After framing a problem for generating questions (see May 14 entry) invite the group to begin brainstorming. Provide a recorder to capture the questions, preferably in a place that is visible to all. Allow only four minutes for question generation. Fatigue will set in at about this point and the energy will wane. Work to generate at least fifteen questions.

At the end of the four minutes, do another emotional check. Write or speak to your feelings about the challenge now and ask the group members to do the same. If you are not feeling more positive, run the process again with some other groups. The author states that the power of the question burst is dislodging the feeling of being stuck.

What do you notice as you experiment with this process? How did it affect the leader and the contributors?

Source: “Better Brainstorming,” by Hal Gregersen (Harvard Business Review, March-April, 2018)