F

acilitating a brainstorm session is truly a specific competence. It requires both rigour and flexibility, authority and empathy, creativity and a method. 

1Carefully prepare the creative meeting with the project manager.                   

Clarify three crucial questions :

- What is the current situation ?
- What is the desired situation ?
- What are the obstacles preventing everyone from achieving the desired situation?

2Establish a precise agenda for the meeting in function of the time available. 

Assure a good balance between the divergent phase – the production of ideas - and the convergent phase – the assessment of ideas and the elaboration of solutions

3Carefully choose the participants, they and they alone will provide the creative ideas.

Make sure that there is a good balance between specialists, generalists and ‘candid’ personalities.

4Clearly explain the goal, the process and the agenda of the creative meeting.

Firmly insist on the importance of the operational rules, and the fact that they should be respected throughout. Especially the « absence of a critical judgment » during the divergent phase is important. 

5Only the facilitator is in charge of facilitating the meeting.

Thus you cannot propose any ideas or suggestions – not a single one ! – during the meeting. Concentrate exclusively on helping your group, and make sure that everybody is participating actively.

6Read ideas out loud so that participants can respond to the ideas of their colleagues.

Above all, do not comment or judge the quality or the originality of the ideas yourself.

7Ask participants to explore new routes by using creativity techniques.

8Keep an eye on your watch and follow the agenda flexibly.