Brainstorming
Brainstorming is a process for developing creative solutions to problems through the free flow of ideas. It works by focusing on an issue or problem, and then deliberately coming up with as many ideas and solutions as possible. One of the reasons it is so effective is that the brainstormers not only come up with new ideas in a session, but others build on these ideas to spark new and refined options.
The steps for brainstorming are:
- Gather the participants from as wide a range of disciplines with as broad a range of experience as possible. This brings many more creative ideas to the session.
- Write down a brief description of the issue or problem - the facilitator should initially define the problem to be solved with any criteria that must be met.
- Use the description to get everyone's mind clear of what the problem is and post it where it can be seen. This helps in keeping the group focused.
- Encourage an enthusiastic, uncritical attitude among brainstormers and encourage participation by all members of the team. Encourage them to have fun!
- Write down all the solutions that come to mind (even silly ones). Do NOT interpret the idea, however you may rework the wording for clarity's sake.
- Do NOT evaluate ideas until the session moves to the evaluation phase. Once the brainstorming session has been completed, the results of the session can be analyzed and the best solutions can be explored through another process. Don’t mix the two processes.
- Do NOT censor any solution, no matter how silly it sounds. The silly ones will often lead to creative ones - the idea is to open up as many possibilities as possible, and break down preconceptions about the limits of the problem.
- The facilitator should keep the brainstorming on subject, and should try to steer it towards the development of some practical solutions.
- Once all the solutions have been written down, evaluate the list to determine the best action to correct the problem.