Transforming Meetings with Collaboration Hacks
We’ve all been in those meetings—some leave us drained, others energized. Why the difference? There’s a simple hack based on neuroscience that can transform any meeting into a collaborative problem-solving powerhouse. Let’s explore how.
Key Mindset Hack
To make meetings productive, you need to separate expansive thinking (imaginative, idea generation) from reductive thinking (critical, decision-making). This helps balance creativity and problem-solving, reducing stress and boosting collaboration.
Why Balance Matters
When expansive and reductive thinking are out of balance, stress increases, and collaboration suffers. Balanced meetings, where ideas are explored first and refined later, help solve problems more effectively.
Meeting Structure for Success
Plan meetings with specific times for idea generation vs. idea refinement. Start with imagination, then move into critical assessment. This structure reduces stress, fosters creativity, and boosts productivity.
A Story of Creativity
As the “FUNckle” (Fun Uncle), I had to deliver a jaw-dropping gift for my nephews’ birthday: a giant animatronic dinosaur. It walked, roared, chomped—everything! But what captivated them more? The box it came in.
Kids see endless possibilities in something as simple as a box. Their expansive thinking turns it into a spaceship or castle. In contrast, adults look at the box practically—how it works, its purpose, and limitations. This difference in mindset is the key to understanding creativity.
The Two Mindsets: Expansive vs. Reductive
Expansive thinking is creative, imaginative, and idea-generating. It activates the Default Mode Network (DMN)in the brain, allowing free-flowing ideas and mental simulations—like when you daydream or brainstorm.
Reductive thinking is practical and decision-oriented. It engages the Fronto-Parietal Attention Network (FPAN), helping you focus on refining ideas, making decisions, and solving problems.
These two modes of thinking complement each other. Like Hemingway said: “Write drunk, edit sober.” First, generate ideas without boundaries (expansive thinking), then refine them with a critical eye (reductive thinking).
The Science Behind It
Neuroscience shows that the DMN helps us daydream and connect ideas, while the FPAN refines and narrows them down. Balancing these networks helps us generate and execute ideas effectively. For example, monkeys stimulated in the DMN tried new things, while those with it shut off stuck to old habits. The same applies to humans. (The Tablespace).
Default Mode Network (DMN). This is the part of your brain that's active when you're not focused on the outside world. It's like when you're daydreaming, remembering things, or thinking about the future.
Idea Generation: The DMN is crucial for brainstorming and coming up with novel ideas. When your mind wanders or you daydream, the DMN facilitates the flow of creative thoughts and connections between seemingly unrelated concepts(American Psychological Association) (Life Science Leader).
Imagination: The DMN is active when engaging in imaginative activities, such as envisioning future scenarios, creating stories, or picturing alternative realities. This imaginative capability is essential for creative thinking and innovation (Sage Research Methods Community) (Jonas Downey).
Mental Simulations: The DMN helps in simulating different possibilities and outcomes, allowing for creative problem-solving and strategic planning. By mentally exploring various scenarios, you can develop innovative solutions to complex problems (Life Science Leader) (The Tablespace).
Reflection and Insight: The DMN is involved in self-reflection and introspection, which can lead to creative insights and breakthroughs. Reflecting on past experiences and internal states can inspire new ideas and perspectives (American Psychological Association) (Jonas Downey).
Connecting Dots: The DMN enables the brain to make connections between disparate pieces of information, leading to the synthesis of new ideas. This ability to link different concepts is a hallmark of creative thinking (Sage Research Methods Community) (Life Science Leader).
The Fronto-Parietal Attention Network (FPAN) is like the boss of your brain when you need to focus. It helps when you need to pay attention, make decisions, or solve problems. This network is more about reductive thinking, which means narrowing down your thoughts and ideas to deal with specific tasks or problems. It's like when you're concentrating hard on something and push away unrelated thoughts (The Tablespace).
Idea Refinement: Once expansive thinking generates a range of ideas, the FPAN helps refine these ideas into practical and feasible solutions. This involves critically evaluating and improving the initial creative concepts (Sage Research Methods Community) (Jonas Downey).
Decision-Making: Creativity is not just about coming up with new ideas but also about making decisions on how to implement them effectively. The FPAN is crucial for weighing options, assessing risks, and making informed choices that bring creative ideas to fruition (Jonas Downey) (The Tablespace).
Problem-Solving: Creative problem-solving often requires switching between expansive and reductive thinking. While the DMN helps in brainstorming innovative solutions, the FPAN ensures these solutions are actionable and can be integrated into practical applications (American Psychological Association) (Sage Research Methods Community).
Attention to Detail: During the creative process, especially in fields like design and engineering, attention to detail is vital. The FPAN enables individuals to focus on specific aspects of a project, ensuring precision and quality in the final output (Life Science Leader).
Balancing Creativity: Effective creativity involves balancing expansive and reductive thinking. The FPAN allows for this balance by facilitating the critical analysis and systematic implementation of creative ideas, ensuring they are both novel and useful (Jonas Downey) (Life Science Leader).
Meeting Mindset Hack: Top Tips
Plan Ahead: Structure meetings with specific times for each mindset.
Separate Mindsets: Clearly designate time for expansive (imaginative) and reductive (critical) thinking.
Gentle Reminders: Help keep the group on track without harsh interruptions.
Flexible Balance: Adjust the ratio of expansive to reductive thinking based on the meeting's goal.
Practice: Try separating mindsets in casual settings—like planning a vacation or choosing lunch.