The first time an idea pops into someone's head during a brainstorm, it's virtually never flawless. Yet we oftentimes throw these growing ideas away too quickly and seek out what sounds instantaneously perfect. All ideas need to be nurtured to some extent, and how you react to the initial flawed concept sets the tone for whether others will continue to explore and tweak it. Do you give each idea enough consideration, or kill it before it's even had a chance to grow? Here are some "Idea-Growing" and "Idea-Killing" phrases to keep in mind during your next brainstorm.

1. presents

2. Idea Growers vs. !
Idea Killers
or How to Communicate Without Squashing
What-Could-Be-Great Ideas

3. –William Bernbach
“An idea can turn to dust or magic, depending
on the talent that rubs against it. ”

4. Idea Growers
Phrases that Allow an Idea to Continue Exploring Possibilities

5. "What are all the possibilities?"
Idea Grower

6. "How could ___ influence that?"
Idea Grower

7. "What would happen if...?"
Idea Grower

8. “Couldn’t we improve this by…?"
Idea Grower

9. “Wouldn't it be awesome if...?"
Idea Grower

10. “How many ways could…?"
Idea Grower

11. “What if we didn't have to consider __?"
Idea Grower

12. “With whom could we collaborate on this?"
Idea Grower

13. “If we were
[our competitor/a startup/an inventor/a billionaire],
how would our approach change?"
Idea Grower

14. “How does this differ from
the expected approach?"
Idea Grower

15. Idea Killers
Phrases that Stop an Idea

16. “Already tried it."
Idea Killer

17. “Someone else has done that.”
Idea Killer

18. “That sounds crazy.”
Idea Killer

19. “I don’t like it.”
Idea Killer

20. “We don't have time to...”
Idea Killer

21. “That sounds like it would take a ton of time.”
Idea Killer

22. “That sounds like it would be too expensive.”
Idea Killer

23. “That sounds like a legal nightmare.”
Idea Killer

24. “That sounds too risky.”
Idea Killer

25. “That’s not important.”
Idea Killer

26. “Maybe under different conditions...”
Idea Killer

27. “Impossible.”
Idea Killer

28. “It's good enough.”
Idea Killer

29. Idea Growers
Generally Questions
Idea Killers
Generally Statements
vs.

30. –Steven Spielberg
“All good ideas start as bad ideas.
That’s why it takes so long.”

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