At the end of the meeting, participants should leave with an action plan, eager to, as Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation frequently says, “Make it so.” That upbeat attitude stems from the participation that your leader- ship allowed. You told participants how happy you were to have their participation in the meeting. Further, you made clear to the group the impact that it would have. Maybe you had to point to a problem, but you also told the participants about the good work they have been doing—you didn’t suggest that the meeting was an antidote to something wrong. And you expressed your confidence in the attendees’ ability to get over this issue and show management how well it could perform.
Did You Know . . . ?
You aren’t limited to brainstorming to stimulate creative thinking during a meeting. Other techniques include:
Brainwriting. Like brainstorming, brainwriting is based on free association. On a sheet of paper is written a single word or phrase that is related to the problem. The paper is passed from one member to another, and each participant adds a word or phrase. In ten minutes, the group should have added many words or phrases to the paper. As a group, the members then draw lines to connect related ideas. Groups of ideas are circled to form islands of thought. Linking the islands generally triggers workable solutions to the problem.
Rewriting problem statements. Write on a flipchart the problem that the group has been assembled to solve. Encourage participants to rewrite that problem—the wilder, the better. The freewheeling atmosphere will generate lots of different problem statements, one of which may provide new insights into the nature of the problem—and a better solution than ones that failed in the past.
For instance, let’s assume that complaints have been received due to delays in shipments from the warehouse. You could state the problem as, “Customers are angry about late deliveries,” but you could also describe it as one of the following: “How to minimize customer complaints,” “How to ensure customers have accurate information about date of product delivery,” and “How to keep customers informed about the status of delayed orders.”
Questioning assumptions. Some assumptions are erroneous. Raising issues that would seem already to have been considered and resolved may uncover faulty assumptions.
Ask what if? and why? questions. These can trigger lots of ideas, as can repeatedly asking Why during a discussion. Don’t forget who, what, where, and how questions, either.
These techniques can all generate interesting ideas. However, they only work if participants believe that they will be heard.
Tips
With so much on their minds, people have a hard time recalling commitments made at meetings. So send an e-mail a few days after a session to remind members how important their assignment is to the group’s efforts.
Schedule your meetings to begin at odd times, like at the quarter or half hour. A meeting that starts at 10:15, for instance, may be easier to get to on time, particularly if the meeting before ends at 10:00.