Brainstorming is one of the most popular creative tools to develop problems and find solutions; to break out with established patterns of thinking or to get out of stale. It has many applications but the most useful are: New product development, Advertising, problem solving and management.
Brainstorming increases the richness of solutions, it helps us to find new ways of looking at things, to find better solutions and to make better decisions; but how does it works? Brainstorming works in 15 minute sessions with 3 to 10 people, who sit around a table, so that they can all look at each other in a not big meeting room, without distractions as telephones or visitors. People share ideas with others when these are generated. If ideas are still flowing, we will carry on the meeting in periods of 5 minutes. If we brainstorm a complex problem or situation, a chairman or facilitator will be needed too.
The following is a list of brainstorming keys:
- Identify the topic to be discussed: Start with a well-honed statement of the problem at hand.
- Write playful rules: “Defer judgement”, “One conversation at time”, “Encourage wild ideas”, for example. Everybody must respect these rules; if anybody starts to criticise or to talk during the session, the facilitator has to enforce the rules without making feel it personal.
- Warm-up: Brainstorming, like marathon running, should begin with warm-up exercises. For example, if we are brainstorming about design, a field trip in a design shop or design event could get our brain ready for big ideas! However, is the occasion to see and bring competitors’ products or objects for ideas.
- Focus on quantity: Encourage participants to come up with new ideas. The more ideas generated the more chance of radical and effective solutions we may find.
- Unusual ideas are welcome without criticism: It is really important not be critic with other ideas; we are trying to open possibilities up and to break the prejudices down. We will reserve it for a judgement and analysis stage if brainstorming is done.
- Number the ideas: This rule could seem counterintuitive, but a numbered list creates goals and motivates participants to reach reference points, up to 100 ideas, for example.
- Combine and improve ideas: Building on generated ideas by other team members is a good way to open new solutions and to take unexpected directions.
- Active participation by all members: Everyone expresses his or her ideas, even if they seem silly or far out.
- Build and jump: Most brainstorming sessions follow a power curve: They start out slowly, grow until ideas start to flow and then decrease. The best facilitators come in to the conversation in its early stage, step out when the power curve reach its maximum level and jump in again when energy starts to peter out.
- No discussions: Obviously we will center our energy just for creating.
- Make the space “remember”: Facilitator should contribute to the session and then compile main ideas on a well visible place.
- Next step: At the end of the session, discuss with your team the steps needed to implement the idea. If it is complicated, do another brainstorming: How to implement the idea?
On the other hand, it is essential to learn the following list that deals with “How not to kill a Brainstorming session?”:
- Let the boss speak first: One good idea is to send him or her out for doughnuts 
. Nothing kills a brainstorming but a status imposed idea.
- Give everybody a turn: two minutes to speak per person is a really democratic concept, but, it does not inspire ideas.
- Ask experts only: when we are looking for truly innovative ideas, deep expertise in a field can be a drawback. In a brainstorm we’re looking for fresh air.
- Go off-site: off-site conduct reinforces the concept that great ideas will only come on the beach and at high altitudes, not in the proximity of your daily work.
- No silly stuff: If we mark the goal “all the ideas must be best sellers for the company!”, we will notice that our important “silly” and wild ideas will not appear. Brainstorming must be fun.
- Write everything down: A short note that preserves a thought is acceptable but detailed writing destroys momentum. Each session should have a tape recorder or script writer (who is not the facilitator).
Brainstorming techniques may be used in a team or alone. With a team we could take advantage of the experience of the rest of the members during the game of problem solving. We could rapidly produce a large number of ideas and involve all team members, among others. Individually, we will probably obtain less quantity of ideas but it is said that the best ideas are obtained working on your own. Thus we will avoid risks of working in groups where less creative and more prejudiced people may leave the session humiliated.
At the end, brainstorming objective, in team or on your own, is to find, via creativity, a large number of ideas for personal or business purpose. Furthermore, all the members of the team (when we work in group) are involved and they feel owners of the final decision.
According to “The Economist’s”, half of the U.S. economy’s current growth comes from companies that didn’t exist 10 years ago. Corporate titans have learned to fear the prodigies who work in their dorm room or their garage-base. The rule is “Innovate or die” It’s the harsh reality of modern days. The way in modern companies is to help each other, with a brainstorming for example. The time to put pressure on people when they are stuck, supposing this is the way to solve problems, belongs to cavern man era!
