Page 218 - THE DO-IT-YOURSELF LOBOTOMY Open Your Mind to Greater Creative Thinking

The Do’s and Don’ts of Brainstorming 209

troublemakers. (I sometimes identify the know-it-alls in advance
and stick them in the same group to duke it out.)
Don’t: Put eight or more people on one team. If you have eight peo-
ple, have two groups of four. This is the biggest mistake groups
make. (Too many cooks do not make creative soup; they make
only a watered-down concoction we’ve all tasted before.)
Do: Some kind of a little creative thinking warm-up to help break
the ice. Make sure the warm-up has nothing to do with the topic
to be brainstormed. People are less self-conscious coming up
with new ideas in areas where they have less attachment. The
freethinking here will help them loosen up for the main event.
Don’t: Just start people off on a grueling thinking adventure with-
out stretching their mental muscles and loosening them up.
Do: Your brainstorming in bursts. Spend 20 minutes looking for
ideas this way, then 20 minutes doing it that way. (This is a good
place to use Intergalactic Thinking, using different galaxies for
each burst of effort.)
Don’t: Try to make the group chase after the prize without pacing
themselves. People are much better running lots of small sprints
than one long marathon.
Do: Have people jot down their own ideas (see “Jotting,” page
143). I like the standard size sticky notes because they’re small
(you can’t get too verbose in a 3" × 3" space) and modular, so
you can move them around during the distillation process, like

The Lobotomy Files

Three-Ring Brainstorming
When we conduct a brainstorming session using the Do-It-Yourself
Lobotomy techniques, it's as if the circus has come to town. Before you
know it our stodgy analyticals are flying like the trapeze artists, our grumpy,
"that-won't-work" crowd is clowning around, and the aloof are clamoring to
get a ride on the elephants and camels. This process helps bring out the
best thinking in a group. And there are some real winners among the
hundreds or even thousands of ideas generated.

Mike A. Ricciuto
Director, Global Communications
DuPont Crop Protection
Lobotomized 1999