Wednesday, August 27, 2014

The first rule of brainstorming is..

About a year ago I was at a workshop on behavioral economics and public policy, and Mike Norton, who was leading the session, laid out a 'first rule' of brainstorming that has really resonated with me ever since. Mike's first rule was taken from the rules of improv comedy -- no matter how ridiculous / impractical / nonsensical the idea a person comes up with, you respond with "Yes, and..." There's nothing that kills a brainstorming session like someone pointing out that a particular candidate solution won't work, or doesn't quite solve the initial problem. As well, it's often the really off-the-wall ideas that actually lead to solutions.

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