Business brainstorming with Post-it Notes

1. Seven ways to achieve business
brilliance with brainstorming

3. Seven ways to achieve business
brilliance with brainstorming
In an interview with Entrepreneur Magazine,
Richard Branson stated that: “When you face a
problem and are groping for answers,
brainstorming is a great way to harness your
staff’s collective knowledge in order to come up
with innovative solutions”. This post will outline
how you can achieve greater success in your
business meetings through productive
brainstorming.

4. 1. Choose a creative environment for
the session
Enjoy a change of scenery before you start a
brainstorming session. Doing so will help
reignite creativity among your employees.
Remember to take regular breaks, such as
playing games, exercising or listening to music,
as this will help everyone relax and go back to
work feeling refreshed.

5. 2. Start with a well-honed statement
While encouraging creativity is important during
a brainstorming session, there should be a clear
goal and purpose to the gathering, otherwise
progress may be hindered. If the session seems
to go off topic, remind everyone of the goal they
are trying to reach.

6. 3. There’s no such thing as a bad idea
All ideas, no matter how crazy they may seem at
the time, should be encouraged and recorded
without comment or criticism from the group.
The general goal of brainstorming is to collect as
many ideas as possible, making quantity much
more important than quality at this initial stage.

7. 4. Keep the ideas fresh
Rather than just surrounding yourself within the
same people at every brainstorming session,
invite employees, if possible, from other parts of
your company to join in. You might just find that
employees elsewhere in your business have
great ideas too!

8. 5. Make the best ideas reality
Make sure you say yes to ideas that have
potential and make sure you follow this promise
through. You might make an occasional mistake,
but if you take a risk, you’re more likely to find
success. When a session comes to an end, and
before the group disperses, ensure that you plan
out how you’re going to follow up these ideas.

9. 6. Take note or all will be forgotten
Any ideas that come up during your sessions
should be recorded appropriately. The good
suggestions aren’t going be very helpful if
they’re forgotten. Top entrepreneurs, such as
Richard Branson, suggest the importance of
carrying a notebook in order to jot down any
important ideas that may pop into your head at
any given time.

10. 7. Write your ideas down on the right
surface
One superb tool for brainstorming is Post-it
Notes. Each member of a session should be
given a pack of notes which they should use to
record their ideas. Using Post-its allows the
facilitator to easily pull together all the ideas
after a meeting, arranging them to show a
particular thought process or plan of action.
They’re a great business tool for spurring
creative innovation and collaboration.

12. Take your brainstorming to new
heights
If you want to try out these brainstorming
techniques for yourself, why not enlist the help
of the best business partner you’re ever likely to
have? Get to grips with NoteShel, a stylish Post-it
Note holder and pen – the perfect
brainstorming tool on the go, at work or in a
meeting. For more information, visit our website
or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.