Today’s the day for “Building the Gigabit City,” which we’ve been developing for a number of weeks. The Brainzooming Group is facilitating an 80-plus person brainstorming session for Social Media Club of Kansas City. We designed the brainstorming session to imagine a wide range of possibilities for how Google Fiber, the ultra high-speed internet capability, will dramatically change lives in Kansas City.

One of the brainstorming session participants emailed me Friday with questions about the event. In the email, she said she probably wouldn’t have any new ideas, but would be there to share results with others. I responded to her email saying I was convinced she would contribute big thinking, but even if she didn’t, new ideas aren't the only way to contribute to a brainstorming session's success. I also mentioned she had already provided a new idea - the topic for today’s blog post.

8 Ways to Make a Brainstorming Session a Bigger Success

Here are 8 ways you can contribute to a brainstorming session’s success without ever contributing a new idea:

1. Say aloud what you're thinking - Your words could trigger someone else to come up with a new idea.

2. Legibly write down other peoples' ideas - You will help give another person's thinking life and an ongoing presence.

3. Tell another person, "That's great!" - Your verbal support will embolden them to share other ideas.

4. Encourage someone to voice an idea they're not sharing - Your support can be the difference in getting someone to share a winning possibility.

5. Protect an idea that's being censored - Standing up for new thinking helps an idea not getting due consideration to not be overlooked.

6. Connect two or more ideas others have shared – Spotting a relationship others don't can spark breakthrough possibilities.

7. Smile - When your brainstorming session’s facilitator sees your smile and hopeful expression, it provides important energy for sharing with the group.

8. Ask a positive question – When someone with an idea is asked to expand the idea, it can help advance their thinking and those of other brainstorming session participants.

Wrap Up

If you want to keep tabs on today’s Building the Gigabit City brainstorming session, you can do so by tracking the #GigabitCity hashtag on Twitter. And if you want to contribute to the brainstorming session’s success, tweet us some words of creative brainstorming encouragement!  - Mike Brown

Download the free ebook, “Taking the NO Out of InNOvation” for help on how to be more creative! For an organizational boost, contact The Brainzooming Group to help your team be more successful by rapidly expanding strategic options and creating innovative plans to efficiently implement. Email us at brainzooming@gmail.com or call us at 816-509-5320 to learn how we can deliver these benefits for you.