I’ve always been a big fan of Report 103, an e-mail newsletter on “creativity, imagination, ideas and innovation in business” that comes out twice a month.  In the October 3 issue, there is an interesting discussion on barriers to brainstorming.  The authors suggest (and I’ve found this to be true) that focusing a brainstorming session around a question — as opposed to a declaratory statement — elicits better and more creative responses.

The authors go further, and say that the way the question is phrased makes a difference.  For example, asking a question prefaced with, “In what ways might we …” not only challenges participants to answer the question, but further invites even more ideas.  For example (from the article):

Consider these three ways of crafting a creative challenge..

1. "Customer service ideas".  Such a challenge is more confusing than anything else. People will not be clear what exactly you are looking for.

2. "How can we serve our customers better?" This is better. The question forces people to think and gives a clear direction on the kind of ideas you want. But, the way it is phrased hints that there is a single correct answer.

3. "In what ways might we serve our customers better?"  Like the second challenge, this one is a question and so challenges people to think. Importantly, by using "In what ways..." you are making it clear that you are not looking for one correct answer, but rather many possible answers. This encourages people to think more and continue proposing ideas even after a good idea has been proposed.

So, in what ways might you use this technique to make your people more creative?