Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Your organization is run on ideas…and so is your department. But the task of leading a brainstorming session isn't as simple as asking for thoughts and writing them down. From reluctant participants, to one person dominating the session, to the same ideas being repeated over and over again, the possibility of hitting roadblocks is high …and once the ideas stop flowing, it can be impossible to get back on track.

Packed with real-world, practical guidance, Quick Brainstorming Activities for Busy Managers gives you the tools, exercises, and guidance you need to pave the way toward the kind of innovation and creative solutions your company needs to beat the competition. Filled with fun, proven activities that will enable you to get productive brain­storming sessions started and keep them going, the book shows you how to:

Clarify the purpose of the session • Ask the kind of questions that provoke responses and inspire creativity • React to ideas in a way that encourages participants and prompts more input • Know what to record and what not to record • Sort and categorize lengthy lists • Evaluate ideas • Prioritize the most useful concepts and expand on them • And much more!

You'll learn how to focus the group, use concepts such as playbacks and prompts, discourage criticism and self-editing, know the right time to take a break, and help your team arrive at outside-the-box, brilliant conclusions by collaborating with each other and building on each other's ideas.

Truly productive brainstorming sessions are dependent on your ability to create the right environment and let your people's ideas flow. Containing sample dialogues, as well as resources for virtual team brainstorming, this is the indispensable toolbox of activities you need to keep the energy high, and generate great ideas fast.

Brian Cole Miller is the principal of Working Solutions, Inc., a management training and consulting firm. He is the author of several books including Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers , More Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers , and Keeping Employees Accountable for Results .