2 . When we’re solving a complicated problem, we often gather a group to brainstorm. We’re looking to get the best ideas as quickly as possible. I love seeing it happen — except for one tiny wrinkle. Group brainstorming usually backfires.

Extensive evidence shows that when we generate ideas together, we’re unlikely to maximize collective intelligence. As the humourist John Smith said, “If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be: ‘meetings’.” But the problem isn’t meetings themselves — it’s how we run them.

Think about the brainstorming sessions you’ve attended. You’ve probably seen people bite their tongues due to ego threat (“I don’t want to look stupid.”), noise (“We can’t all talk at once.”), and conformity pressure (“Let’s all jump on the boss’s ship!”). Goodbye diversity of thought, hello group-think.

To unearth the hidden potential in teams, instead of brainstorming, we’re better off shifting to a process called “brainwriting”. The initial steps are solo. You start by asking everyone to generate ideas separately. Next, you pool them and share them among the group. To preserve independent judgment, each member evaluates them on their own. Only then does the team come together to select and refine the most promising options. By developing and assessing ideas individually before choosing them, teams can surface and advance possibilities that might not get attention otherwise.

Research by organizational behaviour scholar Anita Woolley and her colleagues helps to explain why this method works. They find that a key to collective intelligence is full and fair participation. In brainstorming meetings, it’s too easy for participation to become lopsided in favour of the biggest egos, the loudest voices, and the most powerful people. The brainwriting process makes sure that all ideas are brought to the table and all voices are brought into the conversation. The goal isn’t to be the smartest person in the room — it’s to make the room smarter.

Collective intelligence begins with individual creativity. But it doesn’t end there. Individuals produce a greater volume and variety of novel ideas when they work alone. That means that they come up with more brilliant ideas than groups — but also more terrible ideas than groups. It takes collective judgment to find the signal in the noise and bring the best ideas to fruition.

3 . Lessons in the Lost Art of Listening

When was the last time you listened to someone? And when was the last time someone really listened to you? I once asked people what it meant to be a good listener. The typical response was a blank stare.

Of course, technology plays a role. People find phone calls interrupting them, preferring text or wordless emoji. Besides, schools and colleges rarely offer classes or activities that teach careful listening. You can join clubs to perfect your public speaking. but who attempts to achieve excellence in listening? The loud unpleasant mixture of sounds of modern life also stops us from listening.

Generally, listening goes beyond simply hearing what people say. It also involves paying attention to how they say it and what they do while they are saying it, in what context, and how what they say is related to you. It’s not about merely holding your peace while someone else holds forth. Quite the opposite. A lot of listening has to do with how you respond — the degree to which you facilitate the clear expression of another person’s thoughts and, in the process, have a clear mind of your own.

Good listeners ask good questions. They engage in exploring the topic, not to divert attention. There are curious questions like “Wouldn’t you agree..” or “Don’t you think..” These questions have strong tendencies. They will greatly influence the other person to change his or her view. And you’d better stay away from some personal questions like “What do you do for a living?” or “What part of town do you live in?” Just try to find out what excites people. Ask about the last movie they saw or for the story behind a piece of jewelry they’re wearing. Also good are expansive questions, such as, “If you could spend a month, where would you go?” Research indicates that when people who don’t know each other well ask each other this type of question, they feel more connected than if they spend time together achieving a task.

Because our brain can think a lot faster than people can talk, be careful with the tendency to take mental side trips when you are listening. Smart people’s attention is easily taken away by their own runaway thoughts. They may also assume they already know what the other person is going to say.

The reward of good listening will certainly be more interesting conversations. Researchers have found that attentive listeners receive more information from speakers, even when they don’t ask any questions. We are, each of us, the sum of what we attend to in life. The gentle voice of a mother and the criticism of a boss both ultimately form and shape us. And to listen poorly, selectively or not at all limits your understanding of the world and prevents you from becoming the best you can be.

5 . If you need to interview someone for an article but you’ve never interviewed before, it can be challenging. Here are some tips for preparing for and holding a successful interview.

    1     If the person is a known author or speaker, take time to read or listen to his or her work. Next, write down a list of questions beforehand and consider how the conversation might flow from one point to the next. Then, remember to bring voice recording equipment to the interview.     2     This will also make it easier to include direct quotes when you start writing.

Start by asking your interviewee what he or she does that’s relevant to the topic at hand. You should make eye contact with him or her and pay close attention to what he or she is saying.     3     However, you should remember to make it more a conversation than a list of questions. Use your prepared questions as a guideline to make a natural conversation. Avoid just reading your questions to the interviewee.

In order to get the information you need, you should control the interview, if the interviewee changes suddenly from one line of thought to another. Lead him or her back to the area you’re focusing on.    4    

Try to go into deeper discussion. Experienced interviewers will ask their interviewees about their personal thoughts and reactions to the events and people they deal with.     5     And they are important to an article.

6 . Teamwork Doubles the Strength

Admittedly, teamwork is literally important for any class or team to achieve its goals and objectives. Let me give three reasons why it is advantageous.

As individuals, we possess diverse talents, strengths, weaknesses and experiences. A team is just like a tapestry (织锦) that weaves what each of us possesses, resulting in an end product that is diverse yet homogenous (同种类的). As team members exchange thoughts and experiences, there can be more efficiency and effectiveness at problem-solving. This pooling of talents can also lead to greater innovation and success.     1    . It won the Premier League in 2016, to the utter disbelief of many soccer fans. Leicester City, previously regarded as the underdog of the League, displayed extremely impressive teamwork, which led to its unbelievable victory in soccer history.

Next, teamwork means members share the workload. When work is distributed and each of us in a team specializes in specific tasks, the stress on each of us is reduced and the completion of tasks before deadline is ensured:     2    .

    3    . Team members learn from more experienced members who may offer deeper insights and perspectives. Newer members may also contribute new ideas. Besides encouraging the sharing of knowledge and experiences, teamwork also develops soft skills like communication and interpersonal skills.     4    .

Some may think that working in isolation (单独) is more efficient since more time is taken when cooperating with others. For more talented individuals, working alone means being the star of a project.     5    . But, the loss of synergy (协同作用) that only team effort can generate may also prevent the team from reaching its full potential.