Dialogue toolbox

Think up!

One of the great things about teamwork is that it allows you to generate new ideas with the group.

First, apply the three golden rules:

1. Create an Inclusive Environment: encourage participation from all team members and ensure a respectful atmosphere.
2. Use Visuals: drawings, and mind maps can help simplify complex ideas and stimulate creativity.
3. Avoid Criticism: during the brainstorming session, focus on generating ideas without evaluating them. Save the critique for later.

Second, set your goal. Are you looking for very feasible, we-can-make-this-happen-this-month ideas, or are you looking for never-been-done-before ideas? Make sure your desired outcome is clear before the meeting begins. 

Third: choose a technique such as:

• Brainwriting: everyone writes down their ideas independently before sharing them with the group. This helps ensure all voices are heard and reduces the influence of dominant personalities.
• Rapid Ideation: set a time limit and have everyone write down as many ideas as possible. This encourages quick thinking and prevents overthinking.
• Figure Storming: discuss how a well-known figure (e.g., a celebrity or a fictional character) would approach the problem. This can provide fresh perspectives.

Don’t forget to change scenery! If your team is all in the same space, moving your brainstorm outside to a casual lunch place or even a different floor in your building can help get new ideas flowing. 

An easy way to try to get the creative flow going is using Popcorn-brainstorming:  Ideal to generate ideas and create energy around new initiatives – much like the popping of corn in a microwave! In this brainstorm, the whole group will stand up and form a circle. Start by posing a question or problem statement and invite participants to take a minute spend in silence to think on it. Once the minute is up, start a timer and invite everyone to contribute ideas out-loud and build on each other’s ideas too. The person speaking steps into the circle while sharing their contribution. Have a single person take notes and encourage quality over quantity: no evaluation, no criticism or discussion yet – just rapid ideation!

Appreciative Inquiry is a strengths-based approach to dialogue. Instead of focusing on problems and deficiencies, appreciative inquiry emphasizes identifying and building on the positive aspects and successes within an organization. It is built on a 4-D approach to brainstorming:

• Discover: Identifying what works well in the organization;
• Dream: Envisioning what the organization could achieve in the future;
• Design: Planning and prioritizing actions to achieve the dream;
• Destiny (or Deliver): Implementing the proposed design and sustaining the change.

Benefits of an appreciative approach:

• By focusing on strengths, a more positive and engaging environment is fostered;
• Encouraging a positive outlook can lead to more innovative and creative solutions;
• It promotes lasting change by building on what already works well within the organization.