Pro-tip: summarise your brief goal in a simple question

We all know how important is to align the goals before starting to ideate. If your team have different things in mind, the session will be confusing and frustrating. Always make sure you are all on the same page.

Previously we wrote a post about how to set your team's goal before a creative meeting. Here we'll explain a simple sentence structure that works great.

The trick is to start with the formula "How could we…" followed by the goal of your brief. Some examples:

- How could we create a service that helps people connect with their friends online?
- How could we communicate our brand values on a print campaign?
- How could we improve the signing process on our website?

You get the idea.

The importance lays on the openness of the question. We use "could" because we are talking about possibilities. All options are welcome in this part of the ideation process. And we say "we" because we are building this together.

It's crucial that the sentence is simple, straightforward and doesn't suggest a particular solution. For example, if you say "How could we communicate our brand values on a print campaign with brochures?" you are already hinting the answer. Keep it open if the brief doesn't specify you need to use brochures.

When you agree on the final question, make sure you write it down somewhere visible, and every time you start selecting ideas, go back to it as a reference, to see if you are answering it.