We are forever challenged to come up with ideas – the best ideas. We’ve built a business around this, after all. Adam Grant explains the value of brainwriting – the process of generating ideas individually and then gathering to evaluate the most promising solutions.
The process of brainwriting requires individual team members to work solo. Each must have a clear grasp of the problem they are trying to solve and do the necessary research prior to gathering as a group, but more importantly it ensures everyone has the opportunity to participate in the ideation exercise. We’ve all been in that meeting where one or two people have all the ideas, when in reality, they are just the loudest or most confident.
By integrating brainwriting into our ideation practice, everyone has an equal voice – and then, when we come together as a group we can evaluate ideas baed on relevance and feasibility:
- Does it align with the client’s goals and objectives?
- Will it resonate with the target audience?
- Is it SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound)?
This process generates more good and bad ideas – but the collective judgement brings the best ones to life.
The brainwriting process makes sure that all ideas are brought to the table and all voices are brought into the conversation. The goal isn’t to be the smartest person in the room—it’s to make the room smarter.
time.com/...
