Isaac Asimov said,

"I suspect it is the involuntary faculty of thought that gives rise to what we call 'a flash of intuition,' something that I imagine is merely the result of unnoticed thinking."

It is precisely this 'unnoticed thinking' that gets tapped into and put to good use by the process of brainstorming. Brainstorming was introduced by advertising writer, Alex Osborn in the 1950s, as a way of breaking out of our habit-bound thinking. The results are more potent when the facilitator remembers to utilize him/herself by being prepared, present, and positive during the process. It's also important to remember and utilize all the elements of brainstorming that make it so effective.

Most well known and remembered components of brainstorming are to:

• Invite the right people
• Define the problem/issue clearly
• Lay groundwork for free thinking—'anything goes'
• Remember to suspend judgment
• Have fun

• Be yourself
• Create a non-linear environment
• Time the process
• Build on one another's ideas and take them further
• Celebrate success

Be yourself—As easy as this sounds, it's common for us to rush from meeting to meeting, pushing ourselves to maintain a frenzied pace without pausing to get centered. It's as simple as Pause - Take a breath - Check your attitude - Bring your best self to the foreground. Be prepared to initiate, inspire, and acknowledge.

Create a non-linear environment—We do this to engage both sides of the brain, particularly to beckon our creativity. Draw a circle in the middle of the board and write the issue inside it. As ideas surface, write them down in an array of ideas all around the circle. Nothing linear or overly ordered. Let go, let loose, let ideas flow.

Time the process—Create a sense of fun-filled urgency by setting a time goal to inspire people to jump in right from the get-go. Say, for example, "Let's see how many ideas we can generate for measuring value we bring to customers within the next six minutes." Then appoint a time-keeper and use a buzzer for effect. Everyone joins in the game, energy reaches a pitch, and creativity bubbles to the surface. You can assess the group's outcome after six minutes and extend the time as needed, maintaining a sense of urgency and camaraderie.

Build on one another's ideas and take them further—This builds a sense of team-ship and collaboration. Comment on how one idea spurs another and how the whole group designs something greater than what any one person can do alone. Ask, "What's good about the idea just suggested? What action is necessary to make it come alive? What changes would make it better? How wild can we get with it?" At the end of the brainstorming, have the team identify a specific number of possible solutions. In addition, have all members take the collective thinking away and use another's idea as stimulation for one or two of their own new ideas for later that afternoon or, at the latest, the next day. As more ideas are generated, keep bringing the success back to the collective whole.