Motivate Your Team to Think Faster

Want to get more out of your team during a brainstorming session? Start by changing the energy in the room.

One of the simplest ways to do that is by introducing play. Creative games help people loosen up, think faster, and contribute more freely. And in a world where teams are often balancing deadlines, meetings, and pressure to perform, that shift matters more than ever.

Forget what you know

Most of us work in environments where we hesitate to share ideas unless they feel fully formed. We filter. We refine. We try to anticipate what will work before we say anything out loud.

That might be good business practice in some situations. But it is the opposite of what you want in a brainstorming session.

Strong idea generation is not about getting it right. It is about getting a lot.

In fact, some of the most effective brainstorming techniques focus on volume first, refinement later. The goal is to create space for unexpected connections, not polished answers.

Think fast

Here is a simple exercise you can use to reset the room

Give everyone a sheet of paper and a pen. Then ask them to list as many uses as they can think of for a simple object. A paper clip works well. If you want to make it more relevant, use something from your business, like a chair or your core product.

Set a timer for one minute.

The constraint is the point. When people only have a short window, they stop overthinking and start reacting. The ideas get weirder. Faster. Less filtered.

Encourage that.

A chair is not just something you sit on. It could be:

• A prop in an office race
• A building block for a sculpture
• A stage
• A barricade
• A storytelling device

The ideas do not need to be practical. In fact, the more absurd they are, the better.

Add a little competition

Once the timer ends, have everyone count their ideas.

Ask who has the most. Let them share a few.

Then open it up. Invite people to share the strangest or most unexpected ideas they wrote down.

Offer a small reward. It does not need to be big. A candy bar, a coffee, or even simple recognition works. The point is not the prize. It is the permission.

Competition adds energy. It shifts people out of passive participation and into active contribution.

Why this still works today

These types of creative thinking exercises have been used for decades. But they are arguably even more important now.

Today’s teams are often:

• Hybrid or remote
• Moving quickly between meetings
• Balancing execution with innovation

That environment can make it harder to access creative thinking on demand.

Short, structured exercises like this act as a reset. They help teams:

• Switch modes from analytical to creative
• Build momentum quickly
• Create psychological safety through shared play

You are not just generating ideas. You are creating the conditions for better collaboration.

Make it your own

Once your team gets comfortable with this format, you can evolve it:

• Use prompts tied to real business challenges
• Run it at the start of every ideation session
• Break into small groups for team-based competition
• Add rounds with different constraints like worst ideas only or most impractical solution

Sometimes the worst ideas lead to the best ones.

Final thought

This activity works because it removes pressure and replaces it with momentum. It rewards speed, creativity, and a willingness to say something before it is fully formed. And more often than not, those outlandish ideas are the ones worth paying attention to.