Brainstorming-An Introduction

Brainstorming is a very powerful technique for
generating new ideas and new solutions. It is practised by all major
companies, governments, universities, schools and individuals.

It can be used in almost any situation and by
anyone. Whether you are trying to unravel the human genome, develop a
new product or planning a party.

The technique though very powerful is in fact very
simple. In order to do it correctly you need to maintain discipline and
follow a set procedure.

There are two phases to effective brainstorming.

• Idea generation- Brainstorming session itself where new
  ideas/ solutions are noted.
• Idea evaluation- Ideas generated in earlier session are
  evaluated and kept or discarded.

It is important that these two phases remain completely
separate . The most common mistake people make when starting with
brainstorming is that the ideas are generated and then immediately
evaluated.

Brainstorming session- Idea generation

Here the ideas are simply generated and noted
with no thought given to their worth i.e. under no circumstances are
ideas discarded, ridiculed, judged etc.

For an effective session then follow these steps.

1. Explain what you are going to do and let everyone get
   settled before you start.
2. The session should be limited to a maximum of 10 per
   session. You can arrange for multiple sessions if you have a large
   group.
3. Write down the goal/target/problem at the top of the
   page/flip chart.
4. Set a time limit 15 minute session maximum. You can
   always have several sessions.
5. Keep the session loose and informal and as fast as
   possible.

Idea Evaluation Phase

This is usually the easier of the two as their are more
critical thinkers than creative ones. It can however become more heated
as people can get very protective about ideas.

The idea here is eliminate the non starters and to put
the list into some kind of order. Here are some tips to get the most
out of this sessions.

1. Praise/criticise the idea not the person.
2. Don’t let the session become personal.
3. If an idea becomes hotly contested debated then put it
   in an holding queue and move on. You can discuss it again later.
4. Have at least two sessions. A quick one to get rid of
   the definite no goes and then the next day another one to sort and
   prioritize the others.
5. Break the sessions into 45 minute chunks and limit each
   session to 4 hours. You can always carry on the next day.

Related Articles and resources:

• Mindmapping
• brainstorming - Amazon.com
• brainstorming-Amazon.co.uk