Nice to see you again! Last week, I told you about Betty, a coworker new to social business. This week, we’ll be chatting about Charlie. As you may remember, Charlie overheard Betty talking about the benefits of social business. He wondered if social business could help him, too. Charlie is part of our marketing team and hosts a lot of team brainstorms. But the brainstorms weren’t always fruitful. His team wasn’t always in the same place at the same time. They didn’t always have the information or experts they needed. And somehow the same old ideas kept finding their way back into the mix. He knew old ideas just weren’t going to cut it anymore. The marketplace is competitive, and he knew the team needed to innovate--fast--in order to stay on top. So it’s no surprise that when Charlie overheard Betty thanking me for helping her team, he was eager to learn more. “I need a faster, more efficient way to get innovative ideas from my people,” Charlie said, “But how?” “Easy!” I replied. I explained to Charlie that IBM Connections can help get the job done. It allows teams to collaboratively share ideas quickly and easily. With IBM Connections, brainstorms don’t have to be in person to be effective. With Connections Forums and ideation blogs, you can host online jams, bringing people together to share and discuss ideas all in one place online. That way, your team can access and participate in those discussions from wherever they are, on any device—whether it’s a laptop, tablet or mobile phone. You can also turn a forum discussion or blog into an online meeting. “What’s more, IBM Connections can help you discover and engage subject matter experts with specific knowledge to better inform the brainstorm,” I finished. “That sounds great!” Charlie excitedly replied. I then wrote a quick recap to share with his team. You can share this with yours, too. The following week, I caught up with Charlie over lunch to ask how the brainstorm went. Charlie grew animated, “My boss is thrilled!” He explained how much easier it was for his team to collaborate and how quickly they had begun to spark fresh new ideas —especially since they were bringing in outside experts. As he spoke, Maria, the HR manager, pulled a chair up alongside us. “I’ve heard great things about the new process, Charlie. Great job on getting your team engaged! Mind if I join one of your brainstorms? I’m curious about how this all works.” Charlie laughed. “Sure, Maria, but you don’t have to be an expert to brainstorm with IBM Connections, everything is built right in.” Maria and Charlie scheduled a time for her to sit in on his next brainstorm, but as Maria’s eyes lit up, I had a feeling my job wasn’t done yet… Discover how you can host more fruitful brainstorms, like charlie did. Listen to the AskJim Podcast (Episode 2) and get the inside scoop on making brainstorms more effective. Have a question? Twee

2. Brought
to you by
Structuring a
Brainstorm, the
Social Business Way
Chapter 2

3. Brought
to you by
Nice to see
you again!
Last week, I told you about Betty, a
coworker new to social business. This
week, we’ll be chatting about Charlie.
As you may remember, Charlie overheard
Betty talking about the benefits of social
business. He wondered if social business
could help him, too.

4. Brought
to you by
Charlie is part of our marketing team and
hosts a lot of team brainstorms.
But the brainstorms weren’t always fruitful.
His team wasn’t always in the same place
at the same time. They didn’t always have
the information or experts they needed. And
somehow the same old ideas kept finding
their way back into the mix.
He knew old ideas just weren’t going to cut it
anymore. The marketplace is competitive, and
he knew the team needed to innovate--fast--in
order to stay on top.

5. Brought
to you by
So it’s no surprise that when Charlie overheard
Betty thanking me for helping her team, he
was eager to learn more.
“I need a faster, more efficient way to get
innovative ideas from my people,” Charlie
said, “But how?”
“Easy!” I replied.
I explained to Charlie that IBM Connections
can help get the job done. It allows teams to
collaboratively share ideas quickly and easily.
Access
IBM Connections
through your own
60-day trial of
IBM SmartCloud Engage

6. Brought
to you by
With IBM Connections, brainstorms don’t
have to be in person to be effective. With
Connections Forums and ideation blogs,
you can host online jams, bringing people
together to share and discuss ideas all in one
place online. That way, your team can access
and participate in those discussions from
wherever they are, on any device—whether
it’s a laptop, tablet or mobile phone. You can
also turn a forum discussion or blog into an
online meeting.
“What’s more, IBM Connections can help you
discover and engage subject matter experts
with specific knowledge to better inform the
brainstorm,” I finished.

7. Brought
to you by
“That sounds great!” Charlie excitedly
replied.
I then wrote a quick recap to share with his
team. You can share this with yours, too.

8. Brought
to you by
The following week, I caught up with Charlie
over lunch to ask how the brainstorm went.
Charlie grew animated, “My boss is thrilled!”
He explained how much easier it was for his
team to collaborate and how quickly they had
begun to spark fresh new ideas —especially
since they were bringing in outside experts.

9. Brought
to you by
As he spoke, Maria, the HR manager,
pulled a chair up alongside us.
“I’ve heard great things about the new
process, Charlie. Great job on getting
your team engaged! Mind if I join
one of your brainstorms? I’m curious
about how this all works.”
Charlie laughed. “Sure, Maria, but you
don’t have to be an expert to brainstorm
with IBM Connections, everything is built
right in.”
Maria and Charlie scheduled a time
for her to sit in on his next brainstorm,
but as Maria’s eyes lit up, I had a
feeling my job wasn’t done yet…

10. SocialBusiness
have a question?
Tweet them to
@JimClaussen using
#ConnectionsWithJim
discover how you can host more
fruitful brainstorms, like charlie did.
Listen to the AskJim Podcast (Episode 2)
and get the inside scoop on making
brainstorms more effective.