In today’s business world, being able to manage remote team members is critical. The ability to lead online meetings – particularly brainstorming sessions – needs to be a priority for every business leaders. A brainstorming session should have an electric vibe to it; many brilliant and life-altering ideas have been sparked at such meetings. If you have not had success with previous brainstorming sessions, it is possibly because not enough deliberation went into putting the group together.

The first step to a successful remote brainstorming session is selecting a group of individuals with specific traits, including:

  • The Leader. This does not necessarily have to be the most senior or experienced person present. Instead, the Leader in a brainstorming session is someone who can keep the discussion structured, the group focused, and the ideas rolling. The hectic pace of a brainstorming session can cause friction so people management skills and a jovial personality are great traits for the Leader to have.
  • The Expert. A depth of knowledge about the relevant issue(s) is the hallmark of the Expert. In fact, you can have more than a single person in this role if the topics you expect to broach are adequately broad. The Expert is the go-to person when the team needs hard facts and figures, and a reliable opinion on what has worked in the past.
  • The Novice. When you want to avoid a scenario of missing the forest for the trees, an “outsider” take can be the answer. The Novice is characterized by their extra serving of faith in how things “should” work, a keen adherence to the rules and the wide-eyed (but not naïve) perspective of the issue. New members of the team, even interns, are ideal candidates.
  • The Agitator. Agitation gets a bad rap but it is perhaps the crux of a brainstorming session. The Agitator is too often not the most welcome person for their irreverence of established views. Also called the Devil’s Advocate, they posit a contrary view when everyone is going with the flow. Embrace the discomfort because it will inspire you to question what you assumed was unchangeable.
  • The Translator. Visions and goals are very important but the ability to translate them into real-world solutions is even more so. The Translator is the link between what we think is possible and what is realistic when timeframes, budgets and manpower limitations are fed into the equation. Grounded with practical knowledge, this is the person whose input could potentially save you from very expensive mistakes.

With all of these forces working together, it is imperative that , at the end of the brainstorming session, the Leader summarize the findings and define “next steps” while the entire team is still online. In addition, the Leader should send a written summary of the proceedings, findings, and next steps to all participants and stakeholders.

Do you have any questions about how to hold a successful brainstorming session – or any other business operations – during the days of remote working? Please contact me to discuss further.