Brainstorm in a bottle

You get an email from your boss. You open it. Congratulations. You have been invited to a brainstorming session. Do you feel excitement or dread?

Here at Rising Tide, we found a perfect way to make brainstorming sessions less intimidating and more social. We took a page from the notes of David Droga, the founder and creative chairperson of Droga5, one of the most acclaimed creative agencies in the world. It was said that this was one of the methods he used whenever he brainstorms with his award-winning team.

We’re calling it “Brainstorm in A Bottle” simply because you need a bottle to make this technique work.

Step 1 

Everyone in the team should sit in a circle. No one should sit behind someone else because for this method to work, everyone should get their fair share of space in the circle.

Step 2

Someone should be tasked to moderate the discussion. The moderator should prepare a list of questions that would aide in the brainstorming.

Step 3

Place the bottle in the middle of the circle. This can be an empty bottle but we prefer that this is a bottle of your favorite liquor. Here at Rising Tide, we prefer Jameson Irish Whiskey.

Step 4 

The moderator should ask the question to get things started. The moderator then spins the bottle.

Step 5

When the bottle stops spinning, whoever is facing the mouth of the bottle is required to answer the moderator’s question. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. This is a brainstorming sessions and any idea might spark another idea from someone else.

Step 6

Repeat the steps until the moderator runs out of question. The moderator can also ask a follow-up question, based on the participants’ replies.

Step 7

Have fun! Maybe you even want to include a rule that whenever someone answers a question, he or she can take a shot from the bottle!

Why don’t you try this for your next brainstorming session? And why not include some snacks while you’re at it?