In 2011, ideas are the currency. In this week’s Programming To Win column, Dave Beasing offers six easy steps to brainstorming your next big idea
Dave Beasing
By Dave Beasing
“Quick! We need an idea!”
If you only had a nickel for each time you’ve heard that, right? Now more than ever, ideas are the currency, and they’re worth a lot more than a nickel. Corporate media CEO’s no longer control the means of distribution. Transmitters are everywhere, in every laptop. What all these channels desperately need to survive are creative people with great ideas. Suddenly, they’re the resource that’s scarce.
So how do creative people come up with all those brilliant ideas? Behavioral research by Professor Sidney Parnes and advertising executive Alex Osborn in the 1950s discovered that most people use a surprisingly similar mental process. They called it “brainstorming,” and the rest – as they say – is history.
In various forms and wordings, their 6 Steps are still considered the standard
- Set the goal
Many so-called “brainstorms” aren’t successful, because they didn’t start at the beginning – by determining what success is. The goal may seem obvious, as in “Higher ratings,” or “Get on the ad buy,” but those may merely be by-products. What you actually need might be 50,000 more weekly cume listeners or more foot traffic at your client’s store. Precise goals lead to precise solutions.
2. Gather the facts.
What do you know about the situation? Make a long list of facts and data. Who, what, when, where, how…? Using our examples, describe the new listeners or customers you need to attract. Who are they? What are their interests, hobbies, and motivations?
3. What’s the question?
Fill in the blank: “In what ways might we _____?” Now that you’ve set the goal and developed a better understanding of the issue, make a long list of potential questions to address. Then choose just one. The correct answer to the wrong question won’t put you closer to the goal.
4. Generate ideas.
Now answer the questions – lots of ways. Done right, this is the fun part of brainstorming. But it’ll only be productive (and really fun) if you follow the Rules of Brainstorming posted here.
Caution: Most meetings jump to this step immediately without doing the essential first 3. If so, the odds of being both brilliant and effective are next to none.
5. Select a solution (or 2 or 3).
This is where reality and practicality set in. Start by determining the criteria you’ll use to evaluate all those ideas from step 4. Is cost a big factor? Do the ideas need to be consistent with brand expectations?
6. Write up the Action Plan.
What needs to be done – and by when and whom – to accomplish this solution? Some of the best ideas in the world never see the light-of-day because no one agreed to take action.
Rules of Brainstorming
Moderating a productive brainstorming session is truly an art, and – like all artists – you’ll get better through practice. Begin each meeting by handing out a copy of these rules and reading them aloud. They’re simple and essential, but they’re not always easy to follow.
- Write it down!
And by that, I mean… write down everything. Fill the conference room walls with ideas.
• Don’t judge ideas!
Evaluation of ideas happens in step 5, not step 4. If someone in the room judges an idea early, this discourages everyone from speaking freely. And even a silly or impossible idea could somehow trigger a better one.
• Encourage freewheeling!
Go ahead. Wild and exaggerated ideas are welcome. Big ideas don’t start small.
• Quantity counts!
David Letterman’s Top 10 List is an edited version of a Top 100 (or more). Quantity produces quality.
• Listen!
Then build on the ideas of others.
• Everyone is equal!
No idea is better or worse because of who suggested it.Keep these 6 steps and the Rules handy, and take the time to do brainstorming in a more methodical way. Print this column for your next meeting or post it on the bulletin board above your desk. This works really well in group settings, but it’s also a good roadmap when you need to come up with a solution on your own.
With these 6 steps, you’ll move beyond the obvious… to the truly brilliant.
Recommended Reading
Creating Demand: Generate Cool, Custom Marketing Ideas (Prometheus Books) — Authors Gerry Tabio and Sally Beamer of the Creative Resources Group have taught this problem solving system at hundreds of radio stations, generating millions in revenue.
The Innovator’s DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators by Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen and Clayton Christensen (Harvard Business Review Press) – Examines the traits and practices that have made modern innovators like Steve Jobs so successful.
Dave Beasing has brought a creative approach to music radio at Bonneville’s FM 100.3 The Sound in Los Angeles. He previously spent 12 years spreading ideas as a consultant for Jacobs Media.
