The Ultimate Brainstorming Exercise! (10 Minutes Long)

Summary

In this video, the presenter introduces a quick and effective 10-minute brainstorming exercise called 'Ten for Ten,' designed to replace lengthy, unproductive meetings. The exercise involves individual brainstorming with sticky notes, followed by a silent vote to prioritize the top ideas. This structured approach eliminates unproductive discussions and helps teams quickly identify and focus on the best solutions. With clear steps and minimal resources, this method fosters efficient collaboration and prioritization, providing teams with actionable outcomes in a fraction of the time.

Takeaways

• 😀 Brainstorming exercises can be a great alternative to long, unproductive meetings.
• 😀 Traditional brainstorming often leads to messy discussions with no clear outcome, which can be frustrating.
• 😀 A key issue with regular meetings is the lack of systems and structures for problem-solving and decision-making.
• 😀 The '10 for 10' exercise is a simple yet effective way to prioritize ideas without open-ended discussions.
• 😀 The facilitator plays a crucial role in ensuring the brainstorming session stays on track and organized.
• 😀 Participants must generate ideas individually first, writing one idea per sticky note, and without discussing them with others.
• 😀 After writing their ideas, each participant chooses their top 10 ideas to move forward with.
• 😀 All the ideas are placed on a wall or whiteboard together, without revealing whose ideas are whose.
• 😀 Voting dots are used to prioritize the ideas, with participants voting for the ones they find most interesting, not necessarily the ones they think will work best.
• 😀 The end result of the exercise is a ranked list of the top 10 ideas, providing a clear, visual representation of the group's thoughts.
• 😀 The '10 for 10' exercise encourages quick, structured decision-making without the need for lengthy, disorganized discussions.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the '10 for 10' brainstorming exercise?

The main purpose of the '10 for 10' exercise is to generate and prioritize ideas within 10 minutes, avoiding long, unstructured meetings. It allows teams to brainstorm individually, then vote on and organize ideas without any discussion during the process.

Why is it important to have a facilitator in the '10 for 10' exercise?

A facilitator is essential to guide the process, ensure time management, and maintain structure throughout the exercise. Without a facilitator, the session could become disorganized and lose its efficiency.

What is the first step in running the '10 for 10' exercise?

The first step is for the facilitator to clearly present the challenge or problem to the group, ensuring that everyone understands what they are working on. The facilitator then provides each participant with sticky notes to write down their ideas.

How does the '10 for 10' exercise reduce the inefficiencies of traditional brainstorming sessions?

The exercise eliminates unproductive discussions and ensures that everyone works independently. This prevents groupthink and allows participants to focus on generating their own ideas. Additionally, the exercise condenses the brainstorming process into a short, 10-minute time frame.

What do participants do during the first 5 minutes of the '10 for 10' exercise?

During the first 5 minutes, each participant writes down as many ideas as they can, one idea per sticky note, without discussing or sharing ideas with anyone else. This ensures that each person's thoughts are captured individually.

What happens after the initial 5 minutes of writing ideas?

After the first 5 minutes, each participant selects their top 10 ideas from their pile of sticky notes. This prioritization helps to focus on the most valuable or interesting ideas before moving on to the next step.

Why are participants not allowed to discuss their ideas during the first phase?

The purpose of not discussing ideas is to avoid influencing others or falling into groupthink. Each participant can independently contribute their unique thoughts, leading to a diverse set of ideas that can later be prioritized through voting.

How are the ideas organized after participants have chosen their top 10?

After choosing their top 10 ideas, participants stick them on a whiteboard or wall. At this point, the ideas are mixed together, with no names or categories attached, and no discussions have taken place yet.

What is the purpose of voting in the '10 for 10' exercise?

The voting phase allows participants to prioritize the ideas they find most interesting or valuable. It helps to quickly identify the most promising ideas based on subjective judgment, without requiring a lengthy discussion.

How are the voted ideas ranked after the voting phase?

After voting, the facilitator organizes the ideas based on the number of votes they received. The ideas with the most votes are placed at the top, providing a clear, prioritized list of the most popular and promising ideas.