Embarrassment

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.