Sometimes I just want an alternative to the same 'ol brainstorming session. Here's a simple alternative that I learned during my good 'ol days as a consultant with Andersen Consulting. (Now Accenture.) It's called the 5-3-5 method. (Don't ask... I'm not sure who came up with that name. But, in case you're wondering, "5-3-5" supposedly derives from the concept that this variation to brainstorming requires "five people (though this can vary), three ideas, five minutes."
Purpose:
Use this as an alternative to the traditional brainstorming session. It makes use of structured idea-generation while allowing equal participation among participants.The Tools:
You'll need: A pen or pencil for each participant; prepared "idea forms" (see below); Flipchart; tape; and markers.Setup:
Although it's easy enough to create the "idea forms" on the fly during the session, it sometimes helps to just go ahead and have these prepared ahead of time. They're easy. Using a sheet of paper (or flipchart paper), create a form with room for a theme statement (the central issue about which you'd like to generate ideas), three columns and five rows. It should look like this:
Procedure:
1. Group participants into teams of 3 to 5 people.2. Introduce the issue statement. This will be the central issue for which you want to generate ideas.
3. Give each group member a copy of the idea form discussed above.
4. Allow the participants no more than about five minutes to write three ideas on the first available row of the form. At the end of the allotted time, instruct participants to pass the forms they just wrote on to the team member on their right.
5. Tell participants to read the ideas on the form which they received from the team member on their left. Then, take five minutes to write three ideas of their own in the cells of the next available row on the idea form.
6. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 until all cells in each row of the idea forms have been filled in.
7. Collect the sheets and post them where everyone can see them. (Alternative: Allow the participants to take a break while you and a helper write all the ideas on a flipchart.)
Result:
This activity will have produced a lot of ideas for you in relatively little time. It also has the added benefit of allowing each participant to submit her/his idea with some degree of relief from any pressures inadvertently brought on by co-mingling supervisors and subordinates at the same meeting.In order to bring the larger list down to a manageable/actionable set of ideas, try using a focusing technique, such as the 8-step process I discussed in a previous post that uses Post-it notes to help generate consensus.
I hope this helps!
If you have other ideas or tips for facilitating meetings, please share. Post the steps in the comments below, or on your own blog and then share the link below. Thanks!
Related posts:
- An 8-step process using Post-it notes to gain meeting consensus.
- Meeting icebreaker: How to get a group to acknowledge differences in perceptions.
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