• ABOUT RPRN
• NEWSROOM
• Plans and Pricing
• WRITING TIPS
• DIRECTORIES

The Thomason Media Group/Atlanta to Creative Teams: 5 Tips for Better Brainstorming

August 11, 2010

Download PDF

Atlanta, GA (RPRN) 08/11/10 — “I THINK IT’S A STUPID IDEA.”

Chances are if you work in an environment where teams and collaboration are the norm, you have thought this to yourself too many times to count but never actually said it. Why? Well, you probably feel like you can’t be honest. (Of course, you wouldn’t be so blunt, but regardless you hold your tongue.) Working as a creative team presents many challenges. You probably feel like you won’t get credit for your ideas. You probably feel like your partner thinks your idea is lame. In short, you probably feel like everyone else. Nothing challenges the ego, confidence, creativity and manners of people in creative fields like brainstorming in a group or one-on-one with a partner.

A winning chemistry between two people or a bigger team is hard to come by. You can’t force it. As a manager, you should know strong chemistry takes time to develop. As a creative person, you should know strong chemistry takes time to develop. How long depends on the individuals of course. By winning chemistry, I mean a relationship in which both personalities can productively co-exist. More seasoned folks can usually blend pretty quickly if they’re going to blend at all. (Managers, remember that not every team you form will become an A-team. Move people around, try new combinations.)

What makes for a successful creative partnership? Personally, I put trust before creativity any day of the week. You can be the most creative person in the world, but pride, suspicion and the like will always get in the way of good work if you don’t have a partner you trust. If you don’t think an idea is working, you have to trust you can be honest with your partner without worrying you will hurt his feelings or create bad blood. Conversely, you want a partner who will be honest with you. It all sounds so elementary, but truth be told such trust is elusive. Given the choice, most people just clam up rather than hurt someone else’s feelings or risk their own, and the work suffers. Mastering the art of productive disagreement is no small task for the creative professional. (Management, it is your job to set the tone here and create a culture of trust and fun.)

Here is some advice on how to navigate and foster a successful creative partnership and to start building that trust.
1. Agree to a method for brainstorming. For example, agree to a 30-minute brain dump during which you throw out everything and anything that comes to mind. Play off what your partner says if an idea sparks a thought for you. But no critical commentary at this point. You are just warming up, throat-clearing so to speak. Maybe then you go back and rake the coals, picking out the hot ideas and talking about how you might develop them.

Better Brainstorming

So, are two heads really better than one when it comes to problem solving? Obviously it depends on the two heads and how experienced each is at concentrating on finding the best solution through an interplay and exchange of ideas. A partnership like this can be intensely rewarding for individuals and very productive for companies who live or die by the strength of their creative output.

Tim Thomason of the Thomason Media Group/Atlanta offers high performance advice designed to streamline the creative process.

Tim Thomason	Thomason Media Group/Atlanta

• ABOUT RPRN
• SERVICES
• NEWSROOM
• WRITING TIPS
• TESTIMONIALS
• DIRECTORIES
• TERMS AND CONDITIONS
• CAREER
• ADVERTISING