Sixteen words. That’s all it took to completely change how a Forum member approached his $3 million inventory problem.
I was moderating a Forum brainstorm session when “Marcus”, a distribution company owner, laid out his challenge: warehouses bursting at the seams, cash tied up in slow-moving stock, and a CFO breathing down his neck. He’d already consulted two supply chain experts and implemented their suggestions. Nothing moved the needle. His team had tried every “sensible” solution in the playbook. He came to his Forum looking for something different. Something nobody in his professional circle would dare suggest.
Ten minutes into the brainstorm, one of the quieter Forum members stood up, placed his post-it on the wall, and said: “What if you gave away your oldest inventory to schools for science projects?” The room went silent. The idea sounded ridiculous on its face. Who gives away perfectly good product? But Marcus didn’t dismiss it. He leaned forward, grabbed his pen, and started writing. That single “what if” sparked a chain reaction of ideas that led Marcus to partner with local trade schools, donate obsolete equipment for a tax write-off, and create a training pipeline that eventually supplied him with skilled workers. His “warehouse problem” became a recruiting advantage.
The best answers often come from questions nobody thinks to ask.
The traditional Experience Share presentation format doesn’t work for every challenge. When a member arrives with a well-defined problem and needs guidance based on peer experience, the standard format shines. But when someone shows up stuck, unable to see past the solutions they’ve already tried, experience shares can actually limit the conversation. You end up with seven people offering variations of what the presenter has already considered.
The What If… Brainstorm Presentation exists precisely for those moments when your Forum member doesn’t need more experience shares. They need ideas they haven’t thought of yet. According to research from the University of Texas at Arlington, hybrid brainstorming approaches that combine individual ideation with group sharing consistently outperform traditional group-only methods. The science backs up what seasoned facilitators already know intuitively: giving people time to think alone before sharing with the group produces better, more diverse ideas.
The “What If…” technique taps into what psychologists call divergent thinking. When you force someone to begin their idea with “What if…” you’re essentially asking them to temporarily suspend practical concerns and explore possibilities. Research published in the Creativity and Innovation Management journal found that hybrid ideation conditions outperformed traditional group idea generation, particularly when participants brainstormed individually before sharing with the group. This is exactly why the What If… Brainstorm format includes that crucial solo reflection period before the standing group share.
When Should You Use the Brainstorm Format?
Not every presentation calls for a brainstorm. The Experience Share format remains the go-to choice when the presenter needs emotional support, perspective, or wisdom drawn from others’ lived experiences. The Debate format works best when someone has narrowed their choices to two or three clear options and needs help deciding.
Use the What If… Brainstorm when the presenter:
- Feels stuck and has already tried the obvious solutions
- Needs quantity of ideas rather than deep reflection
- Wants creative possibilities rather than personal stories
- Has a challenge that benefits from unconventional thinking
- Hasn’t narrowed down their options and wants fresh perspectives
The brainstorm format thrives on energy and momentum. Unlike the measured pace of an experience share, a good brainstorm feels slightly chaotic. Ideas fly. Post-its multiply. Nobody has time to second-guess themselves. This is intentional. Alex Osborn, who developed brainstorming in the 1940s while leading the advertising agency BBDO, discovered that separating idea generation from idea evaluation dramatically increased creative output. When people know their ideas won’t face immediate judgment, they share more freely. And more ideas means better odds of finding something breakthrough.
The Prep Work That Makes or Breaks Your Brainstorm
Before your Forum meeting, the coach and presenter need to complete their homework. If you skip this step, you’ll end up with a brainstorm that wanders in circles for 45 minutes while everyone tries to figure out what problem they’re actually solving. Trust me, I’ve watched it happen. It’s about as productive as a screen door on a submarine.
The coach should walk the presenter through five essential questions during their pre-meeting session. These mirror the questions you’d explore in any presentation coaching conversation, but with a brainstorm-specific focus:
Question 1: What core topic does the presenter want to brainstorm around? This needs to be specific enough to generate targeted ideas but broad enough to allow creative freedom. “How do I fix my business?” gives people nothing to work with. “What innovative approaches could help me reduce customer churn in my subscription service?” gives them a clear target.
Question 2: Are there any areas off-limits for the brainstorm? Every presenter has boundaries. Maybe they absolutely will not lay off staff. Perhaps regulatory constraints make certain approaches impossible. On the personal side, getting a divorce is off the table. Knowing the guardrails ahead of time prevents the group from wasting energy on ideas the presenter will immediately reject.
Question 3: What has the presenter already attempted that worked or didn’t work? This context helps the group avoid suggesting ideas that have already failed and allows them to build on partial successes.
Question 4: What obstacles does the presenter face related to this topic? Understanding the constraints helps the group generate ideas that acknowledge reality while still pushing creative boundaries.
Question 5: What feelings does the presenter have related to this topic? Emotions matter. A presenter who feels desperate will respond differently than one who feels curious. This information helps the coach set the right tone.
Document these answers in your traditional coaching worksheet. They become the foundation for how the coach opens the brainstorm session.
Running the Brainstorm: The Complete Flow
The What If… Brainstorm runs approximately 45 minutes with a group of eight, though you can adjust based on your Forum’s size and energy. Here’s the structure:
Coach Sets the Stage (3 minutes): The coach shares the core topic, any off-limit areas, and the key obstacles the presenter faces. This briefing ensures everyone starts from the same place. No need to rehash the full background story here. Save that for the presenter’s section.
