Before you strap yourself in, preparing to download the total power of your creative mind in one great flood of notions, suppositions, fantasies, dreams, worries, predictions, probabilities, impossibilities and desires, perhaps you should spend a few moments getting organized? Although it is brave and noble to spontaneously grab a pen, tear out a sheet of paper and simply launch oneself into a strenuous, wide-open, brainstorming session, it’s not really the best way to capture great ideas. In fact, it actually seems a little desperate… The truth is, when you take some time to organize your brainstorming sessions, you are telling yourself – and your teammates – that you expect results. You’re sure you’re going to be overwhelmed with vast quantities of sparkling, original notions, and you want to be ready. Setting up these kinds of expectations can only bode well for your slowly gathering idea-hurricane!
Traditional
It’s lean and mean, but sitting down with a stack of Post-It notes and a pen can be all you need to get organized in your brainstorming, and get results! As with any brainstorming session, you want the initial period of idea-generating to be uncensored, uninterrupted and undisturbed. Once you’ve been able to generate a pile of ideas, the notes will help you to get organized quickly. Rearrange the notes on a table or wall, where they can all be seen clearly. You can even rewrite ideas on different colored notes if that seems necessary. Arrange the notes into a traditional paragraph outline and your plan of action will practically complete itself!
The Soft Sell
Yes, it’s true. It seems that there is a software application – or hundreds of them – for every task nowadays, and brainstorming is no exception. In fact, there are a multitude of applications out there that promise to improve your efficiency as an idea-engine. Google it, you’ll see! You may feel that spending money on brainstorming software seems like a waste of cash. The truth is, shelling out for these new tools might save you time – which is also money. It is also likely that your competitors are plugged in, and you should be too. Like any tool, brainstorming software is what you make of it. Shop around, ask questions and find the applications that are right for you and your team. Not only can these implements assist you in idea generation, they can offer an array of organizing capabilities that will help you make the most of your newly-enabled inspirations.
The Perfect Storm
In the movie The Perfect Storm, George Clooney and crew re-enacted the real-life shipwreck of a fishing boat, caught in the middle of a confluence of deadly storms. What is better than a great brainstorming session? Well, two great brainstorming sessions – of course! Many new Internet sites allow groups to share brainstorming sessions, organizing tips, and inspirational strategies. If you’ve never searched for these kinds of sites, take the time. Many of them offer an array of effective, imaginative mapping functions that will allow you to organize your thoughts in any number of patterns. You can also find sites that allow you to tap into thousands of other sessions about your topic, maximizing the effectiveness of your time and your results.
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