Brainstorming

What is Brainstorming?

Brainstorming is a creativity technique in which ideas are generated in order to solve a problem. The main result of a brainstorm session is a solution to a problem. The solution can be an idea, which is a complete solution to the problem. It can be a list of ideas, leading to an approach to a subsequent solution of the problem. Or it can be a list of ideas resulting into a plan to find the final answer. Brainstorming was originated by Alex Osborn.

Brainstorming has many applications but it is most frequently used in:

• New product development - obtaining ideas for new products and making improvements to existing products
• Advertising - developing ideas for advertising campaigns
• Problem solving - issues, root causes, alternative solutions, impact analysis, evaluation
• Process management - finding ways of improving business and production processes
• Project Management - identifying client objectives, risks, deliverables, work packages, resources, roles and responsibilities, tasks, issues
• Team building - generates sharing and discussion of ideas while stimulating participants to think
• Business planning – develop and improve product ideas.

Approach

Brainstorming can be done either individually or in a group. In group brainstorming sessions, the participants are encouraged, and often expected, to share their ideas with one another as soon as they are generated. More complex problems or brainstorm sessions with a diversity of people are prepared by a chairman. The chairman is the leader and facilitator of the brainstorm session.

The key to brainstorming is not to interrupt the thought process. As ideas come to the mind, they are captured and stimulate the development of better ideas. A brainstorm session is thus best be conducted in a moderate size room, equipped with about a dozen chairs in the shape of a hollow square so that each participant is looking at the others in the group.

A computer running NovaMind is connected to a projector so everyone can see the ideas as they are captured. The room is free of telephones, clocks, or any other distractions.

In order to enhance creativity a brainstorm session has four basic rules:

1. Focus on quantity

This rule is a means of enhancing divergent production, aiming to facilitate problem solving through the maxim quantity breeds quality. The greater the number of ideas generated, the greater the chance of producing a radical and effective solution.

An individual may revisit a brainstorm, done alone, and approach it with a slightly new perspective. This process can be repeated without limit. The result is collaboration with your past, present and future selves.

You can quickly add branches in NovaMind by using the Command+K and Command+J keys (Mac) or Enter key and Insert key (Windows)

2. Criticism is forbidden

In a group, it is often emphasized in brainstorming sessions that you should put criticism 'on hold'. Instead of immediately stating what might be wrong with an idea, the participants focus on extending or adding to it, reserving criticism for a later 'critical stage' of the process. The assertion is that when suspending judgment, you create a supportive atmosphere where participants feel free to generate unusual ideas. However, persistent respectful criticism of ideas by a minority dissenter can reduce groupthink, leading to more and better quality ideas.

3. Unusual ideas are welcome

During a brainstorm session many regular and standard ideas are suggested. These ideas are often a good, but not always the best solution to the problem. By looking from another perspective, or by setting aside assumptions, some unusual ideas can be generated. These ideas will open new ways of working or thinking. To get a good and complete list of ideas, generation of unusual ideas is welcomed. When the idea is too ‘wild’ and not feasible, the idea can be tamed down to a more appropriate idea. It is easier to tame down an idea then to think up an idea.

If you get stuck, you can use the Branch Proposal System in NovaMind to point your thinking in new and unusual directions.

4. Combine and improve ideas

The participants will generate ideas of their own, however in the case of a brainstorm session 1+1=3. Two good ideas can be combined to form one very good idea. It is also encouraged to improve existing ideas, to build up to a very good idea. The approach of combining and improving ideas will lead to better and more complete ideas then solely generation of new ideas and will cause a chain reaction of idea generation by using the power of association.

A short brainstorm session

Brainstorming is very well suited for ad-hoc problem solving. A short brainstorm session can be applied in many occasions where a quick solution is needed. For example: students working on a project, a support team looking for a quick solution for their customer or a project team who have to deal with the illness of one of its members.

The session contains three phases:

1. Identify the problem Determine and specify the problem which needs a solution. Every participant of the short brainstorm session has to know exactly what the problem is. This should be used as the center of the Mind Map. In this way, the session is kept directed and doesn't go off into unrelated areas. If there are particular issues that need to be dealt with as part of the problem, make branches for them so that the ideas and solutions can be attached as child branches.
2. Generate ideas Generate as many ideas as possible. Keep in mind the four basic brainstorm rules and record the good ideas. It doesn't matter if the branches are attached in the "wrong" place to start with - just whatever seems to be easiest and bear some relationship at the time. If there are other linkages to be made, drag out link lines from one idea to another to show the association. This process can continue for five to fifteen minutes.
3. Select most appropriate idea Select from the suggested ideas the most appropriated idea. The idea is then taken by the implementation team (or person) and action is taken, results are collected and the outcomes are assessed for feedback to the team for future reference and identification of any further follow up actions.

