Brainstorming Do’s and Don’ts

Working in a creative environment, we at Envoy find it useful — no, crucial — to our projects to hold brainstorming sessions. They are the perfect way to get the creativity flowing, and you never know what great idea will pop up during those sessions. Here, I offer a few tips for a successful brainstorming session.

Do invite everyone. Sometimes a different perspective brings a fresh approach, even if the person is not in the loop on the project.

Don’t criticize or minimize the importance or validity of any ideas. This just squashes the creativity.

Do make it fun! We try to hold brainstorming sessions at fun places or over lunch. Getting people out of the office does wonders for outside-the-box thinking.

Don’t expect to leave with the perfect idea, or the answer. Often, we take the top ideas and work them together for a great result.

Do hold brainstorming sessions often. Brainstorming gets people thinking about the big picture, not just their pieces of the pie.

Don’t bring existing ideas or concepts to the table. This encourages little “fresh thinking.”

Do write down every idea. After the brainstorming session, ideas that at first may have seemed irrelevant often work their way back into the final result.