Guidelines for Effective Brainstorming |
|
| The purpose of a brainstorming session is, through group participation, to generate as many ideas as possible to address an issue or opportunity, and then decide on the best ideas for follow-up action. Consider substituting a brainstorming session for one society board meeting each year, and then setting aside some time at subsequent meetings to discuss implementing the best ideas. Prepared by Hal Bookbinder, IAJGS President August 2002 |
| Rules
for effective brainstorming include: ü
Start
with two or three topics ü
Establish
a leader and a recorder ü
Have
a flipchart, markers, and materials to tape completed flipcharts
to the wall ü
Arrange
participants in a “U” so they can see one another and the flipchart ü
Set
aside around two uninterrupted hours for the session
ü
Ensure
that everyone participates and no one dominates
ü
Clarification
may be requested. Criticism
is not permitted. ü
All
ideas are to be recorded on the flip chart, unless withdrawn ü
Ideas
can be combined on the flip chart, if the speaker agrees ü
Ideas
are not to be discussed, that will come later
ü
Allow
a fixed amount of time (say 30 minutes) to brainstorm a topic ü Allow a fixed amount of time at the end of the session (say 10 minutes per topic) to review the flipcharts, agreeing by consensus on the most promising ideas |
| The brainstorming leader (typically, the society president) should set the topics to discuss. Potential topics might be: ü
Attracting
new members ü
Retaining
existing members ü
Better
assisting less experienced members ü
Developing
volunteers and leaders ü
Creating
a more exciting program ü Projects that the group might pursue |
| The brainstorming leader keeps the action going, ensuring that everyone participates and no one dominates. The leader will: ü
Identify
the topic to be brainstormed ü
Remind
the participants of the rules of the brainstorming session ü
Cut
off long-winded explanations, discussion, or any criticism ü
Call
time to wrap up the session ü
Lead
the effort at the end of the session to identify the most promising
ideas ü Identify volunteers among the participants to write a proposal based on each topic |
| The brainstorming recorder ensures that the ideas are captured. The recorder will: ü
Write
the ideas on a flipchart in as few words as possible ü
Tape
flipcharts on the wall as they are filled with ideas, so that they
can be referenced ü
Recommend
the combining of ideas which are similar ü
Suggest
wording that most concisely expresses the idea ü Record the consensus ideas on flip charts during that part of the session |
| After the brainstorming session ü
Within
one week, the recorder distributes the lists of ideas to all participants ü
Within
one month, the volunteers prepare write-ups spelling out specific
recommendations based on the group ideas ü At subsequent board meetings, the president will select one of the write-ups and set aside some time (say half an hour) to discuss and agree on specific follow-up actions to implement the best of the best ideas. Progress would be tracked at the succeeding board meetings. |
|
Copyright 2000-2013, International Association of
Jewish Genealogical Societies, Inc. |
