I never thought I’d write that headline ever.
When I joined an agency a long a while back I was a little at sea, because of the obsession and process for workshops and brainstorms.
Let’s be clear, I was fairly experienced in planning and running them, but I was unused to a mentality where no one was allowed to have ideas alone, everything had to come out of a crowded room.To make things worse, every session was meticulously planned on a spreadsheet to the very last second.
It did worked well to involve everyone in the process and bond. Clients felt involved and internally, you get to take certain people with you. However, not a single good idea came out of any of it.
All the research shows my experience isn’t unique. Most workshops are breeding grounds for average ideas.
Because we’re afraid to contradict senior people.
Because introverts keep quiet.
Because groupthink makes us agree even with what we know isn’t that good.
Because great ideas are usually from refining average ones.
In other words, the point of workshops is really politics.
And yet........
It’s been proven time after time that if you warm up the creative side of the mind, it becomes much more receptive to creative or original ideas. Brainstorms are not for generating ideas, they are for landing the ones you're about to share.
Obviously…
Before a creative review.
Before a strategy review (assuming you have opened up new possibility).
But also..
It’s a way to win a pitch.
To help ideas to land with clients and partners.
Or to persuade a risk averse agency leadership team.
Basically, any situation you want to land new thinking.
Nothing ground-breaking, just a few minutes generating a few ideas.
Workshops are powerful tool for landing ideas, not just politics. Who knew?
Of course, if your ideas are not any good in the first place, no amount of cunning workshop ploys can help. Sometimes it’s not your audience, it’s you.
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