Give me the young man who has brains enough to make a fool of himself. Robert Louis Stevenson

Banking on Innovation is a superb training for new employees. Ralph Hulseman, Michelin  MORE

"This is really, really good stuff." — Seth Godin

"In tune with corporate America." — CNN

High Velocity Brainstorming is a deeply engaging, masterfully facilitated creative thinking session that helps aspiring innovators originate and develop breakthrough ideas.

Most people we know — our friends included — claim they already brainstorm. Perhaps they do. But in our experience, there is a often a huge gap between the concept of brainstorming and the act of brainstorming. Indeed, the word "brainstorming" has been totally abused in our culture. Like the words "post-modern" and "natural," it has lost its meaning. Meeting with a few friends to talk about a business deal? "We're brainstorming." Tossing a few ideas around over cappuccino? "Brainstorming." Kicking around an idea or two for cutting costs? "Brainstorming." Well, not really.

What most people call "brainstorming" is, in fact, often just a veiled attempt to influence others, a self-appointed opportunity to sell ideas, peddle opinions, or simply play out a lifelong ambition to dominate a group. "Brainmisting?" Maybe. "Braindrizzling?" Sure. But not brainstorming. Uh uh. No way. Real brainstorming is very different. Real brainstorming is a meeting of the minds — or more precisely, a meeting in the realm just beyond the mind — a place where brilliance and breakthrough wait to be discovered.

Idea Champion's High Velocity Brainstorming service cuts through the fluff of traditional brainstorming by tuning into the five key drivers of successful group ideation:

1. Problem Definition: Long before a session, we'll interview you and a cross-section of key stakeholders to make sure you have identified the real question to brainstorm — not some unreasonable facsimile. (Sometimes our clients' need for output is so strong, they forget to get the input they need to align around a common challenge.)

2. Custom Design: Your team is unique. Your goals are unique. Your company culture is unique. That's why the design of your brainstorming offsite should be unique. Which is exactly what Idea Champions will do as a prelude to your offsite. (FYI: In the past 20 years of leading ideation sessions for all kinds of organizations, no two have ever been the same.)

3. Session Facilitation: Leading a brainstorming session is a lot like herding cats. Participants are usually all over the place. Left brainers and right brainers. Extroverts and introverts. Thirty year veterans and dewy-eyed new hires. And just about everyone is infatuated with their own ideas. (PS: That's why you pay us the big bucks.)

4. Brainstorm Report: Brainstormers love "throwing spaghetti against the wall to see if it sticks." Not that there's anything wrong with that now, is there? Well, not as long as the spaghetti gets collected at the end of the day and made appetizing in some way. Translation? Within 72 hours of a High Velocity Brainstorming session, Idea Champions will provide you with a clearly written, impeccably organized document summarizing all of the ideas generated at your offsite. No consultant speak. No boilerplate mumbo. No BS. Just good, ol' fashioned food for thought.

5. Follow-Up: Ideas, concepts, and intellectual capital are invisible. You cannot see them. You cannot touch them. You cannot measure them. They exist in the Platonic realm of formless possibility. We, on the other hand — the Idea Champions consultants who facilitate High Velocity Brainstorming Sessions — are not invisible. We do not live in the Platonic realm. We live in Upstate New York and we will — with your permission — follow up your High Velocity Brainstorming session in whatever way works for you:

• Post-session conference calls with your team
• Phone coaching with project champions
• Follow up sessions with sub-groups
• Free the Genie (virtual brainstorming)
• Brainstorm facilitation certification trainings