Creative meetings need space to breathe. But “space” does not mean “no structure.” Unstructured brainstorming sessions waste time on bad ideas because there is no framework for evaluating them. This template provides structure for divergence and convergence.
State the problem or opportunity in specific terms. Define constraints upfront — budget, timeline, technical limits. Constraints fuel creativity; they do not kill it.
Generate ideas. Quantity over quality. No criticism, no “yes but.” Write every idea on a shared board. Use silent brainstorming for the first 5 minutes so introverts contribute before the loudest voice dominates.
Group similar ideas. Vote on the top 3–5. For each, briefly discuss feasibility and impact. The goal is to narrow, not to perfect.
For the top 1–2 ideas, sketch next steps: who explores further, what questions need answering, what a prototype or proof of concept would look like.
Document all ideas (not just the winners). Assign follow-up owners. Confirm when the group will reconvene to evaluate.
Pre-meeting checklist
- Challenge statement shared in advance so people can think beforehand
- Shared digital board or doc ready for idea capture
- Decision criteria defined (how will ideas be evaluated?)
When to use 25 minutes instead
For quick ideation on a narrow, well-defined problem where the group already has context. Use 25 minutes for “generate 10 ideas for X” sessions, not open-ended exploration.