Let’s start where everyone starts with brainstorming. The fact that we always start with brainstorming makes me a bit crazy. As if brainstorming is the only creativity tool, right? As soon as anyone says, “We need to come up with a creative solution” out come the dry erase markers or the flip charts and the brainstorming begins.
That’s not to say that brainstorming isn’t a good tool. But if we’re going to use this tool, let’s read the instruction manual and use it correctly.
Brainstorming is a group creativity technique where a group of people meet to generate new ideas and/or solutions. In theory all the ideas are written down and evaluated later. The idea was first made popular by Alex Faickney Osborn, an American advertising executive, in the 1953 book Applied Imagination.
Brainstorming Session Tips:
- Groups of 4-7 are ideal
- Appoint a recorder
- Do a practice session with an imaginary problem
- No critical comments should be allowed. None.
- Bizarre ideas that make people laugh are good
- Modifying already suggested ideas is okay
- Quanity is very important
- Sequencing can double your output
- Limit the session
- Have fun. The session should be relaxes and playful.
- Don’t evaluate during the session. Nominal group technique and other methods can be used to evaluate and analyze.
- Perhaps grouping into lists might help at the next stage.
- Ideas to use immediately
- Areas for further exploration
- New approaches to the goal or problem.
Remember:
- Generative research shows that everyone has creative abilities, but we have to use them or we get rusty.
- The average adult thinks of 3-6 alternative to any given situation. The average child thinks of 60.
- Research has shown that in brainstorming quantity equals quality. The more ideas, the higher the quality (and originality) of the final solution. Try to get to 25 ideas; and then try to get to 50.
- The highest quality ideas appear late in the process. So when you want to stop, keep going…
Additional Resources:
The Art of Brainstorming: The Practical Guide to Mastering Creative & Design Thinking & Generating Out of the Box Ideas by Philip I. Snyder
Thinkpak: A Brainstorming Card Deck by Michael Michalko
For Writers: The Writers Brainstorming Kit by Pam McCutcheon & Michael Waite
Unleash Your Creativity 