Business English - Participating in Brainstorming Sessions

Activity 1: Let's Get Started! (Warm-up)

What is the main purpose of a brainstorming session in a business context? Why is it a valuable activity?
What makes a brainstorming session successful in your opinion? What can make it unsuccessful?
Do you prefer structured or unstructured brainstorming? What are the pros and cons of each approach?

Activity 2: New Words & Phrases (Vocabulary)

Let's explore some essential terms and phrases for actively and effectively participating in brainstorming sessions.

1. Generate (verb): To produce or create something.

Example: The main goal of this session is to generate as many creative ideas as possible for the new marketing campaign.

2. Feasible (adjective): Possible to do easily or conveniently; likely; probable.

Example: While that's an interesting idea, we need to consider if it's financially feasible at this stage.

3. Unconventional (adjective): Not based on or conforming to what is generally done or believed.

Example: Let's not be afraid to suggest unconventional ideas; sometimes the best solutions come from thinking outside the box.

4. Build on (an idea) (phrasal verb): To use an existing idea as a foundation to develop it further or create something new from it.

Example: That's a great starting point. How can we build on that idea to make it even more impactful?

5. Think outside the box (idiom): To think imaginatively using new ideas instead of traditional or expected ones.

Example: For this brainstorming session, I encourage everyone to think outside the box and not limit their creativity.

Activity 3: Reading - The Innovation Workshop

Read the following scenario about a team participating in a brainstorming session to solve a problem.

A software company was facing declining user engagement on their mobile app. The product team organized an innovation workshop, a type of brainstorming session, to generate fresh ideas. The facilitator, Anna, started by encouraging everyone to think outside the box. "No idea is a bad idea at this stage," she emphasized. "Our goal is to generate a wide range of potential solutions."

Liam, a junior developer, tentatively suggested an unconventional idea: gamifying the app's tutorial process. Maria, a UX designer, immediately saw potential. "That's interesting, Liam!" she said. "We could build on that idea by adding a points system and badges to encourage users to complete more tasks." Another team member, David, then considered the practicalities. "While gamification is appealing, we need to ensure any new features are technically feasible within our current development cycle and budget." The team then discussed various ways to implement the gamification concept, from simple progress bars to more complex interactive elements. By the end of the session, they had several concrete, innovative ideas to explore further. The open environment, where participants felt comfortable sharing unconventional thoughts and building on each other's contributions, was key to the session's success in generating feasible solutions.

Comprehension Questions:

After reading the passage, answer the following questions:

What was the problem the software company was trying to solve through the brainstorming session?
How did Anna, the facilitator, encourage participation and idea generation?
How did Maria "build on" Liam's initial idea?
Why was it important for David to consider whether ideas were "feasible," even in a creative brainstorming session?

Activity 4: Role Play - Brainstorming a Team-Building Event

Read the following dialogue with a partner. One person can be Chloe, and the other can be Ben, who are brainstorming ideas for a company team-building event.

Chloe: Okay Ben, let's try to generate some ideas for the annual team-building event. We want something engaging and fun this year.

Ben: Sounds good. My first thought is maybe an outdoor activity, like a company sports day or a scavenger hunt around the city.

Chloe: A scavenger hunt... I like that! We could build on that idea by theming it around local landmarks. That could be quite unconventional and memorable.

Ben: True. Or, thinking outside the box a bit, what about a creative workshop? Like a painting class or a cooking competition?

Chloe: A cooking competition! That could be hilarious and really foster teamwork. We'd need to check if it's feasible in terms of venue and cost, though.

Ben: Good point. We should list out all these ideas first and then evaluate their feasibility. What about something more relaxed, like a company picnic with games?

Chloe: That's a classic for a reason. It's generally easy to organize and inclusive. So, we have scavenger hunt, cooking competition, creative workshop, sports day, and a picnic.

Ben: Yes, that's a good list to start with. We've managed to generate quite a few options. Any other unconventional ideas before we move to the next step?

Chloe: How about a volunteer day? The team could work together on a community project. It’s team-building with a purpose.

Ben: That's a fantastic idea, Chloe! Very meaningful. Okay, I think we have a strong set of initial concepts to present.

Discuss Together:

After reading or performing the dialogue, discuss the following with a partner:

What techniques did Chloe and Ben use to generate a variety of ideas?
How did they ensure they considered both creative and practical aspects of their ideas?

Activity 5: Let's Practice - New Product Features Brainstorm

Objective: Practice participating in a brainstorming session using key vocabulary in a role-play setting.

Scenario: A team (Riya, Kenji, and Sam) is brainstorming new features for their company's mobile application. Fill in their parts of the dialogue using vocabulary from Activity 2.

Riya (Facilitator): "Alright team, our goal today is to some innovative new features for our app. Let's try to and not worry about limitations just yet."

Kenji: "Okay, one idea I had, which might be a bit , is to integrate a personalized AI assistant that learns user preferences."

Sam: "That's an interesting concept, Kenji! We could that by having the AI also suggest relevant content or tasks. However, we'd need to assess if developing such an AI is with our current resources."

Riya: "Good points from both of you. Let's note down 'Personalized AI Assistant' and the 'Content Suggestion' build. What other areas can we explore?"

Kenji: "How about enhanced social sharing features, making it easier for users to share their achievements or content from the app directly to multiple platforms?"

Try to fill in the blanks with the correct words or phrases from Activity 2.