Bad Ideas Column

Why the worst ideas might be the most effective for brainstorming.

One of the greatest brainstorming tactics I've found to-date is having a "Bad Ideas Column".

Executing this is simple:

When ideating, allow ideas to flow freely. Capture thoughts. Allow everyone to build on what has been said. And most importantly, don't put unnecessary parameters on thinking at this point (there will be time for crossing Ts and dotting Is later).

Getting your mindset here is not as simple:

It's easy to fall into the trap of "that won't work" or "we've done that before". We can have a bias for scale or feasibility. We can take what we did last year, make nuanced changes, and call it a new plan for next year.

But the power is in the act of creating the space for "bad ideas".

Why?

Because "bad ideas" - when we riff on them - can become good ideas - even great ideas. And great ideas are probably what you need if you're taking the time to brainstorm.

Just a thought. Perhaps this post belongs in the "bad ideas column".

Thanks for spending time with me in my workshop,

Eric