A complex brainstorm session

Preparation

The preparation described here contains the basic activities, but depending on the situation more activities can be added.

1. Identify the problem One of the most important things to do before a brainstorm session starts is to identify the problem. The problem has to be clear, not too big and captured in a perfectly definite question, for example “What service for mobile phones is not available now, but needed?“. If the problem is too big, the chairman has to split up the problem into smaller components, each with its own question. Each question has its own Mind Map created in NovaMind, with the basic issue at the center, and any key issues within the question identified on sub-branches.
2. Create background Mind Map The background Mind Map is the invitation and information letter for the participants, containing the session name, time, date and place and the problem. The problem is described with its question, and some example ideas are given. The example ideas are solutions to the problem, and used when the session slows down or gets of the track. The example ideas also give the participants an idea of the direction upfront. The background Mind Map is sent to the participants at least two days in advance, so the participants can think about the problem and extend the Mind Map in NovaMind before the meeting to kick start the ideas without the influence of the group.
3. Select participants The chairman has to compose the brainstorm panel, containing the participants and an idea collector who will be using NovaMind during the session to record the ideas. Many variations can be made in the brainstorm panel composition, but the following composition is advised:
• Five core members of the project who have proved themselves.
• Five guests from outside the project, with affinity to the problem.
• One idea collector who records the suggested ideas on the Mind Map.
4. Create list of leads During the brainstorm session the creativity and production of ideas can slow down. At this moment the chairman has to boost the creativity by suggesting a lead to an answer, for example “Can we combine those ideas?” or “How about a look from an other perspective?”. The Branch Proposal System can be used to generate key words to trigger new ideas, or Edward DeBono's "6 thinking hats" approach can generate new ideas.

Session conduct

The brainstorm session is lead by the chairman; he will insure that the four basic brainstorm rules are followed. The activities of a typical brainstorm session are:

1. A warm up practice if inexperienced participants are in the group. During a warm up practice the participants can experience the criticism free and uninhibited atmosphere. A simple problem is the topic to brainstorm on, for example: “What can be improved in Microsoft Windows?” or “What can we do for teambuilding?”. Notice that all the questions are open to multiple answers.
2. The chairman presents the problem and gives a further explanation if needed.
3. The chairman asks the brainstorm panel for their ideas.
4. If no ideas are coming out of the group, the chairman suggests a lead to encourage creativity.
5. Every participant presents his or her idea and the idea collector records the idea in NovaMind.
6. If more participants are having an idea, the chairman let the most associated idea be presented first. This selection can be done by looking at the body language of the participants, or just by asking for the most associated idea.
7. The participants try to elaborate on the idea, to improve the quality.
8. When the time is up, the chairman will organize the ideas, grafting the branches and using colors, link lines, and images to clearly show the solutions that have been found. He/she will encourage discussion during this phase. Additional ideas may be generated.
9. Review the Mind Map to ensure everyone understands the ideas. Eliminate from the list any duplications. Remove any obviously ridiculous suggestions.
10. Thank all participants and give them each a token recompense as a sign of appreciation.

Best practices

The Branch Numbering in NovaMind can be used to number the ideas in the Mind Map, so the chairman can use it to encourage the quantitative idea generation, for example: “We have 44 ideas now, let’s get it to 50!”.

The idea collector should state the idea in the words she has used in the Mind Map to confirm that it expresses the meaning intended by the originator. Sometimes speaking the idea as well as writing is in itself a trigger to new ideas.

During the brainstorm session the attendance of managers and superiors is strongly discouraged. This will radically reduces the effect of the four basic rules, especially the generation of unusual ideas.

Uses

Brainstorming can be used as a supplement for:

• individual ideation: by means of generating a maximum number of potentially usable ideas in a minimum of time.
• a business conference: stimulate creative thinking in a judicial and relative unproductive atmosphere.
• creative training: brainstorming improves the creative attitude towards solving problems and improves the creative ability in groups and individual.

Although the main purpose of brainstorming is to generate ideas, a group brainstorming session has more value in problem solving. For example:

• Improve initiative: During a brainstorm session, participants are encouraged to constantly throwing their ideas, to take initiative all the time. This initiative can last even after the session.
• Improve creative thinking: Participants are encouraged to look from a creative perspective to the problem and the power of association is used to create ideas. The participants get more experience with creative thinking and they can use it after the session.
• Improve morale: The participants work together as a team to find a solution to a problem and every participant is encouraged to take initiative. These two factors can improve the morale of the team and its members.
• Have more FUN: Most of the participants like the interactive and creative atmosphere in which problems are solved.