How to make everybody get a good idea
Read why some employees stay silent - and how you ensure that EVERYBODY can get good ideas.
If you have worked with idea generation or held brainstorms, you may have found it difficult to get participants to contribute. Maybe there is one or two employees who would very much like to speak - but there are several employees who are reluctant and do not come up with anything. And sometimes you find that those who know the most say the least.
This typically happens if you do too little to STIMULATE idea generation.
You can not expect an employee or colleague to get a good idea on command - just because we have set aside time and written "idea generation" on the board. Many will experience a pressure to say something ingenious. And it often INHIBITS both the creativity and quality of the ideas that emerge. That pressure cannot be removed by saying that "the word is free" - or that "now everyone should just say what's on their mind".
It requires a PROCESS that puts the participants' knowledge and experience in focus - BEFORE asking for ideas and suggestions.
In addition, the participants' brains are filled with a lot of urgent tasks and frustrations. It must be parked!
Otherwise, they will only get ideas about what they are preoccupied with at this very moment.
At Benelizer® Ideation Workshop, we have a thoroughly tested stimulation process that ensures that everyone can contribute constructively - regardless of personality type, temperament and today's mood. The process also includes a systematic mapping of opportunities for action, which stimulates the participants' creativity before formulating their ideas. In this way, we neutralize the pressure, target attention, and stimulate creativity.