

Another nugget was the roles that are played by the people in the brainstorming session - ie the FACILITATOR, PROBLEM OWNER (P.O.) and the RESOURCE.

FACILITATOR: can be anyone in the session other than the P.O., but the key point of this person's role is that they don't contribute to the meeting at all, they steer it along and write down and record the comments for the session.

P.O.: this can be the client, or the account handler or project manager, but this person MUST have the ability to actually effect the outcome of the session.

RESOURCE: or the brains for hire, as they were called. These can be anyone, anyone who knows the client in question, or the job - but importantly, it can be someone who knows nothing about the client or job, and these people could actually bring more productivity to the session as they won't be restricted to ideas, as they have no preconceptions. And their role is to contribute ideas, pose questions and be able to think freely with no restriction in the session (There's no such thing as a bad idea).

One fairly interesting process that was used was something called 'forward and backward planning.' Now I had heard of this but never looked into what it was about or how it works.

The forward and backward planning is a starting point where, with the Headline problem brought to the brainstorming session is written down in a H2 (how to) or IW (I wish) statement - then by the facilitator asking what issues would be resolved by answering this headline problem and what benefits can it give by answering the headline problem. This then highlights a more resolved/clear/different headline question that could help in the brainstorming session.

Love, marriage and problem resolution

I was asked to give an example for this, and as I am getting married I was asked to give my headline problem. So I said.....

'H2 have less stress with wedding planning'

My backward planning (what issues would be resolved) was 'reduces conversations on wedding planning' and 'less frustration with planning' and forward planning (what benefits can it give) was 'we don't have to go over old ground' and 'feel more comfortable to explore ideas without adding frustration or commitment to an idea'.

For me I realised that the last comment in the forward planning was actually the main issue of the stress. So now the facilitator said, the headline problem has now changed from 'H2 have less stress with wedding planning' to 'H2 feel more comfortable to explore ideas without adding frustration or commitment to an idea'. This was then taken into the further stages of the brainstorming process.

Anyway, enough about me.

After listening to and using Mia's processes in the morning energiser, I realised that a brainstorm can be fruitful without having to be too long - that by structuring ideas into a 'frameworked' statement that it gets the contributor to actually think before they speak and means that all that brainstorm meeting waffle should disappear, and a more exciting, energetic and productive brainstorm session can be had. If this sounds like something interesting to you, Mia can come and run a session for you.  

Why wouldn't you?