Collaborative, Effective Brainstorm Tips
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Build the snowman: A better way to brainstorm as a team.
When it’s done well, brainstorming is one of the most energizing and essential parts of creative work. Whether you’re in a room full of teammates or just tossing ideas around on your own, the way you and other members of the team show can make or break the process.
Our team has found a pretty good rhythm with this, and this week’s Culture Drop is about one simple mindset that’s helped us: Build the Snowman.
What “Build the Snowman” is about.
Think of brainstorming like creating a snowman together. Someone rolls the first snowball into place, the next person rolls and adds the second one, etc. Then comes the scarf, the eyes, the carrot nose, maybe a hat, or give it a scowly face and have it holding a pitchfork for flair.
In short: every contribution should add something.
That’s the whole vibe — build on top of what's there. Enhance it, shape it, evolve it. Even if the idea’s not fully baked, it’s helpful to keep the energy going forward and upward and helping it grow. This is about momentum, not perfection.
“Inside any creative session, everyone has an active choice in how they respond.”
Be the “Ta-Da!” not the “Womp, womp, womp.”
Inside any creative session, everyone has an active choice in how they respond.
We can be a builder and encourager and add sparks that keep things moving forward. Or, anyone can easily be the “womp, womp, womp” cartoon sound of energy deflating when something goes wrong. It’s very easy for someone to kill the momentum or shut an idea down too early.
When someone offers up an idea, even if it’s a little out there, it’s good practice to withhold judgement or criticism and take a beat to ponder: Can I build on this? Can I add a tweak that would make this work? Can I toss in a fun twist or a new layer? That’s building the snowman.
The reality during creative times like this is that you can’t always add something, and some ideas ideas aren’t that great. In these moments, it can be a wise and good move to just keep quiet instead of jumping in to shoot something down with the risk of stifling creativity and momentum. As a guide, use these 3 simple markers:
Be in tune and aware of energy and momentum.
Be intentional about your responses.
Have the earnest intention to build on, not destroy.
“... one of the most common mistakes teams make in brainstorms is mixing idea generation with evaluation.”
But what if the ideas are truly bad?
This is a fair question. There’s a time and place for critique, and when it comes to making a decision and choosing an idea or path forward, ideas need to be picked apart, discussed, and thought about critically and logistically.
However, one of the most common mistakes teams make in brainstorms is mixing idea generation with evaluation. Which is how creative momentum gets shut down and dies.
Instead, try this:
First, generate. Open the faucet. Let ideas pour out. Anything goes. Wild is welcome. Set aside a certain amount of time to only bring new ideas and build on existing ones. Designate time for building the snowman.
Then, evaluate. Once you’ve spent some time getting ideas out, then you shift gears. Now’s the time to ask what’s realistic, what’s useful, what can actually work, and get into the weeds of details and assessment.
Keeping those phases separate protects creativity. If people know their ideas won’t be instantly judged or shot down, it will encourage and result in more sharing, more creativity, and ultimately better and more unique ideas.
“Creative work is less about hoping for perfect ideas out of the gate, and more about getting everyone engaged and building something together.”
A simple shift that could give a big payoff.
Build the snowman.
It’s a simple visual, but can shift the energy of a brainstorm in a big way. When your team adopts this kind of thinking, you get more ideas, better collaboration, and a lot more momentum. Creative work is less about hoping for perfect ideas out of the gate, and more about getting everyone engaged and building something together.
Next time you're in a brainstorm, take a beat, be intentional and ask yourself: Am I adding to the snowman, or criticizing it?
If you want to start using this with your team just remind people with the phrase, “Let’s build the snowman” to remind them to just create and add on (not to destroy) for at least that first part of the meeting. It’s light, it’s fun and it sets the tone for what a good brainstorm can feel like.
Related Blogs:
5 Tips for Better Brainstorming Meetings
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This article was created by Galen Emanuele for the #culturedrop. Free leadership and team culture content in less than 5 minutes a week. Check out the rest of this month's content and subscribe to the Culture Drop at https://bit.ly/culturedrop
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