Burger Bites: Brainstorming
The Burger Bites Series Is Designed To Bring You A Taste Of Coaching.
If you haven’t directly participated in a standard brainstorming session, you’ve probably seen one in a movie or television show. A group of people, usually in an organizational setting (like a corporation or non-profit agency) are encouraged to spout out ideas on how to solve a problem or address a challenge. “Don’t worry whether it’s a good idea or not, and don’t worry about sounding silly,” participants are encouraged. “We’ll just collect our ideas here and filter them next.” Sounds great in theory, but it usually sputters in practice. Fortunately, there’s a much better way.
Encouragement to provide ideas without filtering them is well intentioned. It’s meant to bring creative ideas into the mix, not just standard options. But without guidance and direction, and worrying about sounding silly in spite of the assurance, most people are still careful about what they say.
In coaching, which encourages creativity and approaching a situation from multiple perspectives, brainstorming really does get interesting. By design. A coach might even model giving outrageous or silly answers to encourage expansive thinking.
Client: I’m trying to come up with some ways to bring attention to my tutoring and exam preparation business. The standard marketing things just don’t seem to be enough.
Coach: Would you like to brainstorm some new ideas? I’ll go first and suggest something, and I’ll try to be creative and even outrageous. Then you take a turn. We write down all ideas – no filtering – and then review them at the end.
Client: I guess I’m willing to try. Okay.
Coach: Go sit in Oprah’s audience wearing outrageous clothes and be sure to ask lots of questions, talking about how the answers will help your tutoring students.
Client: I’m not sure that publicity would be good, but I wrote it down. What if I look for a local radio show that would want to talk about helping juniors and seniors prepare for college entrance exams?
Coach: Good one! You could put together a college fair at a community center and invite lots of different schools to send representatives.
Client: That sounds complicated, but possible. What if I just did targeted training for high school counselors on some practical preparation for exams? I’ve taught a class to students and their parents and I could adapt that.
The process can continue until each has given three to five options, and then together they review them. At this point, the client usually chooses elements of one or two, modifies the plan a little, and chooses a next action step.
Clients frequently hear a coach’s outrageous suggestion and respond with a modified, more “realistic” version. The coach is pushing the envelope, encouraging the client to stretch himself or herself. The client is looking for ways to try something new without feeling overwhelmed.
The coach expands the client’s thinking by opening the world of possibility. The client follows along but balances the process with a little practicality. It becomes a fun, sometimes playful interaction that evolves quickly into serious planning when the client starts feeling enthusiastic about new approaches.
