1. Book the room
   
   
   • Book a room that has a fun/relaxing atmosphere. Ideally with a circular table (so nobody is seen as 'head of the table').
   • Book the room for three alternative times to give everyone some options (or check diaries to see when people are free).
   • Schedule the brainstorm for no more than an hour (of which 10 minutes is the warm up).
     
     
2. Who to invite
   
   
   • Consider inviting a varied balance of:
     
     
     • Men/women.
     • Different ages.
     • Different levels of experience (of brainstorming).
     • Staff with different backgrounds.
     • Team members who are close to the problem and those without any experience.
     • Individuals from the target audience (e.g. mothers).
   • Note that the presence of senior management can result in some people being reluctant to open their mouths, whilst others completely overdo it.
   • The advantage of having senior people there is that their presence will focus everyone on the matter in hand.
     
     
3. Writing materials
   
   
   • Ensure there is either a white board or a flip chart in the room.
   • You need to be able to write up the ideas as they are generated so everyone can see them, add to them, develop them and be inspired by them.
   • Bring some blu-tack if you are using a flip-chart, to stick the sheets to the wall.
     
     
4. Sending invitations

   When sending out the invitations attach The Rules of Brainstorming, which are:

   • Ideas must never be criticised. (This is critical to running a successful session).
   • All ideas, no matter how wild, are encouraged.
   • The more ideas the better.
   • Everyone should try and build on or combine the ideas of others.
   • Every idea and every person has equal worth.
     
     
5. Attach a brief

   Attach a brainstorm brief to the invitation. Include:

   • The key objective of the session (what it is, why, where and with whom).
   • The parameters (e.g. launch date, media support, budget, timing, etc).
   • Product details (Product, Price, Place, Promotion).
   • The target audience of the activity (their thoughts about the product, etc).
   • Key words that sum up the product (e.g. revolutionary).
   • How those key words relate to the target audience (e.g. 'early adopter').
     
     
6. What to bring
   
   • Copies of the brief.
   • Pens (that work/are appropriate for a white board).
   • Some red cards. If someone responds to an idea with "Yes, but..." (and then why the idea cannot work or is a bad idea) then the person who said "Yes, but..." is red carded by everyone in the room.
   • Blu-tack (for sticking up sheets of ideas).
   • Post-it notes/pens if you split up into groups.
     
     
7. What else to do
   
   • Read up on other Brainstorming techniques that might be appropriate for your needs.
   • For a list of options go to: MindTools
     
     
     

Now understand how to facilitate your brainstorm