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Round-Robin Brainstorming

Allowing Everyone to Contribute

This technique allows everyone to contribute their ideas.

Imagine that you've gathered your team together for a much-needed brainstorming session, focusing on the most effective way to market your organization's next product release.

Bill, the most talkative and forceful member of your team, immediately asserts that TV and online media are the best platforms to use. Others follow on to contribute ideas that go along with Bill's. Ten minutes later, the group is immersed in TV and online ideas. No one else has submitted any other options, once Bill had set the direction.

It's all too easy to start a brainstorming session with good intentions, but then to overlook or miss potentially great ideas, simply because one assertive person sets the tone for the entire meeting.

This is why a tool like Round-Robin Brainstorming is so useful. This method allows team members to generate ideas without being influenced by any one person. You can then take these ideas into the next stages of the problem-solving process.

In this article, we'll examine Round-Robin Brainstorming in detail, and we'll look at different variations, so that you can pick the right one for the circumstances.