From Tom Kelley’s “The Art of Innovation,” specifically Chapter 4 titled “The Perfect Brainstorm,” there are Seven Secrets for Better Brainstorming that serve as the foundational rules for effective brainstorming sessions at IDEO. These rules have become widely adopted in design thinking and innovation practices worldwide.

The Seven Brainstorming Rules

1. Defer Judgment

Creative spaces must be judgment-free zones that allow ideas to flow freely so people can build from each other’s great ideas. This means no critique or debate of ideas during the brainstorming session.

2. Encourage Wild Ideas

Embrace the most out-of-the-box notions, as there’s often not much difference between outrageous and brilliant ideas. Wild ideas can catalyze new understanding of the problem area and lead to viable solutions.

3. Build on the Ideas of Others

Try to use “and” instead of “but” - this encourages positivity and inclusivity and leads to tons of ideas. Ideas that emerge during sessions become inspiration for other new ideas and deeper conversations.

4. Stay Focused on the Topic

Keep the discussion on target and bring everything back to the goal of your project. Remove distractions that could lead you off track while staying attentive to the discussion.

5. One Conversation at a Time

Focus on one conversation at a time so everyone stays on the same page, develops common understanding, and works toward a common goal. This can be difficult with many creative people in one room but is essential for maintaining focus.

6. Be Visual

Use colored markers, Post-its, sketches, and stick ideas on the wall so others can visualize them. Being visual helps keep energy flowing in the room and makes brainstorming more engaging and fun.

7. Go for Quantity

Aim to generate as many ideas as possible quickly - for any 60-minute session, try to generate 100 ideas. The more ideas you produce, the better, as lots of ideas provide direction, inspiration, and potential talking points.

Context and Implementation

These rules are often stenciled in large letters on IDEO’s conference room walls to ensure they remain visible and top-of-mind during brainstorming sessions. The rules create an atmosphere where participants can take risks, share wild ideas, and build collaboratively without fear of immediate criticism or judgment.

IDEO considers brainstorming “practically a religion” and uses these structured sessions as both a creative tool and a cultural practice that promotes innovation throughout the organization. The company emphasizes that successful brainstorming requires both fluency (rapid flow of ideas) and flexibility (approaching problems from different viewpoints).

Everyone’s Responsibility

These seven “secrets” are not just for facilitators; they’re the ground-rules that everyone in the room follows. IDEO deliberately makes the rules highly visible and simple so that participants can self-enforce them without a heavy-handed moderator.

In practice:

• At the start of the session, the facilitator posts the seven rules on the wall—but once they’re up, any participant can call out a breach (for example, “Remember rule 2: defer judgment!”) without waiting for the facilitator to intervene
• The facilitator’s role is to enable the rules (by writing them on sticky-walls, pacing the energy curve, capturing ideas), but the application of each rule is something every brainstormer does
• Everyone sharpens focus, counts ideas, builds on or jumps off others’ ideas, uses the room and props, and stretches their mind with warm-ups

So while a skilled facilitator designs the session to make these rules stick, the rules themselves are the playbook for all participants to follow.

Additional Facilitator Guidance

Seven Secrets for Better Brainstorming (Facilitator Perspective)

1. Sharpen the Focus - Start with a clear problem statement and well-honed questions
2. Write Playful Rules - Make the brainstorming rules visible and engaging
3. Number Your Ideas - Track quantity visually to motivate the group toward ambitious targets
4. Build and Jump - Encourage both incremental building and radical departures from existing ideas
5. Use the Space - Transform the physical environment with props, toys, and visual displays
6. Stretch Mental Muscles - Begin with warm-up exercises to get creative juices flowing
7. Get Physical - Include bodily movement, role-playing, and physical prototypes

These seven rules have proven so effective that they’ve been widely adopted beyond IDEO and are now considered foundational principles in design thinking methodologies used by organizations worldwide.