More often than not, if requested to come up with a good idea, you're going to have to do this in a group setting. At work or as part of an organization, it's common to give problems to teams or committees. Even in personal matters, it's not uncommon to want to bounce ideas off of someone else. 

It can be challenging, especially if you're not used to working in a group setting. What are some quick and easy ways to create ideas when working with others?

Start with a Goal
How can you possibly expect to work together with anyone if you're not clear on what the goal is? Start by making sure you're all on the same page. What exactly are you trying to accomplish? 

Create Ground Rules
The most important one? There are no such things as bad ideas. While this should go without saying, there will always be one person in a group quick to put down an idea for being too silly or unrelated to the topic. Nip this in the bud sooner rather than later.

Embrace Differences
You are all going to see things in very different ways. You all come from different backgrounds, which means you should have different perspectives. Allow everyone to express their thoughts without interruption, giving careful consideration to what they have to say. They might have something very unique in their point of view, which will offer a solution.

Use Lists Wisely
Because you have more than one idea being presented, start writing them down somewhere where everyone can see. Now instead of looking for the solution out of this list of ideas, instead ask if any of these ideas can be combined to create a new solution. By using lists as a jumping-off point, instead of a menu of ideas to pick from, you might come up with something which suits the solution better.

Stop
If you jump right into a brainstorming session, you're only going to see the obvious. Instead, give everyone some time to consider the problem before offering ideas. Begin brainstorming only when everyone has had a chance to get their thoughts together.

Play a Game
Take advantage of groupthink by using an exercise in brainstorming such as forcing relationships, creating mind maps, or reverse engineering. By exploring things using even something simple such as word associations or swapping out of attributes, you'll drive all kinds of ideas from those within the group, giving you a great selection of ideas to work with.

As with any session dedicated to creating ideas, remember to try to keep the tone light and fun. Anytime you start stressing over finding ideas, they're going to be harder to pin down. Keep a supportive atmosphere for the best results and enjoy the process. Remember, groupthink is supposed to be fun!

When I greeted Major General Rich Staats upon his arrival for our chamber's monthly luncheon, I told him that I was amazed he was actually here. His response? "Mark, you asked and it is my honor to be here". I already new I had connected with an extraordinary man before his arrival, but from that moment on, it became more evident.

I take a lot of pride in working on our monthly luncheons, and when you average 150+ in attendance, you want it to be a great experience for all. For our July luncheon I wanted to have a patriotic all-American theme. I couldn't remember a time that we had connected with our active duty military so I started to research military bases nearby and found the Army's 75th Innovation Command located in Houston. Innovation sounded like a perfect topic for a business membership organization so I found the Commanding General's name and connected with him on LinkedIn. This is where I did it... I asked.

After the connection was made, I sent MG Staats a message asking if he would consider being our guest speaker. I received his response that he would but we would need to go through proper channels to get it cleared with the Attorney General. After getting that approval I connected with MG Staats virtually so we could go over the program. It was then I learned something I was not expecting. It went something like this:

MG Staats: "Hi Mark, I'm glad we are testing the virtual format before the event."
Me: "General, I have you as being our guest speaker in person."
MG Staats: "Mark, I'm in Washington D.C."
Me: After picking my jaw up from the floor, "Can we work on some alternatives then?"
MG Staats: "First, let me see what I can do to make this happen. I'll let you know by noon tomorrow."

As you can see I assumed the Commanding General was in Houston and learned that was not the case at all. The result however, is where I learned I was not dealing with what one might perceive as a Commanding General. I connected with a genuine man who's purpose was to serve. That became crystal clear when he let me know he would be flying in from Washington D.C. just to speak at our luncheon and would return home that same day.

At our luncheon the General talked about his purpose and plans after retirement. I feel this story is nowhere near being over but you need to remember how it all started... I asked.
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• Learn more about Richard C. Staats, Ph.D. here
• Register to meet him in person as the guest speaker for the Greater EMC Chamber luncheon on 11/2/22