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One of the most common reasons that people do not contribute ideas to a group brainstorm is the fear of embarrassment. Expressing a new idea to a group of people requires some bravery because it makes you vulnerable to criticism. This is why the brainstorm rule of deferring judgment exists, but even with the rule, it is hard for people to overcome this emotional block.

It can help to have the group perform some bonding activity before the brainstorm starts. A icebreakers shows that it is ok to be silly and say things that may be imperfect. The following icebreaker is designed to quickly get all the embarrassment out of the way.

On the count of three, everyone in the room should simultaneously give their best impression of a barnyard animal. Moo like a cow, squawk like a chicken, or oink like a pig. Preface the exercise by saying that anyone who does not participate with the group will be required to do a private performance. Once everyone has done something really silly, the fear of embarrassment should be lessened.

wast-rel

noun :: One who wastes resources foolishly and self-indulgently.

"The hard-working and responsible people will rise to the top, while the wastrels will sink to the bottom."

The amygdala is a small part of the brain, adjacent to the hippocampus, that is believed to react most directly to emotions. From studies using brain scans, it has been shown that events that stimulate the amygdala are remembered better over time. This may be why emotionally significant events are remembered better than emotionally insignificant events.

Because the amygdala is involved heavily with emotions, it is believed to play a role in conditions such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and phobias.