# The brainstorm mindset

For a brainstorm session to be really effective, we need to defer our critical thinking and open up to a more creative, generative mindset. This can only happen in a safe environment. Design agency IDEO formulated 7 brainstorm rules that allow for this creativity to happen:

1. "Defer judgment. You never know where a good idea is going to come from. The key is make everyone feel like they can say the idea on their mind and allow others to build on it.
2. Encourage wild ideas. Wild ideas can often give rise to creative leaps. In thinking about ideas that are wacky or out there we tend to think about what we really want without the constraints of technology or materials.
3. Build on the ideas of others. Being positive and building on the ideas of others take some skill. In conversation, try to use “and” instead of “but.”
4. Stay focused on the topic. Try to keep the discussion on target, otherwise you can diverge beyond the scope of what you're trying to design for.
5. One (brief) conversation at a time. Your team is far more likely to build on an idea and make a creative leap if everyone is paying full attention to whoever is sharing a new idea.
6. Be visual. Nothing gets an idea across faster than drawing it. Doesn't matter if you're not Rembrandt!
7. Go for quantity. Aim for as many new ideas as possible. In a good session, up to 100 ideas are generated in 60 minutes. Crank the ideas out quickly and build on the best ones."

These are the rules from IDEO, but similar rules can be found elsewhere. For beginners, the most important rules to focus on are to Defer judgment and Go for quantity.