One of the downsides of traditional brainstorming sessions is that they favor extroverts. To participate, you need to interject ideas with lots of energy and enthusiasm. Nothing quashes introverts’ creativity quicker than being drowned out by the louder voices in the room. Traditional brainstorming also sets the stage for one or two people to control the narrative, resulting in group think.
If you’re leading an idea session or if you’re an introvert in attendance, you don’t have to just shrug your shoulders and declare, “it is what it is.” It’s possible for all voices to have equal weight.
Here are five ways to make sure the extroverts don’t run over their colleagues during a brainstorm:
1. Assign an Observant Moderate
Instead of letting a brainstorm become a free-for-all, Elizabeth DeMaso, president of the New York City-based ad agency Triptent, suggests choosing a moderator who knows the players and their strengths.
“Someone who comes prepared to get each participant to voice their opinions,” she says. “Knowing how to get each team member comfortable in expressing themselves is as important as knowing the issue that the session is solving for.”
To cultivate an inclusive environment and balances dynamics, the moderator should review meeting norms to establish psychological safety, says Jenny Woo, author of 52 Essential Relationship Skills.
“This is especially important when brainstorming difficult topics, such as turnovers, project slippage, and product defects,” she says.
The moderator should also be able to read the room, says DeMaso. “You will notice shifts in body language or facial expressions that will allow you to probe what that person is thinking about what was shared by another team member,” she says. “This is especially helpful when you have someone more introverted or junior in the room. Pull them into the conversation in a safe way. Let them know it would be great to hear a different perspective on what was just shared.”
2. Break Into Groups
Instead of having one big group, speaking coach Jenn Whitmer recommends breaking the team into smaller groups.
“Extroverts are famous for out-loud processing—both for good and for ill,” she says. “Introverts often need more quiet space to create. However, engaging-personality differences in brainstorming goes beyond even those tendencies.”
Provide breakout rooms for different styles, such as putting all the extroverts together in one space and introverts together in another. Or combine styles and set specific times to trade, says Whitmer.
3. Switch to “Brainwriting”
Brainstorming is usually a verbal exercise, where people talk through a challenge, throwing out ideas as they come. Instead, create a fair playing field by switching to “brainwriting,” suggests Sondre Kvam, cofounder and CEO of Naer, a mixed-reality workplace app for focused brainstorming.
“When you do brainwriting, you get your creative juices flowing before they’re influenced by everyone else,” he explains.
To effectively use group time, Kvam suggests providing the problem to solve ahead of time and allowing participants to conduct their writing asynchronously. Then introduce structure to the process such as setting a timer for 10 minutes or requesting a set number of ideas. Kvam recommends a method called “Crazy Eight.”
“Everyone writes down eight ideas and presents the three best,” explains Kvam. “Then, the other people generate another eight ideas based on what has been shared. The final idea becomes collective instead of being voiced by whoever had the best storytelling abilities.”
Woo recommends brainwriting, too, and says it’s also a good tool for virtual meetings. “When I’m facilitating a brainstorming session online, I ask all participants to type out their ideas in chat,” she says. “Then, everyone presses ‘send’ simultaneously.”
4. Try Affinity Diagramming
If you’re in a big group, Kvam recommends affinity diagramming. Participants write ideas on sticky notes that are attached to a wall. Then the group moves the notes around, linking similar themes.
“If the project is how to improve a bicycle, for example, you can have one section for the wheels, one about the frame, one about the material,” he explains. “The sticky notes that are thematically linked end up being together.”
Next, vote on where the group should focus its efforts. “Repeat the process of voting until you get to something that is not a compromise, but a shared solution built by the entire team,” says Kvam. “Voting ensures that whoever speaks the loudest isn’t the winner of the conversation.”
Once ideas are on the board, allow for a second iteration where new ideas are built on top of the proposed ideas. “Often this sparks interesting conversations that allow you to add more context and information to the discussion,” says Kvam.
5. Do One Thing at a Time
People have natural tendencies to step into roles such as being critical or being positive. While it’s great for some parts of brainstorming, it can also derail idea generation, says Kvam.
“A very important part of facilitation is being able to time the behavior to the right times, otherwise it can be very destructive,” he says.
For example, separate processes where a certain amount of time is only for idea sharing, another is for supporting and building upon ideas, and another is reserved for deconstructing and finding the weak spots.
While critical feedback can be helpful, DeMaso says it’s important to stay encouraging. “Be supportive of everything that is shared,” she says. “Brainstorming is just that—a storm of ideas coming together to be considered, examined, and celebrated. People need to know their contributions are being heard and validated and that their time was valued.”
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