Chapter 24 Chapter 23: Don't easily deny "bad ideas"

Don’t dismiss “bad ideas” easily The absence of bad ideas is a hallmark of a successful brainstorming session.It is very important to make it clear that "no bad ideas" are needed in open discussions.Get rid of the idea that "ideas that work are valuable ideas".Resist the urge to fix "bad" ideas, and share them with others first, so you can encourage others to evolve crazy ideas.Sometimes the crazy ideas that seem impractical when first proposed turn out to be the most interesting ideas in the long run.These ideas may not work at first, but after some iteration, they may turn out to be great solutions that work.

Running a successful brainstorming session takes a lot of skill and a lot of practice.The key is to set the rules at the outset and follow through.Tom Kelly, the general manager of the famous design company IDEO, once wrote a book called "The Art of Innovation", which describes the brainstorming rules of their company, the most important of which is Take full advantage of other people's ideas.Brainstorming done in this way ends with most people feeling that they contributed and participated in creating the best ideas.And, because everyone actively participates and sees all ideas born and developed, when these ideas are implemented, they often have everyone's support.

However, if you've ever participated in a brainstorming session, you know that things don't always go so smoothly.It is not easy to dispel everyone's natural belief that ideas are their own, and it is also difficult to get participants to be creative based on other people's suggestions.Patricia Ryan Madson's book, Improv Wisdom, has a great warm-up that makes two great points: 1. First, there are no bad ideas; second, based on other people's ideas, you can get good ideas. The warm-up activity is divided into two groups. One of them is responsible for planning a party and needs to continuously propose to the other person in the same group to hold a party; while the other person disagrees with any suggestion and explains the reasons for disagreement.For example, if the first person says: "Let's have a party on Saturday night", the other person can answer: "No, I have to wash the car on Saturday night." Like this, one person proposes and one person vetoes it. After a while, the first person gets more and more frustrated, but continues to try to get the other person to agree to the idea of ​​having a party.The first stage is over, and after entering the next stage, the two people switch roles, and the second person is in charge of the party.This time, the first person has to agree with whatever he hears, and he has to make a difference.For example, when it is suggested, "Let's have a party on Saturday night," he has to respond, "Okay, I'll bring a cake then."As you go along, the ideas you come up with can get wilder and wilder.Sometimes, the parties are even held underwater or on an alien planet, with all kinds of exotic cuisine and entertainment.The atmosphere in the room is getting more and more enthusiastic, everyone's enthusiasm is high, and there are countless ideas emerging.

This drive is a must for brainstorming.Of course, sometimes you have to decide which ideas are viable, but it's not a good idea to make that decision during the "idea generation phase".Brainstorming means breaking the traditional way of problem solving, turning ideas over and over without any scruples, thinking from the inside out, without being restricted by conventions.By the end of the brainstorming session, you'll be amazed at how broad your ideas can be.Each time, a batch of ideas basically emerges, and from there, a truly unusual opportunity emerges, worthy of further exploration.Therefore, the "idea generation phase" does not decide what works and what doesn't.

One thing to keep in mind is that the idea generation process is a constant exploration of possibilities.It doesn’t cost a dime or a huge effort to come up with crazy ideas, it just breaks the mold and imagines a whole new realm with completely different laws of nature and no limits.After completing this step, you can move on to the next "exploitation stage" and select some ideas for further analysis.Only then can you sift through them with a critical eye.