Some last minute tips for ideas generation

Here are my top three tips for holding an effective ideas generation session - helpful if your group is still searching for its big idea or just needs a last minute injection of creative thinking!

1. Get everyone involved. Encourage everyone to share their ideas. Someone might have jotted down a gem of an idea in their notebook, but if they’re too nervous to speak up then you’ll never know about it!

2. Ban negative thinking. In an ideas generation session all ideas are good ideas. Quickly dismissing an idea as ‘bad’ or ‘impossible’ might hold others back from sharing their ideas – and a ‘bad’ idea might be the one that sparks a brainwave from someone else.

3. Find a fresh perspective. Try getting your group together in a different setting from your usual meeting place – a different perspective can help to encourage fresh thinking. Or if you’ve already identified a problem that you want to solve, then get together in a setting that helps you to focus on that problem.

You should also check out Doug Richard’s advice on how to come up with good ideas.

Remember that the deadline for entering the Big Green Challenge is Monday 3 March - so even if you’ve not yet finalised your ideas, it makes sense to start your application as soon as possible.