Never brainstorm ever again.
Introducing the two-storm.
Group brainstorms are inefficient and produce low-value ideas.
You may think this heretical, but in this article I hope to convince you on why I think a “two-storm” approach is more efficient, sustainable, and produces better ideas.
I’ll also give you some tips for how to do a two-storm, including an agenda you can lift.

Brainstorms don’t work
First off, a few words on why group brainstorms are not fit for purpose — at least, when the purpose is idea generation.
- Three is a crowd. Put more than two people in a room and a pack mentality forms. The underlying motivation becomes less about generating ideas, and more about social acceptance.
- Brainstorms are biased towards the talents of extroverts. An energising activity for one person is an exhausting activity for another. More introverted team members’ ideas often aren’t heard.
- Group brainstorms tend to come up with low-hanging-fruit ideas which earn broad acceptance from the group. They do not make space for the complex idea development which is needed for tackling complex problems.
Most group brainstorms are one of two things: a ceremonious discussion or a clandestine team-building exercise.
Both activities have their uses. It’s just that their merit is not the generation and development of ideas.
Introducing the two-storm
In teams of two, you avoid the problems of big group brainstorms and instead optimize the working style for idea generation.
The core idea of a “two-storm” is that you work with a creative partner to ideate around a problem or question in a focused and sustainable way.
I decided to call this technique two-storming, but you can call it creative duos, idea sprints, or whatever floats your boat.
Who to two-storm with
The perfect pairing for a two-storm is two people who trust each other, have different perspectives and agree on the problem.
- They need to trust each other so that energy is not spent on relationship building or conflict avoidance.
- They need different perspectives to avoid the idea generation taking place in an echo chamber.
- They need to agree on the problem that needs to be solved, so agendas do not clash.
A designer and an accountant absolutely can and should two-storm together, given they agree on the problem that needs solving and feel safe with each other.
The two-storm agenda
Schedule 60 minutes in the calendar for the two-storm:
- 5 minutes are for checking in and synching up.
- 10 minutes are for framing the problem.
- 20 minutes are for idea generation.
- 15 minutes are for prioritising your ideas.
- 10 minutes are for taking a break.
Book a room for it and make sure you’ve got all of the creative supplies you need — whiteboard, Post-its etc.
Managing creative energy smartly creates efficiencies. The active idea generation part of the two-storm lasts just 20 minutes, at which point, people tire from intensive creative work. By being strict on the timing, one pair can manage several two-storms in a day, tackling a series of problems.
During the two-storm
Here’s how to run two-storm:
- Check-in. Make sure you are both in the right mindset for the two-storm. That means not stressed, hungry, or over-tired. Ban technology for the next hour, and remove smartphones from the room.
- Synch up. A useful way to start the brainstorms is taking three deep breaths together, synching up brains and bodies onto the same wavelength. A ritual like this kicks off the deep work mindset.
- Framing the problem. You want to agree on the critical question or problem statement, as well as the standards you would apply to prioritise ideas. If you haven’t agreed on what you are solving, take a step back — you are not ready to two-storm this yet.
- Idea generation. You will bounce ideas off each other and positively build on each other’s thoughts (e.g use the “Yes, and” rule). It’s good to set a limit as to how many ideas you want to collect to prevent getting stuck on one route.
- Idea prioritisation. Take 2 silent minutes to write down, as individuals, which ideas you think are the strongest. Share, compare and select ideas.
- Taking a break. Taking a walk together can be a good way of cooling down and a chance to discuss what to do with the strongest ideas.
Breaking the brainstorm hegemony
Sadly, ineffective group brainstorms are still the go-to technique for idea generation by all kinds of organisations. This is true of clunky old companies and trendy creative agencies alike.
To end on a simple hack, even when your upcoming workshop has been planned as a traditional brainstorm, you can still sneak in a two-storm. You can suggest that during brainstorm phase of the activity, the group splits into pairs for twenty-minutes of focused idea generation. The pairs then return to the wider group to share, discuss and prioritise ideas.
By challenging the existing practise like this, hopefully we can break the brainstorm hegemony, and move towards creative methods which actually respond to the needs of human brains and bodies.
Next time you hear “let’s brainstorm this,” instead, try a two-storm.
***Thanks for reading! I’m an innovation manager & facilitator based in Berlin. I write on putting people before technology, and making space for deep work. You can find me on Linkedin ***
