13 Productivity-Boosting Brainstorm Ideas

Imagine yourself with your team at a secret special venue in your company’s city for a one-day brainstorming blitz. Maybe you’re on a rooftop like this one, or you’ve rented a hidden-in-plain-sight getaway like this one. Everyone’s stimulated by the new environs, talking about how cool this feature or that nook is. It’s the perfect day to get some fresh thoughts flowing. Here are 13 productivity-boosting brainstorm ideas to inspire your inspired day. We’ve also included photos of meeting spaces available for you to book on Peerspace, for even more inspiration!

1. Temporarily relocate to a fresh venue booked on Peerspace

bright airy modern loft space
Source: Peerspace

There’s nothing like new surroundings to inspire productive brainstorming. Luckily, Peerspace has thousands of venues in hundreds of cities you can rent to hold your idea sesh. For example, you might get those thoughts churning at this Chicago loft (pictured above) or this amazing restored church in London.

2. Doodle fest

sleek and cozy meeting space
Source: Peerspace

Gather everyone together, supply big blank paper notepads and markers, maybe provide a theme, and let the doodle festival begin. Ideas and laughter are sure to emerge. There will also be colorful yet unintelligible squiggles, but still – doodling together can definitely be a creative and productive brainstorming technique.

3. Aromatherapy

meeting retreat columbia city loft seattle rental
Source: Peerspace

It might seem odd, but once the team is assembled for the brainstorming event, light some candles, incense, or diffuse some essential oils. Concentrating on a scent like lavender can help focus jumbled thoughts and encourage productive ideas. Of course, if there are folks with allergies in the house, this isn’t an advisable suggestion, but in general, scents are an underrated way to inspire creativity.

4. Watch a film

30 person private screening meeting room los angeles rental
Source: Peerspace

Book a venue with a projector and A/V equipment like this private black box theatre in Los Angeles, and screen a film that’s totally off topic from whatever you’re trying to brainstorm. The goal is to distract concentration and let fresh ideas emerge from the stimulation. (Horror films work well for this.) Give everyone a notebook and some pens to jot down any inspired ideas that jump to mind during the movie.

5. Brainwriting

West Loop Dynamic Offsite Meeting Space chicago rental
Source: Peerspace

Brainwriting is also known as “individual brainstorming,” and yet the team can be together. Instead of folks shouting out ideas together and someone frantically writing them on a whiteboard, participants write down their own thoughts on a piece of paper and turn them in without putting their name on it. The goal is to feel free and safe from criticism while spouting new ideas.

6. Share some laughs

old school underground speakeasy
Source: Peerspace

If your team is available to go to a comedy show or club, doing so is a super fun way to gather inspiration. If not, watch a pre-recorded comedy special or see if a live, web-streamed show is available online. After the belly laughs, when you’re back at the drawing table, the show will clear your team’s mind, and ideas will (hopefully) come pouring out. Laughter distracts us from overthinking, and it’s gratifying, so it’s a win-win way to preface a productive brainstorming session.

7. Share a TED Talk/lecture

Open, Stylish Offsite and Conference Space sf san francisco rental
Source: Peerspace

Does a pre-brainstorming session TED Talk sound boring? It doesn’t have to be. Some fascinating TED Talks and other online free discussions and talks about brainstorming, creativity, and productivity can get your team excited before coming up with new ideas. A good lecture can inspire back-and-forth communication that can lead to innovation. Here’s a playlist of TED Talks which are each about sparking creativity. Some offer specific games and tools you and your team can use; others discuss overcoming creative blocks.

8. Rapid ideation

mid century modern office space
Source: Peerspace

Sometimes referred to as “word vomiting,” rapid ideation brainstorming participants start with a prompt and then rattle off ideas that might or might not be related to the prompt at all. One of the main tenets of brainstorming is that there are no wrong answers. In rapid ideation, that rule is strictly upheld. Participants aren’t allowed to laugh at others’ rapid-flow ideas, nor sneer, nor applaud. The goal is to get many thoughts on paper or the computer as quickly as possible and weed out the unusable gems.

9. Fresh air

Bright and open rooftop terrace with stunning views of Coral Gables miami rental
Source: Peerspace

It’s a lovely day. Head outdoors together. Take a stroll if that’s an option. Or head to a botanical garden or a municipal park and sit together at a ramada or picnic table. Fresh air is healthy and clears the cobwebs from the team’s collective brain. Return to the meeting room with a new perspective.

10. Random word picker

Large Conference Room in Oakland sf san francisco rental
Source: Peerspace

The moderator of the brainstorming event randomly selects a word, maybe related to the business at hand and maybe not. Participants just free write or free shout out ideas. This is like rapid ideation but with a random word as a prompt instead of a statement or concept. You can find random word pickers online or acquire a tangible dictionary for a true analog experience, acquire a tangible dictionary and flip it open, and point at your word.

11. Play a game

Easily Accessible and Unique Meeting Space jacksonville rental
Source: Peerspace

Huddle the team around a table and play a board game together. A little competitive strategizing will get those bright idea juices flowing. Suggestions include Taboo, Family Feud, and other games that have participants thinking quickly on their feet.

12. Sustained silence

sophisticated meeting room los angeles rental
Source: Peerspace

Conduct a little group meditation during which everyone is instructed to be silent and still for about five minutes. After that time expires, participants will write down the wandering thoughts that occurred to them during the exercise. As with many of these productivity brainstorming ideas, silent meditation can be preceded with a prompt or “intention,” or not.

13. Rapid SWOT analysis

suite and rooftop terrace seattle rental
Source: Peerspace

Unlike most of the other productivity-boosting brainstorming ideas on this list, a SWOT exercise is quite structured. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. To enact this during a brainstorming meeting, an overarching will be required – such as positing the question, how could this website be better? Although there are many ways to operationalize the session, one way is for participants to go around the group and state one of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the site in question.

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