Want Better Ideas? Follow These Easy Brainstorming Rules

 If you're brainstorming, don't characterizes  ideas as "bad."  Yes, there are bad ideas, but they're the fertilizer out of which good ideas grow.

When it comes to brainstorming meetings, the terms "long" and "productive" are an oxymoron. 

Think 15 to 20 minutes. The moment everyone's energy starts to flag, end the meeting before the storm turns into a dull drizzle.

• Suspend your judgment: approach all ideas--even ones that normally might seem lame--with a sense of  possibility.
• Go for quantity. The object of brainstorming is to get as many of ideas on the table as possible in as short a time as possible.
• Get everyone all wired up: Two magic words: caffeine & sugar. Apply in large doses before and during the session.
• No electronics: No laptops, no phones, no exceptions.
• Sleep on it:  Use the passage of some time to get perspective and only then consider and sort out the ideas that were generated.