{"id":12265,"date":"2017-08-29T10:00:08","date_gmt":"2017-08-29T08:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hatrabbits.com\/?p=12265\/"},"modified":"2017-09-05T14:02:07","modified_gmt":"2017-09-05T12:02:07","slug":"anonymous-voting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hatrabbits.com\/en\/anonymous-voting\/","title":{"rendered":"Anonymous voting: Evaluate brainstorm ideas like a pro with this simple evaluation technique"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anonymous voting is one of the easiest ways to evaluate brainstorm ideas. One of the main benefits of this approach is that you can make an inventory of the group\u2019s favourite ideas while making sure that people’s choices have not been influenced by more dominant individuals in the group. An additional benefit is that you’ll be applying a well-known democratic method which almost always leads to a support base for the outcome. <\/em><\/p>\n

Want to find out for yourself how it works? Simply follow the steps below and discover how you can evaluate brainstorm ideas like a pro.<\/p>\n

Evaluate brainstorm ideas like a pro<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Step 1. Cluster the ideas<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Stick all the post-it notes to the wall. Ask participants to group similar ideas<\/a>. Let everybody carry out this task individually. During this process, all participants are allowed to move ideas into groups, without consultation.<\/p>\n

If all the ideas have been categorised, ask the participants to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.<\/p>\n

You will probably find out that some ideas, don\u2019t seem to fit in any group. Don\u2019t worry. Simply put them aside and create a separate group for these \u2018loners\u2019.<\/p>\n


\nStep 2. Name the clusters<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Take a look at every group individually and give each group its own cluster-name. Describe the theme of the group in 1 or 2 words. Note the name of the cluster on a separate post-it and place it on top of the corresponding group.<\/p>\n

Umbrella theme
\n<\/u>Have you discovered groups that can fall into one larger theme? Then don\u2019t hesitate to create an umbrella theme. Don\u2019t forget to give this meta-cluster its own group-name.<\/p>\n

E.g. Clusters like \u2018social media\u2019, \u2018advertising\u2019 and \u2018new website\u2019, could all fall into a larger overall theme such as \u2018Marketing\u2019.<\/p>\n

Subcategories
\n<\/u>If you have one group that has much more ideas than all the other groups, then try to split this cluster into smaller subject-groups. Again, give each group its own name.<\/p>\n

E.g. Ideas that fall into the cluster \u2018Our Corporate Website\u2019 could be split into smaller groups such as \u2018user interface\u2019, \u2018design\u2019, \u2018new features\u2019, \u2018homepage\u2019 etc.<\/p>\n

Make sure that all cluster names are readable (also from a distance). To achieve this, you can best write with a thick marker and in capitals. You could also choose to use a different colour\/size for your marker or post-its, to get an even greater distinction between the names of the clusters and the individual ideas.<\/p>\n


\nStep 3. Remove duplicates<\/strong><\/h4>\n

This is a tricky part. Too often people will throw away valuable ideas, without even knowing it. People often wrongfully assume that similar (looking) ideas are copies. While in fact, these ideas can lead to entirely different concepts or solutions.<\/p>\n

Be careful when you stumble upon similar looking ideas. First, discuss the ideas with the group and ask if they can spot the differences. You can also ask the creators of the ideas to explain their idea and their underlying thinking. Challenge the group to focus on uniqueness instead of similarities. Another choice of words, a different purpose, association or starting point, etc. All these nuances can be sufficient to let an idea (which otherwise would end up in the trash can) grow into a completely different direction.<\/p>\n

Hold back on the option to throw away an idea. Only delete ideas that are exact copies.<\/p>\n

\u2018The same as\u2026’ is a true idea killer.<\/p>\n

This idea is the same as\u2026<\/u><\/p>\n