{"id":5264,"date":"2020-03-05T13:42:22","date_gmt":"2020-03-05T13:42:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/impro.org.uk\/?p=5264"},"modified":"2021-03-25T14:20:54","modified_gmt":"2021-03-25T14:20:54","slug":"your-problem-with-group-brainstorming-isnt-creativity-its-burstiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/impro.org.uk\/your-problem-with-group-brainstorming-isnt-creativity-its-burstiness\/","title":{"rendered":"Your problem with group brainstorming isn\u2019t creativity\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

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How to get the Burstiness of Creativity<\/h2>\n

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\u2018Group brainstorming is usually where creativity goes to die\u2019.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

How many of us have been part of a bad brainstorm? But what if it\u2019s not about the group but about how \u2018bursty\u2019 it is? And how can improvisation create burstiness?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Creativity comes in bursts. Well, that\u2019s according to the Adam Grant podcast \u2018WorkLife\u2019,<\/a> in which he visited Trevor Noah and \u2018The Daily Show\u2019, [The Daily Show airs on Comedy Central to millions of people in the US] where they have \u2018burstiness\u2019 down to a fine art.<\/p>\n

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How do you create \u2018bursts\u2019?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best working meetings of their production and writing team, they say, are characterised by \u2018burstiness\u2019 in the room.<\/p>\n

A burst consists of many voices joining in the conversation, with quicker contributions and even interruptions, with wit piled upon wit. Think, crowded family dinner with everyone talking over one another and in the flow of making jokes.<\/p>\n

The bursts of communication are all very well, but you have to pick out the nuggets from the dross if you want the show to be any good.<\/p>\n

While judgement in the writing room is not suspended, it\u2019s not criticised either. They\u2019re still hunting hard for the good stuff. Any contribution is treated lightly, and poorer ideas simply fade away as the truck rolls on. The buzz helps produce the best ideas, often through iteration, with a starting idea of one person improved upon by the next. Time is set aside in which these conditions apply, which is vital for a team that has to meet immovable deadlines every day.<\/p>\n

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How does this relate to improv? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Burstiness consists of the improvisational practices of \u2018short turn-taking\u2019 and people ‘accepting and building’ on each other\u2019s suggestions.\u00a0These are two of the core principles collected in LIFEPASS, which are concepts and principles of improvisation.\u00a0The producers are also aware of ‘freedom within structure’ (the F in LIFEPASS).<\/p>\n

One of the staff writers on the show even comments: \u2018We\u2019re improv-focused.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"LIFEPASS\"<\/a><\/p>\n

More about LIFEPASS<\/a><\/p>\n

Psychological Safety<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s under these conditions that the crew at The Daily Show experience psychological safety \u2013 meaning that they can take risks.<\/p>\n

Often colleagues and employees don\u2019t feel they are safe to say what they want in fear of judgement or it being a \u2018silly\u2019 idea. Whether they\u2019re in a room with their CEO or someone who tends to dominate the conversation, improvisation principles and burstiness lead people not to censor themselves.<\/p>\n

At The Daily Show they also give credit fast and openly. This means everyone\u2019s feeling ready to let go of their inhibitions and willing to contribute.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How do I apply this to businesses?<\/strong><\/p>\n

How do the applications of improvisation and burstiness go beyond comedy writing? Burstiness has been measured by psychologist Anita Williams Woolley, who reports that the\u00a0most innovative and productive teams she studied were the most bursty.<\/p>\n

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\u201cBy designing systems that facilitate bursts of communication and collaboration among team members, employers can achieve higher quality collaboration in their teams\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

By Christoph Riedl and Anita Williams Woolley<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0<\/h4>\n

Facilitating burstiness or creativity<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Tips and takeaways:<\/strong><\/p>\n