Since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the global economy, many businesses have shifted to remote work. Working from home has become the new norm. However, not all companies are in agreement. While tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft have abandoned remote work in favour of in-person office culture, reports indicate that 14% of Fortune 100 companies have mandated a return to the office as early as 2021.
This article won’t delve into the typical debate of which is better: Work From Office or Remote Work, rather it will talk about a new trend called “Virtual Brainstorming.”
While there is evidence suggesting remote work is a cost-saving option for employees and businesses in general, there is also a valid counter question: How do you connect with employees to come up with new ideas, launch new initiatives, pursue new strategies, and build your company’s future with distributed employees (in a remote work environment)?
That’s where “Virtual Brainstorming” steps in.
Knowing Things In Detail
Virtual brainstorming can be carried out with remote, hybrid, or even in-person teams. You just need to pick a shared collaboration tool that works for your team. Google Forms and MURAL are two useful collaboration tools that facilitate anonymous idea sharing and have a basic “free” option.
Google Forms is great for text-based idea brainstorming because contributors can submit ideas anonymously without signing in. On the other hand, MURAL is a virtual whiteboard tool that’s better suited for sharing ideas with a visual component. To ensure anonymity on MURAL, participants can create throwaway accounts or use aliases when signing in.
For real-time discussions, everyone in the meeting should log into a video conferencing tool, even if the meeting is in-person. If your team spans multiple time zones, you can have participants asynchronously add their ideas to your chosen platform by a specified deadline.
However, remote brainstorms present challenges. Imagine people feeling less accountable and less inclined to participate in the activity, as they are not in the conference room together as a team. Another issue is choppy internet connections cutting people off when they’re speaking. How to address these?
Presenting The Solutions
While companies predominantly use video conferencing tools like Zoom and Google Meet, they don’t quite cover all your brainstorming needs. An effective brainstorming session needs notes.
An online whiteboard can be a helpful tool. Tools like Whiteboard Fox, Conceptboard, and MURAL offer real-time virtual whiteboards that allow brainstorming participants to contribute simultaneously. As long as contributors have a Wi-Fi connection, they can add notes, images, texts, drawings, or anything else to illustrate an idea or a point. You would likely use a whiteboard during an in-person brainstorm; there’s no reason you shouldn’t do it remotely, as well.
If you’re video conferencing while using the whiteboard, make sure everyone has their cameras on. Research shows that facial expressions and body language make up 55% of communication, so having video on gives you instant insight into how people feel about certain ideas based on their reactions.
Distribute An Agenda
Before any meeting, send out a comprehensive agenda of what you plan to discuss. This will keep the overall activity crisp, focused and precise.
Your agenda should state the general theme and goal of the meeting, apart from inviting participants to share any topics they want to cover. Encourage the participants to do some independent thinking before the meeting and as they share and if you find the ideas fruitful, appreciate and value them. Give all team members 10 to 15 minutes to add their ideas independently.
Please ask participants to share any ideas they came up with beforehand, and also come up with new ones. MURAL and Google Forms offer various options for the appearance of your whiteboard, such as mind maps, flowcharts, or blank boards with sticky notes.
Regardless of the format, encourage your team to prioritise quality over quantity and to contribute contradictory ideas if they are inspired to do so, without worrying about the consequences (remind them that everything is anonymous). Research has shown that embracing and being energised by tension, such as generating ideas that serve opposing goals, promotes innovation.
Include Everyone
To have a successful virtual brainstorming session, it is important for all participants to feel a sense of ownership of the topics being discussed, such as solving a problem or achieving a business goal.
An effective brainstorming group should consist of about four to eight people, including team leaders and key contributors. It is also beneficial to invite individuals who may not be as familiar with the issue at hand. Their fresh perspective may lead to more innovative solutions, as they may not have preconceived notions about what can’t be done.
Create A Positive Environment
Collaboration is crucial during virtual brainstorming sessions. Some participants may have their cameras off or be on mute, while others may be eager to share their ideas. However, an atmosphere of inclusivity and openness is essential for success.
Creating a positive environment involves reminding participants that there are no bad ideas and that no one person has all the solutions. Facilitating these sessions can be challenging, especially in a virtual setting. It is important to regularly check in with participants to ensure everyone is engaged and following along. While it’s important not to put anyone on the spot, redirecting the conversation to quieter participants who may have valuable input is encouraged.
Try Different Styles
Experiment with different brainstorming methods to find out what works best for your remote team and helps to keep things interesting.
Before the meeting, be sure to inform the team if you’re going to be using a mind map, brainwriting, S.C.A.M.P.E.R., rapid ideation, or any other process. If team members aren’t familiar with your chosen method, provide a brief explanation of what the brainstorming style entails, and encourage them to ask questions for clarification.
Mixing up brainstorming styles can also be a productive way to keep people engaged and excited about their work.
Be Open To Discussion
Make the sessions interesting by letting the participants rate/vote on the things discussed in the meeting. As an employer, make things further engaging by rating/voting for the best feedback. This will keep your staff motivated.
It can be helpful to give people criteria to think about when assessing their team member’s ideas. For instance, you could ask your team to assess at least three categories on a scale of 1–10: The idea’s novelty, practicality, and usefulness. Additional ratings can depend on the specific context of the brainstorming topic.
Please keep in mind that this can be done asynchronously. If this is the case, follow the steps mentioned above and ask each participant to provide their feedback by a second-defined deadline. Both Google Forms and MURAL allow you to vote or poll. Once you have their responses, if you feel that the ideas were not strong enough or if you need more, the team members can have another idea-sharing session, review old ideas, or come up with new ones based on what you see and hear.