Who Should I Invite To A Brainstorm?

A critical aspect of running an effective brainstorm is the consideration of who to invite

. It's not a cattle call, nor should it be random. You want specific people, or people with specific skills. Depending upon the type and style of the brainstorm, four to eight people is ideal. Who should you invite?

1. You, the brainstorm host. As the person with the most knowledge and experience with the topic, you're necessary as the positive guide toward the ideas you need.

However - and this is a big however - you should only be there if you can behave yourself. Unfortunately, in about half the brainstorms I've either conducted or attended, the brainstorm sponsor shouldn't have been allowed in the room. Consciously or unconsciously, they sabotaged their own meeting by bringing along their negativity or criticisms well before the final stage of the brainstorm where the group begins the "3 -Fys" (clarifying, amplifying and verifiying) to find the best ideas.

Also, this blanket invitation to you does not necessarily extend to members of your team, department or account team. Often these people are the most negative group of all because they've been worn down over time by frustration with the situation, management or the client. Give your colleagues a mental break. If you want new ideas, you need new people - or, a strong facilitator and/or environment to allow them to be re-freshed to create new ideas.

2. People with considerable knowledge of either or both the purpose or key issues. Think of people who have specific insight into the objective, topic or key issues - but who are not necessarily members of the department or account team. Look to other internal departments, other account teams, or simply "other people." The focus should be on finding fresh brains.

My good friend Gregg - now a retired facilitator in Chicago - used a system we jokingly called "Rent-A-Nuts." He simply turned to his Rolodex to find 4-5 people in specific industries which he might ask to attend a brainstorm. This often required the client to pay for additional participants, but you probably have many of these people within your own networks, and more so, within your own organisation.

3. People who fit the target profile. These people are your living-and-breathing target audience. Or, they're peolpe who immediately understand, appreciate or communicate how the ideas may be perceived or implemented. Or, people who have similar or relevant experience.

4. Prolific idea people. These are individuals who can let fly a dizzying volume of ideas ... 90 percent of which will be utterly useless, silly, unnecessary, illegal or unimplementable and 10 percent which will be terrific, WOW, shocking, thrilling, compelling. In other words, exactly what you want.

by: Andy Eklund

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