Planning Great Events:
How to brainstorm original events
brainstorming_original_events.pdf |
Brainstorming Original Events
So you want to put on an event but how do you set yourself apart from all the other things going on? A great event starts with a great brainstorm. So how do you do that?
So you want to put on an event but how do you set yourself apart from all the other things going on? A great event starts with a great brainstorm. So how do you do that?
- Create an open space: It should be a space people associate with creativity and out of the box thinking (e.g. outdoors)
- Bring snacks: Make the process fun
- Give background and a specific question ahead of time: Don’t think a specific question will limit creativity. The clearer the objective is, the more energy can go into figuring out how to achieve it.
- Giving background ahead of time gives less confident people an opportunity to get confident about their ideas
- Giving background makes sure people are coming up with realistic ideas
- Giving background ahead of time gives less confident people an opportunity to get confident about their ideas
- Be clear from the start how you will decide: Will everyone vote? Will it be you, or the executives?
- Be clear what the ground rules are: Do people raise their hand, shout out? Is interrupting allowed? Do people add to what others have said or do you immediately move on to new ideas?
- One person facilitates: This person is responsible for:
- writing things down
- Stopping interruptions
- Asking quieter people to speak
- writing things down
- There are no bad ideas… to start: Write everything down at first. You’re going for largest quantity.
- Then narrow things down by: (consider doing this after a break or at another meeting)
- Grouping similar ideas
- Combining ideas
- Eliminating ideas
- Grouping similar ideas