Follow These 3 Steps How To Brainstorm Like A Googler
Do you know why so many companies encourage brainstorming? Well, it’s simple. The thing is that this process is extremely effective that allows team members to come up with brilliant ideas. Sometimes, these ideas are so innovative that they can lead a struggling business to success. Therefore, it is no surprise that even the most reputable organizations such as Google allow their employees to interact more frequently and brainstorm. In fact, their way of brainstorming is so efficient that this article is solely based on that. This alone tells you that there is something about their brainstorming process which is just unique.
The Efficiency of Team Members Matters in Brainstorming
Of course, brainstorming can only be done effectively if the team members are creative. If they have the ability to think outside the box then they can surely come up with exciting ideas that can easily change the fate of the business. Hence, it is no surprise that many companies even include the element of creativity in their talent acquisition strategy so they can hire those who are more imaginative in their approaches.
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How to Brainstorm Better
Brainstorming is not a complex process and everyone can get good at it. The beauty of this process is that it is often shared, learned, and taught. So, if someone is better at brainstorming, the individual can easily share his/her techniques with the team members. This would allow everyone to act as a cohesive unit and more people will struggle to bring something new to the table. However, there is one problem. Many people perceive brainstorming to be an unstructured session where everyone can throw in wild ideas. Sure, it is good for the innovation but it would still need some kind of a structure to turn it into substantive action.
Follow These 3 Steps How To Brainstorm Like A Googler
At Google, the employees are suggested to brainstorm so they might come up with great ideas. But there is a structure to this process. It involves three steps. So, if you want to brainstorm like a Googler, do keep in mind the following steps.
#1. Identify the User
If you are tasked to solve a big problem then the first thing that you should do is to identify the user you are solving it for and then, everything else will follow. For this, don’t be afraid to step into the field and communicate with people. You can collect their ideas, emotions, and stories. Also, listen to them and try to be empathetic. This is necessary because you just don’t only want to understand the need of the users. But instead, you should be able to relate to them as well.
For instance, if you are running your business internationally with clients spread throughout the world then it is better to send your team to different countries so they may observe and talk with them. This is only going to work out in your favor. How? Well, you should know that different countries perceive different terms according to their culture. Like a word, “mobility” will mean one thing for you but in Canada, it means to collaborate instantaneously no matter where you are.
This is something that you would not know if you hadn’t made the effort to do so. And this is where the brainstorming session goes wrong most of the time as they do include everyone but the user. So, the session might not turn out to be as efficacious as one might think.
#2. Think 10x
Now that you have identified the user for which the brainstorming session is being done, the next step is to start thinking. But, hold right there! You are not required just to think. In fact, what you should need to do is to base your thinking around the 10x notion. This means that whatever you think of, it must be improved by 10 times. Once the team members are done thinking, you can ask them to write their ideas down on a piece of paper individually before asking them to get back together as a group. And then you can decide which idea to pursue.
10x may sound easy in theory but many people will be unfamiliar with how to actually do it. Here are some guidelines which will help you 10x the ideas.
- Build on each other’s ideas.
- Think of multiple ideas.
- Create headlines.
- Include illustrations.
- Think big, bold, and intrepid ideas.
- Don’t judge.
#3. Create a Prototype
This is the last step and it demands action! This means that whatever you have thought of, it is time to start working on it right away. Now what most of the companies do is that they end the brainstorming session usually with an agreement to have another meeting on the topic again. And this is where things go wrong. Remember, you have to strike the iron when it is hot. So, don’t waste any time and get to the action. The folks at Google builds a prototype whenever they are done with the brainstorming session. It doesn’t have to be perfect. They just create it as a physical manifestation of the idea that is designed to answer the questions and also, to test the idea if it is promising or not.
Conclusion
Brainstorming is a pretty helpful process which if done right can give you some great ideas to deal with various issues. However, the normal brainstorming session that people are usually accustomed to might not prove to be successful. Therefore, you should try and do what Googlers do. All you need to do is to follow the above-mentioned steps and see how well the process goes.
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