Virtual brainstorming is a creative process that can help foster fresh thinking and innovative solutions to complex problems when executed successfully. However, conducting it with an entirely remote team can often feel like herding cats – especially if the members of your team are geographically dispersed across multiple time zones.
The key to running effective virtual brainstorming lies in creating a digital environment that encourages engagement from all participants without feeling disorderly and chaotic.
In this blog post, we are going to discuss some essential tips for leading successful virtual brainstorming sessions with your remote team, so that you can actively harness the creativity of each and every individual in order to come up with unique solutions that benefit everyone involved.
Virtual Brainstorming
Virtual Brainstorming is a highly effective way to generate new ideas and solve problems in a remote environment. It relies on the power of collective intelligence, allowing multiple people to collaborate together regardless of location.
Through the use of technology such as video conferencing and online whiteboard tools, teams can easily share their thoughts, opinions, and perspectives to come up with creative solutions.
Virtual Brainstorming is particularly useful for teams that are spread out geographically or when face-to-face meetings aren't possible due to health concerns, time differences, etc.
Additionally, it encourages participation from all members of the team and can help spur more innovative thinking by allowing participants to stay comfortable in their own environment.
Divergence vs. Convergence
Divergence and convergence is also key factor for successful virtual brainstorming. Divergence is the initial open discussion of ideas and perspectives, while convergence is narrowing down the ideas and selecting a final solution.
With virtual brainstorming, teams can quickly generate creative solutions to any problem from anywhere in the world. It's an invaluable tool for remote teams who want to stay connected, productive, and creative.
By leveraging the power of technological tools alongside its participants’ combined knowledge and expertise, virtual brainstorming has become an essential part of remote collaboration. It allows teams to create a virtual environment that encourages creativity and innovation while staying connected no matter their distance apart.
With the help of video conferencing, online whiteboard tools, and other collaborative platforms, virtual brainstorming is an invaluable tool to help teams stay productive and engaged in their work. Working together remotely has never been easier.
6 Tips on How To Conduct a Virtual Brainstorming
Here are the six tips on how you can easily conduct an online brainstorming session:
Encourage Collaboration
A successful virtual brainstorming session must be actively facilitated by an experienced leader to ensure optimal collaboration. The leader must lay out the specifics of the brainstorming goals, their timeline, and expectations for each participant before the session begins.
During the session, it is important for the leader to create a safe environment where everyone openly shares their ideas, listens to others’ perspectives, and has active engagements with team members. This encourages collaborators to provide constructive feedback and help refine solutions together.
For example, if participants are encouraged to give meaningful feedback or asked thought-provoking questions throughout the process, they will be more inclined to step up and contribute further during their discussion.
It is also useful for leaders to propose collective “puzzles” that foster creative problem-solving among team members in order for new ideas and viable solutions to surface.
Diversify
Virtual brainstorming can be a great way to generate new ideas with a diverse group of people, so it's important that you bring a variety of viewpoints to the table. To ensure a successful outcome, encourage participants to share their unique perspectives regardless of social or cultural differences.
For example, when discussing solutions to an environmental issue, different opinions may arise based on the values and approach of each participant. There is tremendous potential in these differences—embrace them and take them into consideration when working through potential solutions.
A diversity of ideas helps foster innovation and will ultimately lead to better results than if everyone shared the same opinion or mindset.
Gamify
Gamifying a virtual brainstorming session can help to increase engagement and spark creative thinking. A creative way to make virtual brainstorming more successful is to gamify it using Rolljak.
Rolljak is a virtual platform that helps turn brainstorming activities into collaborative games. By adding an element of competition, Rolljak helps energize the group in a fun, light-hearted way. It also offers several features such as live voting and its advanced algorithm for identifying innovative ideas.
For example, if you’re conducting a virtual group meeting where you need your teammates to come up with ideas on how to improve your product line, simply activate Rolljak and let it guide the conversation. It’s an effective way to generate new solutions within your team in a short amount of time!
Think Outside the Box
When it comes to virtual brainstorming, you should always keep in mind that "thinking outside the box" is key. Ideas often get stale with virtual brainstorming due to the lack of traditional face-to-face discussion and natural flow of ideas – but you can counter this by being creative and looking at the same topics in new ways.
For example, challenge your team to consider how everyday objects can serve multiple purposes—a mop can become a back scratcher or a ruler can double as a bookmark. Keeping an open-minded mentality will not only aid creativity in the current task at hand but also spur future creativity in the long run.
Allow Scalability
To ensure a successful virtual brainstorming session, scalability should always be taken into account. Allowing scalability means that the brainstorming session can grow and evolve to match the size and scope of the project. This may involve expanding or introducing new objectives as well as adjusting different aspects of the approach or timeline.
To illustrate this concept, consider a project with limited resources that require rapid prototyping to identify potential solutions. The process could take on various forms depending on how it is scaled. A small team might present ideas over a shorter period while larger teams could incorporate structured activities such as idea mapping techniques to maximize productivity in reaching goals quickly and effectively.
By focusing on scalability when conducting virtual brainstorms, teams can successfully adapt to different roles and functions within their projects and make sure everyone’s voices are heard in producing meaningful results.
Be Innovative
To have a successful virtual brainstorming session, it’s important to be creative and innovative. Utilizing collaborative tools like whiteboards, chat tools or visual project boards can provide an effective platform for ideation.
For example, you may encourage participants to share ideas through poll voting by generating potential challenges or issues beforehand and giving everyone the chance to vote on their top two choices.
Additionally, you could initiate activities that require critical thinking such as designing a virtual escape room with collections of questions, tasks or scenarios in order for participants to work together and discover solutions collaboratively. Keep in mind that innovation and creativity are key elements of successful brainstorming sessions.
Ready to Host Your Next Virtual Brainstorming Session?
Hosting a virtual brainstorming session is an excellent way for colleagues to share ideas and problem-solve together. To get the most out of your session, consider starting with a warm-up activity to get everyone's creative juices flowing.
For example, you can have a round-robin where each person shares one idea in quick succession. This will help create momentum and encourage creative thinking. Be sure to keep the conversation focused on the topic at hand and use a tool like Rolljak as a visual aid to stay on task.
And don't forget that having physical breaks away from screens during the meeting is essential for keeping everyone in great mental shape! With careful planning, unique ideas and solutions will emerge from your virtual brainstorming session!
To learn more about how to leverage technology during virtual brainstorming sessions, check out this video.