Creating Ideas in a Group Setting

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!

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