brainstorming 101

hi.

Amy LovettPeople Operations (POPs) @ HuffPost

Design school

Design school + Hip ad agency

Design school + Hip ad agency + Palo Alto

Brainstorming =

Brainstorming = Process planning +

Brainstorming = Process planning +Understanding people +

Brainstorming = Process planning +Understanding people +Public Speaking +

Brainstorming = Process planning +Understanding people +Public Speaking +Chutzpah!

Plan

Plan > Who?

The magic number is 5-10.

Plan > Who?

The magic number is 5-10.

•8 people

Plan > Who?

Know your audience.

•8 people

Plan > Who?

Know your audience.

•8 people•Editors

Plan > What?

What do you want to accomplish?

•8 people•Editors

Plan > What?

What do you want to accomplish?

•8 people•Editors•New directions for the Cats vertical

Plan > What?

What do you need?

•8 people•Editors•New directions for the Cats vertical

Plan > What?

What do you need?

•8 people•Editors•New directions for the Cats vertical•Post Its, Sharpies, whiteboard/big Post It paper, snacks

Plan > How?

How much time?

•8 people•Editors•New directions for the Cats vertical•Post Its, Sharpies, whiteboard/big Post It paper, snacks

Plan > How?

How much time?

•8 people•Editors•New directions for the Cats vertical•Post Its, Sharpies, whiteboard/big Post It paper, snacks•2 hours

Plan > When?

When will it be?

•8 people•Editors•New directions for the Cats vertical•Post Its, Sharpies, whiteboard/big Post It paper, snacks•2 hours

Plan > When?

When will it be?

•8 people•Editors•New directions for the Cats vertical•Post Its, Sharpies, whiteboard/big Post It paper, snacks•2 hours•Week to prepare

Plan > Where?

Where will it be held?

•8 people•Editors•New directions for the Cats vertical•Post Its, Sharpies, whiteboard/big Post It paper, snacks•2 hours•Week to prepare

Plan > Where?

Where will it be held?

•8 people•Editors•New directions for the Cats vertical•Post Its, Sharpies, whiteboard/big Post It paper, snacks•2 hours•Week to prepare•Conference room

Plan > The Flow

•8 people•Editors•New directions for the Cats vertical•Post Its, Sharpies, whiteboard/big Post It paper, snacks•2 hours•Week to prepare•Conference room

Warm Up5-10 min.

Plan > The Flow

•8 people•Editors•New directions for the Cats vertical•Post Its, Sharpies, whiteboard/big Post It paper, snacks•2 hours•Week to prepare•Conference room

Warm Up

•Apples to apples•Pass the ball•Bodystorming•Insert favorite icebreaker here

5-10 min.

Plan > The Flow

•8 people•Editors•New directions for the Cats vertical•Post Its, Sharpies, whiteboard/big Post It paper, snacks•2 hours•Week to prepare•Conference room

Warm Up

•Apples to apples•Pass the ball•Bodystorming•Insert favorite icebreaker here

5-10 min.

Activity15 min.

Plan > The Flow

•8 people•Editors•New directions for the Cats vertical•Post Its, Sharpies, whiteboard/big Post It paper, snacks•2 hours•Week to prepare•Conference room

Warm Up

•Apples to apples•Pass the ball•Bodystorming•Insert favorite icebreaker here

5-10 min.

Activity15 min.

•Empathy hats•Group competitive analysis

Plan > The Flow

•8 people•Editors•New directions for the Cats vertical•Post Its, Sharpies, whiteboard/big Post It paper, snacks•2 hours•Week to prepare•Conference room

Warm Up

•Apples to apples•Pass the ball•Bodystorming•Insert favorite icebreaker here

5-10 min.

Activity15 min.

•Empathy hats•Group competitive analysis

How Might We45 min.

Plan > The Flow

•8 people•Editors•New directions for the Cats vertical•Post Its, Sharpies, whiteboard/big Post It paper, snacks•2 hours•Week to prepare•Conference room

Warm Up

•Apples to apples•Pass the ball•Bodystorming•Insert favorite icebreaker here

5-10 min.

Activity15 min.

•Empathy hats•Group competitive analysis

How Might We45 min.

•Big, but not too big

Plan > The Flow

•8 people•Editors•New directions for the Cats vertical•Post Its, Sharpies, whiteboard/big Post It paper, snacks•2 hours•Week to prepare•Conference room

Warm Up

•Apples to apples•Pass the ball•Bodystorming•Insert favorite icebreaker here

5-10 min.

Activity15 min.

•Empathy hats•Group competitive analysis

How Might We45 min.

•Big, but not too big

Diagram!45 min.

Plan > The Flow

•8 people•Editors•New directions for the Cats vertical•Post Its, Sharpies, whiteboard/big Post It paper, snacks•2 hours•Week to prepare•Conference room

Warm Up

•Apples to apples•Pass the ball•Bodystorming•Insert favorite icebreaker here

5-10 min.

Activity15 min.

•Empathy hats•Group competitive analysis

How Might We45 min.

•Big, but not too big

Diagram!45 min.

Wrap Up5 min.

Plan > The Flow

•8 people•Editors•New directions for the Cats vertical•Post Its, Sharpies, whiteboard/big Post It paper, snacks•2 hours•Week to prepare•Conference room

Plan > A few days before

•8 people•Editors•New directions for the Cats vertical•Post Its, Sharpies, whiteboard/big Post It paper, snacks•2 hours•Week to prepare•Conference room

Test the activities

Plan > The Day

•8 people•Editors•New directions for the Cats vertical•Post Its, Sharpies, whiteboard/big Post It paper, snacks•2 hours•Week to prepare•Conference room

Prepare the room

Facilitate

Facilitate

Stay calm.

Facilitate

Listen. A lot.

Facilitate

Be engaged, but objective.

Facilitate

It’s okay if something goes wrong.

Facilitate

Synthesize

Synthesize

Collect and organize.

Synthesize

Affinity diagrams are awesome.

Synthesize

Know your product.

Synthesize

Read in between the lines.

Collaborate.

Synthesize

Synthesize

Synthesize

Synthesize

Synthesize

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Examples

Examples > Warm Ups

Bodystorming

Examples > Activity

Many Hats.

Examples > HMW

How might we revolutionize gaming on the tablet?

How might we motivate our employees?

How might we use motorcycles in our logo to improve our brand?

Examples > HMW

How might we revolutionize gaming on the tablet?

How might we motivate our employees?

How might we use motorcycles in our logo to improve our brand?

Examples > Diagram

Examples > Matrix

Examples > Flow

Examples > Resources

http://www.hcdconnect.org/methods/

Examples > Resources

http://www.openideo.com/

Examples > Resources

http://www.jpb.com/creative/act.phphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainstorming

?amy@huffingtonpost.com