How to Run an Effective Brainstorming Session

A Tactical Guide to Structuring Creative Thinking Without Whacking Any Moles

If you’ve ever watched a team try to brainstorm while simultaneously critiquing every idea that pops up, you know what Whack-a-Mole Brainstorming looks like. One idea surfaces…and somebody discounts it. Another peeks out, and it gets dismissed. Pretty soon, the creativity dries up and energy plummets.

There is a better way.  Separate the “brainstorming” from the “evaluation.”

I prefer to think of a well-run brainstorming session as a three-part sandwich:

1. Top Crust: The structured setup that clearly frames the challenge.
2. Jammy Middle: The messy, generative phase where ideas flow without judgment.
3. Bottom Crust: The evaluative wrap-up where you sort, shape, and prioritize.

Here’s how to facilitate that delicious sandwich—from setup to solutions—without letting ideas get crushed along the way.

1.  Top Crust: Set the Stage with a Clear, Focused Challenge

Before anyone tosses out ideas, you’ve got to define what problem you are solving. The solutions you are generating.  The potential causes.  It all starts with a list.  And don’t throw out a general, vague topic, but craft a concise statement or question that will yield the results you are looking for. Think of this as tightening the lens before snapping a photo.

❌ Let’s brainstorm ways to improve operations.

✅ How can we reduce customer onboarding time by 30% without hiring additional staff?

It’s also helpful to provide any background information that might be helpful and to set ground rules. My favorites are:

• Aim for quantity, not quality
• Build on others’ ideas
• Encourage the unusual
• One person at a time
• No evaluation or judgment

And if possible, assign a neutral facilitator to guide the group and protect the creative space.

2.  The Jam: Let the Ideas Flow Freely (Messy is Good!)

This is the heart of brainstorming—the divergent thinking phase where you generate as many ideas as possible without editing, evaluating, or filtering. This is where innovation lives, but only if you protect it from being squashed too early.

There are so many ways to brainstorm!  You can try these:

1. Silent Brainwriting: Start with 5–7 minutes of solo idea-writing. It levels the playing field and gets the juices flowing.
2. Popcorn Sharing: Go round-robin or call out ideas rapidly while capturing them on sticky notes or a shared board.
3. Sticky Note: Ask your team to write each idea on a sticky note – then you can categorize them easier!
4. Add Fuel: Use provocations:
   • “What would a 5-year-old suggest?”
   • “What’s the worst idea possible?”
   • “How would Amazon solve this?”

Encourage quantity. Wild ideas are welcome. Remember: no evaluating, no ranking, no reactions…yet.  It will all “come out in the wash.”  You have to trust the process!

3. Bottom Crust: Sort, Evaluate, and Prioritize

Once you’ve got a rich set of raw ideas, it’s time to shift into convergent thinking. This is where the team reviews the brainstorm buffet and begins shaping it into something actionable.

Here’s how:

1. Cluster & Theme: Group similar ideas to spot trends or common threads.
2. Apply Criteria: Use a framework like “Impact vs. Effort,” or apply your own scoring system based on feasibility, alignment, or innovation.
3. Vote or Rank: Use dot-voting or a prioritization matrix to identify top contenders.
4. Decide & Assign: Pick 1–3 ideas to move forward with. Assign owners and next steps.

Make sure the team knows what’s happening to the ideas next. Otherwise, you’re just running a creative treadmill.

Avoid the “Whack-a-Mole” Trap

The biggest threat to effective brainstorming is mixing the jam and the crusts. If your team is tossing out ideas and immediately judging them, you’re playing Whack-a-Mole—and that kills creative confidence and contribution.

Keep idea generation and evaluation completely separate. That’s not just a technique—it’s a non-negotiable.

Great brainstorming isn’t magic—it’s well-structured messiness. When you design your session like a sandwich (start with clarity, move into freeform ideation, and close with purposeful evaluation), you give your team the space and structure they need to generate and act on truly original ideas.

Want help designing or facilitating brainstorming that gets results? Let’s build your next creative sandwich together—without crushing the ideas that matter.

Related Articles: 

Add Curiosity to Your Brainstorming Session

How to Brainstorm a List at a Meeting

The Third Third of Brainstorming