Brainstorming 101

For 35 years, the Post-it® Brand has been synonymous with brainstorms—big and small. While the general concept of brainstorming is nothing new, following some general guidelines can help maximize your session’s output. Here are a few “rules” to help keep your team focused, excited and productive.

Keep comments positive. One of the biggest disruptors to an otherwise great brainstorm is negative feedback. Instead of disagreeing with an idea, turn your attention on how to build on it or shape it in a new way.

Working in a beige office? Add a pop of color with some bright Post-it® Super Sticky Notes. Short on space? Collect ideas on Post-it® Easel Pads. Knowing the parameters of when and where your brainstorm is taking place makes all the difference when generating ideas and energy from your team.

Your session hits upon something genius. Congrats—but don’t get lost in that idea quite yet. Continue to let your creative session percolate and you can come back to the “realities” of that particular idea later. Who knows—you might just hit on an idea that’s even stronger.

Ideas are at their strongest when they forget about the past and instead invent the future. Withstand the impulse to kill an idea based on what has or hasn’t worked in the past and consider what can reshape today and even solve for tomorrow.

Sure, you might not be a Picasso but nothing helps an idea take hold like a picture. So draw, sketch and share. Use Post-it® Products to help translate what’s in your brain—whether it’s a new process or illustrating a word that keeps screaming out to you.