Run a brainstorm session that generates real options, not just a list
A brainstorm that produces forty ideas and a brainstorm that produces three real options are different sessions wearing the same name.
- Outcome
- A facilitated session that genuinely diverges before converging, surfaces options people actually held back from saying, and ends with a small set of real candidates instead of a long unsorted list nobody will act on.
- Time
- 60-90 minutes for the session, plus prep
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Group brainstorms often produce a long list dominated by variations on whoever spoke first, because the group anchors on an early idea and because some participants hold back their real thoughts in a group setting. This playbook facilitates the session deliberately: generate ideas individually before sharing to avoid anchoring, use the group phase to build on genuine variety instead of the first idea, and converge on a small set of real candidates instead of ending with an unsorted pile.
When not to use this
For a quick, informal idea toss with one or two people, this level of facilitation is unnecessary structure. This is for a group session meant to produce real options for a real decision.
Did this work?
The session ends with a small set of genuinely different, real candidates the group would actually consider — not a long list of variations on the first idea someone said out loud.
Tested on claude-opus-5. Evidence status is draft; it moves to battle-tested only on recorded runs, never by hand.