Brainstorming

You are part of an awesome organization that includes awesome people and you want to share your awesomeness by planning an awesome program. How do you start?

Brainstorming is a great way to come up with many ideas for your group. Before you begin the process, ask a few questions:

• What is the purpose of your organization?
• What is your goal or what do you hope to achieve in planning a program?
• Who is your audience, and whom do you want to attract as an audience? What do they want and what are their needs?

Now it’s time to start your motors and generate! Successful brainstorms occur when the group is positive; ideas are not evaluated or criticized as they are suggested. In brainstorming, one person—the recorder—writes down all the ideas as they are said and somewhere visible to the entire group, such as a chalkboard, whiteboard, or flip chart.

Great! Now you have an awesome list of awesome things your organization can do. How do you decide which event to do? Review the list, evaluate each idea, and consider a few things:

• What type of event best meets the goal(s) of your group?
• What programs have the organization done in the past that are similar to those on the list? Were they successful? Are they worth repeating? If not, can they be improved to be successful?
• Is it feasible to do this event? That is, does your group have the resources (such as finances, space, time, and interest) necessary to execute the event?
• Is your group excited about this program?

Think about your answers as you pare down the list. Once you have selected an idea that excites your group, you’re ready to start planning your program!

Helpful Hints

To ease the process of coming up with ideas in your group, here are a few useful tips:

• Keep your audience and the goals and purpose of your organization in mind as you think.
• Be creative and build off of other ideas. Even the silliest ideas are worth writing down!
• You may want to break down your group into smaller groups and then have them share their ideas and consolidate them into one master list.
• Limit the amount of time you spend brainstorming. Brainstorm for too long and members may feel drained and bored, too short and they may feel choked!