Creativity on demand is hard. Whether you work alone or with teams, there are challenges working against you when new and innovative ideas are needed.

When you think of creativity, you may imagine a lone artist working to bring their imagination into our reality. They are a singular force creating something that has never existed before.

Alternatively, you may picture a brainstorming session with a large group tossing out ideas as a facilitator collects suggestions on a large whiteboard.

Both of these are examples of creative exercises, yet they are very different activities.

The Lonesome Constraint

The challenge for the lonely artist is the absence of alternative viewpoints. He may create a list of ideas, but struggle to consider ideas a group could have generated.

The Groupthink Trap

The challenge for the group is our desire to belong. Groupthink causes us to filter our ideas based on what we think the group would like. Working as individuals, we wouldn’t worry so much about editing our ideas before we log them.

So, if we limit idea generation by working alone and we filter ideas in groups… is there a better solution?

Split the Brainstorm

Carson Ward shares a research-based approach in a Moz.com article.

1. Get everyone together and explain the problem or goal. Remember what we learned about constraints.
2. Have individuals write down their own ideas, and then present their ideas one-by-one.
3. After (and only after) everyone has presented their ideas, discuss them all as a group.
4. If you need to choose or prioritize ideas, have each group member write or send their own rankings for each idea.

Groups following this process (called “nominal groups” in research) routinely out-perform even the best-run “traditional” brainstorming groups.

By combining the best aspects of individual idea generation with group input, you can maximize the quantity and quality of your creativity.