To say the global health crisis has changed the way work is performed would be an understatement, but there’s one particular aspect of work that has been dramatically altered: brainstorming for leadership. Right now, many teams are planning for the coming year. These sessions during pre-COVID-19 time would usually take place at an executive retreat or an all-day marathon planning session in the conference room. Remote work has made that all but impossible. The benefit of brainstorming in person is having everyone be able to jump in and build off of each other’s ideas, but with video conferencing, this becomes exceedingly difficult. People talk over each other unintentionally, and people’s ideas get drowned out. Remote communication is effective for linear conversation, but it’s not extremely productive for group discussions. Instead of having a large, long, all-hands meeting, consider instead breaking the brainstorming session up into shorter chunks with defined goals. Keep the conversation narrow, and ask that everyone consider what was said and come to the next meeting prepared to discuss their ideas. For remote sessions like this to work, leadership needs to be deliberate with their time and their goals.