This should be a verbal reminder of the goal you included in the invitation. This sets the stage for the meeting by reminding everyone why they are attending. Define the problem Defining the problem gets everyone speaking the same language. A good problem statement is the key to a good brainstorming session.
The best problem statements are
They set the boundaries and scope for the brainstorming session that follows. Useful boundaries include time frame, geography, population, funding amount, and more. For example, “Year after year, there is a $250,000 funding gap for after-school programs across the city. Hardest hit are children of single mothers living in the city’s northeast neighborhoods.
The families affected are Hispanic
Not having after-school programs puts overseas chinese in worldwide data tremendous pressure on these families to secure child care while the mother is working.” “How might we…?” By the time you get to this point in a brainstorming session, the creativity of participants should be flowing—you’ve broken the ice, focused the conversation on your goal, and defined the problem.
Now it’s time to ask participants
How might we For exampleHow might we the simultaneous translation function works close the $250,000 yearly gap to fully fund the city’s after-school programs?” These three words—how might we—were popularized by Ideo and Google.We’ll let Harvard Business Review tell you why these three wo tg data rds are so effective, but the gist is that “How might we…” gets people in the right mindset to contribute ideas. It emphasizes process (“how”) and teamwork (“we”), but most importantly, the word “might” signals to participants that the ideas they’re contributing aren’t full-blown suggestions or recommendations.
This makes people feel comfortable
Think of “How might we…” as sending a completely different message. *Warning: Don’t offer your own ideas, especially early in the meeting. Instead, lead by asking thought-provoking questions. If you’re running a meeting to solve a problem, you probably have your own ideas for a solution. But even if people are slow to contribute ideas, try to leave it until late in the meeting.