Presenter Shares Background (15 minutes): The presenter provides context on the topic. Unlike an Experience Share presentation where deep emotional exploration matters, the brainstorm background focuses on practical information the group needs to generate relevant ideas. What’s the situation? What’s been tried? What would success look like?
Clarifying Q&A (10 minutes): Group members ask questions to understand the situation better. These should be genuine clarifying questions, not leading questions that smuggle in advice. “Have you considered outsourcing?” is advice wearing a question costume. “What percentage of your budget goes to labor?” is a legitimate clarifying question.
Solo Reflection (2 minutes): Each person writes ideas on post-it notes, one idea per note. This solo time is critical. Going right to large group brainstorming causes “production blocking” where people forget ideas while waiting for their turn to speak. Plus we’ll only hear from extroverts. The solo reflection eliminates this problem. Let people think before they share.
Standing Large Group Brainstorm (15 minutes): Everyone stands. The energy shift matters. Standing creates urgency and movement. People share their ideas in random order, stepping forward, stating their idea beginning with “What if…” and placing their post-it on the wall. Similar ideas cluster together. New ideas sparked during the session get added in real time.
The phrase “What if…” forces possibility thinking. It removes the need to defend an idea’s practicality and invites speculation. “What if you partnered with a competitor?” sounds exploratory. “You should partner with a competitor” sounds like advice. The former invites curiosity; the latter invites defensiveness.
Final Thoughts (1 minute per person): Each person shares their main takeaway. This might include statements like “If this were my challenge, my next step would be…” The presenter shares last, offering their initial reactions to what they heard.
Facilitation Tips That Separate Good Brainstorms from Great Ones
Running a brainstorm well requires active facilitation. Left to their own devices, groups will naturally drift toward evaluation, discussion, and critique. Your job as moderator is to maintain the creative momentum while preventing the session from becoming a regular meeting with post-its.
Keep the energy continuous. Gaps kill brainstorms. When people stop sharing, energy drops. When energy drops, people start evaluating instead of generating. If you notice a lull, call on someone who hasn’t shared recently. Ask “Who has something completely different?” Jump in with a wild idea yourself to restart the flow.
Use popcorn-style sharing. Instead of letting one person unload all their post-its at once, have people share one idea at a time and then step back. This rotation prevents dominant voices from taking over and keeps everyone engaged. It also lets people build on each other’s ideas in real time.
Avoid commentary on individual ideas. The moment someone says “That’s interesting, but…” you’ve introduced judgment. Judgment triggers self-censorship. Self-censorship kills the exact divergent thinking you’re trying to generate. If someone starts evaluating, gently redirect: “Let’s capture that reaction for later. Right now we’re just generating.”
Make sure the core challenge resonates with everyone. A good brainstorm topic is one where every Forum member can find some hook. If the challenge is too narrow or technical, half your group mentally checks out. The coach should work with the presenter during prep to frame the topic in universal terms.
Watch your clock, but don’t be locked to it. If the group hits a rhythm and ideas are flowing, don’t interrupt to announce that the Q&A section officially ended 90 seconds ago. Conversely, if a section is dragging, move forward. The times provided are guidelines, not regulations.
Take Action: Implementing the What If... Brainstorm in Your Forum
Ready to run your first What If… Brainstorm? Here’s how to make it happen:
Before the meeting:
- Identify a Forum member whose challenge would benefit from creative idea generation rather than experience sharing. Check your Parking Lot for topics where members have felt stuck.
- Have the coach meet with the presenter to complete the five prep questions. Document the answers.
- Confirm the presenter understands this is a brainstorm format, not an Experience Share. The mindset shift matters.
- Stock up on post-it notes and markers. Position a large wall or whiteboard space for clustering ideas.
During the meeting:
- Brief the group on the format if they haven’t used it before. Explain the “What if…” requirement and the no-judgment rule.
- Have everyone stand during the brainstorm section. Physical movement increases energy.
- Resist the urge to evaluate ideas as they’re shared. Your job is to keep ideas flowing, not to sort them.
- Cluster similar post-its together visually so patterns emerge.
- Take photos of the post-it wall before people leave. These ideas belong to the presenter.
After the meeting:
- Send the presenter the photos and a typed list of all ideas generated.
- During your next Forum’s check-in, ask the presenter which ideas they’ve explored.
- Reflect as a group: did the brainstorm format serve this challenge well? When might you use it again?
The beauty of having multiple presentation formats in your toolkit is that you can match the format to the need. Not every nail requires the same hammer.
The Wall Tells the Story
Marcus kept those post-it notes. Months later, when I visited his warehouse, I noticed them pinned to a corkboard behind his desk. Some had checkmarks. Some had X’s. A few had question marks with follow-up dates. That wall of possibilities had become his running experiment log.
Not every “what if” led somewhere useful. The suggestion to “launch products into space for publicity” remained firmly in the crossed-out category. But enough ideas panned out that Marcus became one of our Forum’s most vocal advocates for the brainstorm format. He uses it with his leadership team now, always starting with those same two words that changed how he thought about a $3 million problem. The power wasn’t in any single post-it. The power was in asking questions nobody thought to ask until somebody did.
