First of all, let’s establish what Brainstorming is, because it is definitely a difficult word, but, as we take it apart, it’s meaning is just as the name suggests – using our brain to storm ideas, or solutions, to a given task or problem. The main idea is to spark creativity and innovation, and put great minds together to solve, sometimes, big problems.
However, not quite as the name suggests, sometimes it is difficult to make a brainstorming session work, and the main reasons would be: Criticism, narrow-minded-people, too much laughter when innovative ideas pop up, embarrassment of your peers… the list could go on, but, as usual we will focus here on how to have a productive brainstorming meeting / session.
While brainstorming is normally used in groups, it is also a good tool for individuals who find themselves with a creativity block and they need new topics to write about (like on this blog 😊) or consider new projects to embrace.
Understanding how to brainstorm makes it easier to do, so consider all possibilities, promote collaboration, avoid reaching a creative burnout, consider multiple perspectives, try to gather as many ideas in a short amount of time and think outside the box.
Brainstorming didn’t just happen overnight. Advertising executive Alex Osborn created the term in 1941 when he found that traditional business meetings weren’t the ideal setting to share new ideas. He wanted a way to give people the freedom to think outside of the box without fear of criticism. He also established the four pillars that he claimed to improve any brainstorming session:
· Quantity over quality
The opposite is normally true in any area, except for brainstorming. Here we need to come up with as many ideas as possible in a short period of time. The focus is to save time, inspire others to have more ideas, combine ideas together, etc
· withhold criticism
Negativity or criticism are not allowed in brainstorming meetings. No idea is absurd, or better than another. No idea is ruled out until the end of the meeting. Criticism will limit the amount of ideas shared because people will be embarrassed to do so and fear judgment of their idea to be considered ‘wrong’ or ‘stupid’ and when combined with another idea, it could actually lead to a great solution.
· welcome unusual ideas
Encouragement is mandatory, it doesn’t matter how bizarre, unique, unusual, eccentric an idea might be. While not always feasible, it can spark innovative solutions that you haven’t thought of previously. And as Osborn used to say ““It is easier to tone down a wild idea than to think up a new one.”
· combine and improve ideas.
The ideas shared should be built upon. Combine concepts, consider different perspectives, even if the initial idea was yours, evaluate the path to take to make it feasible, suggest improvements, alternatives or just a different approach. Building on those ideas will help reach the solution or goal.
Since its beginning, brainstorming has evolved and many techniques are now used for running more effective brainstorming meetings, such as:
Mind mapping
Part of the secret of brainstorming lies in catching every single idea that flows in the air of a session. The mind map can help you capture that influx of ideas so you don’t miss anything. Start with a question at the center and then create branches to include every participants ideas and thoughts.
5 Why's analysis
Yes, it is exactly as it sounds – like my toddler asking ‘why’ over and over without it ever coming to an end. But in this case, the 5 whys analysis was created buy Toyota when trying to get to the root of a problem. So the idea is to ask why, at least 5 times, until you reach the cause of the obstacle or setback. An open dialogue must be encouraged so that it triggers new ideas about the problem, and each why connects to the answer of the previous why.
Brainwriting
This idea involves post-its, or index cards, and anonymity. So each group member writes down their ideas and then, they are shared with the rest of the group. The goal of the ideas being anonymous is to prevent idea anchoring and personality bias, also providing a way for introverts to contribute to the ideation process. The main purpose of this technique is to separate the idea generation from discussion, so that building upon ideas happens more freely.
Rolestorming
The main concept behind rolestorming is to consider someone else’s approach on a given idea or challenge. It’s like asking yourself: “what would my father do?” But with famous figures or important people. It gives you another perspective, just by being in someone else’s shoes, and also allows you to consider the client’s wishes and way of thinking, if you’re trying to create a new product.
Starbursting
The name mentions a star, so you can think of five-point star where, in the middle you have the idea and each point of the start bears the questions What, When, Where, Why, Who and How. This technique is very popular because of its exploratory nature which can lead from the idea to the strategy just by answering the 5 questions.
Rapid ideation
Some people work better under pressure than others, but working with a time limitation has been proven to produce high quality work. And that’s how this technique works, you create a time limit on team members to contribute as many ideas/ solutions as possible.
In this case, it helps to get silly with it, don’t be afraid to share embarrassing or funny stories so that the formality and social barriers drop, reducing overthinking and leading to a greater flow of ideas
There are many ways to go about brainstorming. Whether you are partial to lists or are more of a visual thinker, brainstorming becomes a seamless and more effective process when you organize your thoughts and everyone is aiming towards the solution.
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