have a very boring, mostly silent phone call. You don't want to stomp on the person, but you must obliterate the criticism.

This moderator role is absolutely crucial to the success of the call.

Explain your reasoning exactly ... that the threat of criticism will cause people not to participate, and you'll all be wasting your time. Make sure everyone on the call is crystal clear on your "No Devi

Our team has a regular weekly brainstorming session, and some truly great ideas come out of this telephone get-together. And a big reason these brainstorming sessions work so well is, everybody understands the ground rule. New group members are quickly advised.

But when you set up brainstorming get-togethers with groups who are new to the process, here is what happens: somebody comes up with a cockamamie idea, and somebody else says, "OK. That won't work because ..."

Nothing kills the thought process faster than having your idea shot down in front of a group of your peers. The idea-provider has learned an important lesson: it's dangerous to talk. Not only that ... everybody else on the line has learned the same lesson.

Result? A very brain-less brainstorming session.

So the MLM Team Brainstorming Rule is: NO Devil's Advocates allowed!

Brainstorming is a time for ideas, ANY ideas, no matter how crazy, outlandish, impossible, etc., etc., etc. All these fertile minds must be free and encouraged to go in any crazy direction they want. And they must know there will be absolutely NO "idea criticism" tolerated. When they really get that feeling, the joint starts rockin'. Ideas flow like lava from a volcano, and they get farther and farther "out there."

That's OK. That's great. Some of the weirdest ideas touch off a response in another of your network marketing team member's mind, and all of a sudden, you have a very exciting, workable possibility.

But as soon as someone says, "Yeah, but ...", the moderator must STOMP on the thought of anybody playing Devil's Advocate in a brainstorming session, or you will have a very boring, mostly silent phone call. You don't want to stomp on the person, but you must obliterate the criticism.

This moderator role is absolutely crucial to the success of the call.

Explain your reasoning exactly ... that the threat of criticism will cause people not to participate, and you'll all be wasting your time. Make sure everyone on the call is crystal clear on your "No Devil

, and somebody else says, "OK. That won't work because ..."

Nothing kills the thought process faster than having your idea shot down in front of a group of your peers. The idea-provider has learned an important lesson: it's dangerous to talk. Not only that ... everybody else on the line has learned the same lesson.

Result? A very brain-less brainstorming session.

So the MLM Team Brainstorming Rule is: NO Devil's Advocates allowed!

Brainstorming is a time for ideas, ANY ideas, no matter how crazy, outlandish, impossible, etc., etc., etc. All these fertile minds must be free and encouraged to go in any crazy direction they want. And they must know there will be absolutely NO "idea criticism" tolerated. When they really get that feeling, the joint starts rockin'. Ideas flow like lava from a volcano, and they get farther and farther "out there."

That's OK. That's great. Some of the weirdest ideas touch off a response in another of your network marketing team member's mind, and all of a sudden, you have a very exciting, workable possibility.

But as soon as someone says, "Yeah, but ...", the moderator must STOMP on the thought of anybody playing Devil's Advocate in a brainstorming session, or you will have a very boring, mostly silent phone call. You don't want to stomp on the person, but you must obliterate the criticism.

This moderator role is absolutely crucial to the success of the call.

Explain your reasoning exactly ... that the threat of criticism will cause people not to participate, and you'll all be wasting your time. Make sure everyone on the call is crystal clear on your "No Devi

le is: NO Devil's Advocates allowed!

Brainstorming is a time for ideas, ANY ideas, no matter how crazy, outlandish, impossible, etc., etc., etc. All these fertile minds must be free and encouraged to go in any crazy direction they want. And they must know there will be absolutely NO "idea criticism" tolerated. When they really get that feeling, the joint starts rockin'. Ideas flow like lava from a volcano, and they get farther and farther "out there."

That's OK. That's great. Some of the weirdest ideas touch off a response in another of your network marketing team member's mind, and all of a sudden, you have a very exciting, workable possibility.

But as soon as someone says, "Yeah, but ...", the moderator must STOMP on the thought of anybody playing Devil's Advocate in a brainstorming session, or you will have a very boring, mostly silent phone call. You don't want to stomp on the person, but you must obliterate the criticism.

This moderator role is absolutely crucial to the success of the call.

Explain your reasoning exactly ... that the threat of criticism will cause people not to participate, and you'll all be wasting your time. Make sure everyone on the call is crystal clear on your "No Devi

and they get farther and farther "out there."

That's OK. That's great. Some of the weirdest ideas touch off a response in another of your network marketing team member's mind, and all of a sudden, you have a very exciting, workable possibility.

But as soon as someone says, "Yeah, but ...", the moderator must STOMP on the thought of anybody playing Devil's Advocate in a brainstorming session, or you will have a very boring, mostly silent phone call. You don't want to stomp on the person, but you must obliterate the criticism.

This moderator role is absolutely crucial to the success of the call.

Explain your reasoning exactly ... that the threat of criticism will cause people not to participate, and you'll all be wasting your time. Make sure everyone on the call is crystal clear on your "No Devi

have a very boring, mostly silent phone call. You don't want to stomp on the person, but you must obliterate the criticism.

This moderator role is absolutely crucial to the success of the call.

Explain your reasoning exactly ... that the threat of criticism will cause people not to participate, and you'll all be wasting your time. Make sure everyone on the call is crystal clear on your "No Devil's Advocates" policy.

Later on, after all the ideas have been transcribed, THAT is the time to focus in on the best ones and go after them in more detail. And even ridiculous ideas sometimes have a kernel of something worthwhile in them, that you can harness.