Brainstorming, like marathon running, should begin with warm-up exercises. Ideo studied various methods of prepping for a session. For a project on the toy industry, for example, Ideo divided the group into three teams: The first team did no preparation. The second listened to a lecture on the technology involved and read background books. The third team took a field trip to a toy store. Far and away, the toy-store team produced ideas in greater quantity and quality than the other two.
At Ideo, brainstorming sessions are often occasions for show-and-tell. Participants bring examples of competitors' products, objects that relate to the problem, or elegant solutions from other fields as springboards for ideas. Ideo also keeps materials on hand -- blocks, foam core, tubing -- to build crude models of a concept.
Sidebar: Six Surefire Ways to Kill a Brainstorm
To listen to Tom Kelley on brainstorming and innovation, purchase ''Innovation by Design,'' his audiotape from RealTime Phoenix.
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