The Daily Carnage

Group brainstorming is a difficult dance. We expect a movie montage of whiteboards and breakthroughs, but we often end up with one or two people taking the wheel while the rest of us try to gather and articulate our thoughts. Adding a little structure to the agenda goes a long way. These 5 techniques can help you get the most out of the thinkers on your team:

Nominal Group Technique (NGT)

Each person generates ideas on their own before reconvening with the group for discussion. This technique limits interruptions, ensures that everyone has space to contribute, and allows for the group to refine ideas together.

Electronic Brainstorming

This approach is well suited for a remote environment. Participants use a shared digital platform—like FigJam—to contribute ideas simultaneously.

Brainwriting

This is a generative exercise that prioritizes solo brainstorming without a structured group discussion. Participants work through ideas on paper or digitally without external influences, focusing on the thorough exploration and expansion of their thought processes. These ideas can then be passed along to other collaborators for review and feedback.

Structured Brainstorming

The approach optimizes the brainstorming process by implementing guidelines to keep participants on track. A common technique is to divide the session into phases—an initial period in which participants may freely express ideas without judgment, followed by a discussion and evaluation phase to generate feedback.

Stepladder Technique

This technique begins with participants generating ideas on their own. Next, two participants share their ideas with each other. Then, a third person joins the group for discussion, and the group gradually continues to grow until all individuals have joined and shared their ideas. This provides a controlled environment that privileges the input of each participant and builds upon the collective wisdom of the group.

Check out Jess Eddy’s tips for more effective brainstorms.

John Sabine is the social director for Merriam-Webster, a brand known for lightly roasting cultural moments on social media with linguistic wit. Here’s what we learned from a recent interview with the man behind the dictionary:

1. Social is like Jupiter—there are no seasons, only storms. Your back-to-school content won’t go viral, but you’re more likely to make an impression when you jump onto trends or create your own. Embrace the chaos.
2. Craft a strategy that you enjoy. There’s no use trying to recreate someone else’s magic. Follow your taste and find your own voice. But try not to rely wholly on emojis and slang.
3. Your brand account should feel alive. Social isn’t just a bulletin board for brand announcements. Get creative in the replies and take the liberty of sounding more like a person/persona.
4. Embrace the absurd. It’s ridiculous that a dictionary has a Twitter account. Sometimes we’re too close to the industry to appreciate the humor. Don’t take yourself too seriously… unless that’s your whole thing.

Read Rachel Karten’s full interview with John Sabine at Link in Bio.