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Have you ever tried to get creative ideas from a group of people who just met each other for the first time when they walked into your room? You hoped to welcome and make them feel comfortable enough to open up, take risks, and share ideas with each other within fifteen minutes. How did that work for you?

As an experienced facilitator, I’ve learned techniques that allow people who don’t know each other to open up, be creative, and share ideas rather quickly.

I observe that people are wary about sharing their ideas for a variety of reasons. One is the fear of someone stealing their ideas. Another is that a self-identified introvert hesitates to open up and speak up in groups to begin with. A third is a feeling of being psychologically or emotionally threatened by others in the group. A fourth is a fear of looking or sounding silly. These are the most-common reasons shared with me over the years.

So how do you get people who don’t know each other to share ideas when they first meet? Here are three techniques I use that you can adapt to your own style.

1. Have everyone write their ideas on note cards and pass them to one person who volunteers to read them aloud.
2. Break the group into pairs. Have each pair take a few minutes to come up with as many ideas as they can, unedited. Then ask each pair to choose their top 3 ideas and share them with the full group.
3. Use a soft object like a Nerf™ or Koosh™ ball. You can find these in a toy store or online. Pose your issue or question to the group for which you want their ideas. Then throw the ball randomly to someone in the group. Ask them to share their idea. After they do so, have them throw the ball to another person randomly. Repeat until everyone has had the ball and offered their ideas.

Getting people to open up in a group and share their thoughts can be a challenge, especially in a time when a lot of interaction involves touch screens or verbal commands to devices. A great way to practice such leadership skills is by facilitating Idea MindTeams™ if your organization implements them.

Let me help you develop tools for your facilitation toolkit so that you have techniques you can use to transform group ideas to action.

**Watch the Video

If you like what you heard and saw here, connect with me at www.SylviaHenderson.com. Stay up-to-date with my tips and guidance to move your ideas to income. Let’s start with a conversation to see how I might serve you – or your organization – to implement your ideas and get things done!

Sylvia Henderson ~ CEO: MindTeam Solutions, Inc.

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