3 Ideas for Collaborative Brainstorming Sessions

It's game time at Kuno, so join in the Mad Lib fun! First, list one of each of the following: Noun, Adjective, Name of a Room (i.e. library), Adjective and Name of Kuno Employee. Now plug them in and see what type of story you can tell with just a little creativity!

There’s a __(noun)__ in the office!

It was a clear,  __(adjective)__ morning when everyone came in to the Kuno office. Little did they suspect that there was a crocodile lurking in the __(name a room)__!  With their __(adjective)__ skills they were able to fend off the beast but not before it ate __(name of employee)__.

Saddened by their loss, the Kuno team wrote a blog post in honor of their memory.

The Moral of the Story

When you’re feeling stuck creatively, for a blog post topic or a way to code something, a great way to get unstuck is to turn to brainstorming with colleagues for new ideas. Even if the ideas sound silly or not relevant—sometimes they can lead to great outcomes you would have missed before.

3 Ideas for Collaborative Brainstorming Sessions

1. Give everyone a word to define in a new way. Sometimes the hardest part about thinking creatively is to think in a new way. Sometimes, referred to as "out of the box," but more often, it’s just getting out of your own head. By handing out a word that everyone knows well, like “carrot,” you can come up with some pretty zany inspirations to get the juices flowing and start thinking in a new way.
2. Get out of your element. The office can be a great space to work with others, but sometimes you need to physically move out so that you can keep thinking about new ideas. Let everyone take a five-minute walk and discuss the idea outside while you move. Getting your whole body involved in the thinking process can lead to a different frame of mind. Truth be told, some of the employees here have push up contests during short breaks!
3. Draw it out. When words aren’t coming to you, go back to the basics of drawing pictures. Have a white board in the office? Play Pictionary, hangman or some other game in teams to get everyone excited! Make it fun—and the fun will come.

When thinking about the task at hand is overwhelming or seems impossible to achieve, sometimes not thinking about it—and trying other avenues for creativity—will open up to the best ideas yet.

What are some of your best brainstorming ideas? Also, what words did you use to complete the Mad Lib above—fill it in in the comments below! 

photo credit: akeg