1. Think an idea through

Usually, when people come up with new ideas (in our case for a product) they schedule a meeting, invite the decision makers, present the idea, and if nobody interrupts that person along the way in the first 2 minutes and everybody gets super excited about the idea, then they will work on it. But it is not always the case. Usually, someone jumps in in the first minutes and lets everybody know why the idea will never work. And that’s the problem.

A better way to go about it is to, first, always, before the meeting, have your idea written down on paper. This way you can structure it, so it's clear. Then you share it with the entire team before the meeting, for it to be considered. No feedback, no reactions, only considered. So people can take time and think it through.

Then, when the meeting happens, nobody interrupts the presenter. And when it ends, people can take the floor and give constructive feedback. Feedback that guides the person or builds upon what was said and not one which kills the idea. And then, after the meeting, you take time, a couple of days, or weeks (you choose) and think it through. This way, you take actual time to process what was said and discussed.

Why not do it directly during the meeting and save some time? When you gather all together and discuss the idea, you can't say that you think individually. It will most likely end up in a debate in which everybody tries to defend its own piece of the pie. So taking time, and thinking it through, alone, is the best way to go.

Braintrust by Pixar

This approach is similar to Braintrust, used by Pixar. Braintrust is a type of meeting run by Pixar when they work on a new movie. The goal of which is to leave aside your roles, and during it offer guiding feedback to the person who is presenting the idea. Rather than killing it with criticism on why it will not work. Or better said:

Braintrust is a meeting in which everybody shares their perspective with the scope to broaden the one of who's presenting. The goal is to look at different points of views and enrich yours.

During the meeting, there is no authority. This is important because the person who is in charge of the project/meeting does not have to follow the feedback. After a Braintrust meeting, it is up to him/her to figure out what to do next. These meetings are not top-down or do-this-or-that. By removing the authority from Braintrust meetings, you give people the flexibility to be creative.

During a Braintrust meeting, Pixar doesn't want to be prescriptive but offer honesty and in-depth analysis. Braintrust is benevolent. It wants to help. And it has no selfish agenda. But in a typical meeting with a competitive environment, you would generally compare your idea against others, turning the discussion into a debate that must be won or lost.