When done well, a virtual brainstorm can be incredibly effective — even preferable to a traditional, in-person one. Start by choosing a collaboration tool that’s right for your team (for example, Google Docs for group-based writing projects or MURAL to simulate a whiteboard experience). Then ask team members to independently generate ideas. This might happen synchronously during a live video conference, or asynchronously if your team is dispersed across time zones. Either way, ask people to focus on quality over quantity, and encourage them to submit contradicting ideas if they feel inspired to do so — without worrying about the consequences. Next, organize your team’s ideas so that they’re legible and visually digestible, and gather anonymous feedback and responses on whatever has been generated. It can help to share criteria that you’d like them to compare the ideas against. Finally, assemble your team to discuss a shortlist of the “best” ideas live on a call (if that’s feasible) to determine next steps and assignments.
Embrace the Upsides of Brainstorming Virtually