The best, most productive, brainstorming session has three key things going for it:
(a) the right people, in
(b) the right place, using
(c) the right process.
Letter (a) "the right people" is the most important. And "the right people" is about two things...
(1) The right participants and
(2) the right meeting leader.


Brainstorming is a "quality input = quality output" event. If you've got a group truly willing to stretch their brains to generate new ideas you will generate bigger and better ideas.

How To Be A Great Participant

Below are a few tips to help you be a "quality input" kinda person at your next brainstorming.
Just like any meeting, unless you have something to contribute you probably shouldn't attend. A former boss used to say, "The price of admission is participation."
(1) Get Enough Sleep
It's amazing how much better our minds and bodies work when properly recharged with sleep.
Do your best to get a solid 8-hours of sleep the night before a brainstorming session. You'll feel much better and will have more stamina for the day's work.
(2) Arrive Prepared
Do yourself and the group the favor of arriving prepared. Read the agenda and understand the objective of the day. If there isn't an agenda or a clear goal specified, ask the meeting leader for the information. If there isn't a clear objective, I would consider declining the meeting invitation... More than likely this meeting - like any meeting without an objective - will be a waste of your and the rest of the participants time.
(3) Suspend Reality
This is one of the most difficult thing for adults to do - use and stretch our imagination. We are so accustomed to self-filtering thoughts, to be efficient we immediately edit out ideas that:

• we have tried before,
  
• that sound crazy,
  
• that don't fit the process, or,
  
• that we know are not practical with today's systems, etc.

Instead, forget what "can't be done" or "is not possible." Suspend reality, and make believe anything is possible. Not only will this help create more, better ideas, but it is fun!
(4) Don't Be Afraid

Be Confident In Your Ideas
One reason more ideas aren't suggested during brainstorm sessions is because we are afraid of sounding stupid in front of, and being ridiculed by, our peers. A good facilitator should address this at the start of a meeting, and put the team at ease...
I know this can be a challenge. We're not in high school anymore, nevertheless meetings feel like home room in high school. We get all worried how we appear to our classmates... er... co-workers.
(5) Build, Don't Block
One of the primary rules of improvisation is to not block the story. When someone starts an improv scene the other participants are to go with that flow. Say "Yes! And..." and keep building. The same rule applies to brainstorming.
If you don't like someone's idea, so what? Instead of shooting it down, build it up. Say: "Yes... and..." add something more to the idea. Make it better, bigger, crazier, bolder, faster... anything but kill it. Brainstorming isn't decision making. There are plenty of future opportunities for a truly bad idea to find its demise.
(6) Snack Right
Meeting planners are famous for providing sugary treats to entice people to attend brainstormings, and to keep them fueled during the meeting.
The last brainstorming I attended served Skittles, M&Ms, Red Vines, mini-Snicker bars, and an assortment of sugar-based sodas. The thinking was, 'the sugar will help keep us energized.'
Sugar works for about 20 minutes, the we crash even harder than if we had no sugar at all.
Start with a good breakfast. (A latte and a scone isn't the right mix). Try to get protein and carbs. During the day, for snacks, instead of sugary stuff, bring your own unsalted almonds, toasted pumpkin seeds, and fresh fruit. Don't eat too heavily at lunch.
This is literally your food for thought.
(7) Don't Get Hung Up
Once in a while, an idea will come up that the group gets stuck on. Perhaps you even start critiquing or refining. Brainstorming isn't the time to judge or filter. If it seems you're spending too much time on one idea or there is an issue with an idea, have the meeting leader write it down in a visible place to come back to at a later time, and move on.
(8) Stand & Stretch
Get up and walk around now and then. Stretch. It almost seems ideas get stuck in the folds of our lap - like a bend in a garden hose. Standing up lets them flow.
(9) Provide Feedback
Be sure to provide the leader of the meeting with constructive feedback. Let them know if the meeting went well, what you liked, and perhaps suggestions that may help them in the future. If your feedback is very negative - talk with them face-to-face. An email isn't the right vehicle for that type of critical information. Finally, you may find your brain still churning ideas a day or two after the brainstorming. Be sure to send your additional thoughts to the meeting lead to add to the collection of ideas.
So there you have it, nine tips to make you an expert brainstormer. Do you have any others you've used at your company? If so, please share. If you try some of the ideas listed, please let me know how it went for you.