Trade Tips: Brainstorm Like a Child
By Nicole Hayes
Sometimes the word itself causes dread, and the act makes us fearful: Brainstorming. We’ve all been there. The boss or project leader asks everyone to meet for a “brainstorming session” and your mind suddenly resists. Why the resistance? You may not have one idea or with sheer luck, squeeze out just one. So why do some of us resist brainstorming? Possible answer: We’ve grown up.
As we age, life envelopes us in routines, procedures, expectations and thinking patterns that children have the ability to forgo. Sometimes these restraints prevent us from saying what’s on our minds. We judge the idea, determining if it’s worthy of sharing, if it will be shot down, dismissed. Furthermore, we think we’re not creative enough to brainstorm. Wrong. We are in fact creative—creativity never leaves us, we just walk away from it. Our advice for overcoming the brainstorm session fear: 1) Take a few minutes to get present, clear your mind of the day’s clutter, 2) Be childlike—approach the session as an adventure, knowing that each idea can light the path to a greater idea, 3) Free yourself from conjuring up the perfect idea—even the best of ideas need further fleshing out.
There you go! Have fun!
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