Avoid Lame Ideas

  I asked Butch Whitmire, Pastor of Creative Arts – Granger Community Church, to briefly talk about their approach to brainstorming.  Here is what he had to say:I'll be the first to tell you that no matter how great your planning, how talented your players, how well-executed the performance, a lame idea is, well ... lame. So we are always looking to improve the way we mine for ideas - they're gold to us. While we continue to improve our brainstorming process, here are some things we're finding:
  •  We need to forget the concern of the time or money required for an idea.
  • Things seem to work better in smaller groups (less than 10.)
  • Group chemistry is essential.
  • We need clear, measurable objectives and goals.
  • We need a limited time frame.
  • We shouldn't evaluate the merit of an idea - good or bad.
  • We need a strong facilitator v. a strong, creative contributor leading the meeting.
  • We need to learn to move on when we get stuck.
  • You can't laugh enough in a brainstorming meeting.

To hear more from Butch come back tomorrow and  join us at Wonder, for Butch’s sessions, The Science of Arts Team Leadership & Ministry and Video Showcase: Granger Community Church.

 
Published 25 February 2009 02:54 PM by Pam Howell
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Comments

# Sherri said on 25 February, 2009 05:49 PM
Great list, Butch! I think so often people start brainstorming meetings with their "parameters" (how much it costs, how much time it takes, whether or not you might look stupid) and it hinders the process. And maybe in the back of your head you think "there's no way that we have the money for that" (as a producer, I sure do!), but you can build off of the "impossible" ideas - they might lead to great realistic options in the end.
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