Brainstorming

Definition

Brainstorming is a group creativity technique that helps teams generate lots of ideas for solving a specific problem. The goal is to come up with as many ideas as possible, even if they seem wild or unconventional. The principle is that quantity leads to quality - the more ideas you generate, the more likely you are to find something truly innovative.

Brainstorming was formalized by advertising executive Alex Osborn in the 1940s, but the concept of collaborative idea generation has been around much longer. The key is creating an environment where people feel safe to share any idea, no matter how unconventional it might seem.

Why Brainstorming Works

Brainstorming is effective because it encourages free thinking by removing the pressure to come up with perfect ideas right away. It leverages group creativity by combining different perspectives and experiences, and generates quantity which often leads to quality through the sheer volume of options.

It builds on others' ideas as people hear something and think "what if we also..." and creates psychological safety when done well, making people comfortable sharing unconventional thoughts. Most importantly, it breaks through mental blocks by forcing you to think beyond your usual patterns.

The Four Core Principles

Effective brainstorming follows four key principles:

Quantity over quality - Generate as many ideas as possible. The belief is that quantity breeds quality, and you never know which wild idea might lead to the perfect solution.

Withhold criticism - No judging ideas during the generation phase. Save evaluation for later when you're done creating.

Welcome unusual ideas - Encourage wild, unconventional thinking. Sometimes the craziest ideas lead to the best solutions.

Combine and improve ideas - Build on others' suggestions to create hybrid solutions. "Yes, and..." instead of "Yes, but..."

How to Run a Brainstorming Session

Here's a practical approach to brainstorming:

Define the problem clearly. Make sure everyone understands what you're trying to solve.

Set up the environment. Create a comfortable space with materials for capturing ideas (whiteboards, sticky notes, etc.).

Explain the rules. Make sure everyone knows the four principles and feels safe to share.

Generate ideas. This is the main activity where everyone contributes ideas and they get recorded.

Organize ideas. Group similar concepts and look for patterns in what you've generated.

Evaluate ideas. Assess the ideas against criteria like feasibility, impact, and alignment with your goals.

Select and refine. Choose the most promising ideas for further development.

The key is to separate idea generation from evaluation. Don't let people start critiquing ideas while you're still trying to generate them.

Different Brainstorming Techniques

There are many ways to brainstorm, each with different benefits:

Classic brainstorming is the traditional approach where everyone shares ideas out loud in a group session.

Brainwriting has participants write ideas silently before sharing, which reduces social pressure and ensures everyone contributes.

Round-robin brainstorming goes around the circle with each person contributing one idea at a time.

Mind mapping organizes ideas visually in a radial diagram around a central concept.

Reverse brainstorming asks "how could we make this problem worse?" then reverses those ideas to find solutions.

Starbursting focuses on generating questions rather than answers to explore the problem space.

SCAMPER uses a checklist of prompts: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to other uses, Eliminate, Reverse.

Crazy eights is a quick technique where you draw eight distinct ideas in eight minutes.

Lightning decision jam is a structured process for identifying problems and solutions quickly.

Choose the technique that works best for your team and the problem you're trying to solve.

How to Facilitate Effective Brainstorming

Good facilitation makes all the difference in brainstorming sessions:

Create psychological safety by establishing an environment where people feel comfortable sharing any idea, no matter how wild.

Define clear parameters by setting specific goals, timeframes, and constraints so everyone knows what you're working toward.

Use visual documentation to record ideas visibly so everyone can see what's been generated and build on it.

Manage group dynamics to ensure all voices are heard and no one person dominates the conversation.

Maintain energy by using timeboxing and varied activities to keep people engaged and focused.

Provide stimuli by introducing prompts, examples, or constraints to spark creativity when ideas start to dry up.

Follow through by having a plan for what happens to ideas after the session ends.

Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Social loafing happens when some people don't contribute as much. Use structured techniques like brainwriting to ensure individual accountability.

Production blocking occurs when people have to wait for others to finish speaking. Create opportunities for simultaneous idea generation.

Evaluation apprehension makes people hold back ideas they think might be judged. Build psychological safety and enforce judgment-free zones.

Groupthink happens when everyone starts thinking the same way. Encourage dissent and use techniques that preserve diverse thinking.

Fixation occurs when people get stuck on obvious ideas. Introduce varied stimuli and constraints to push beyond the obvious.

Practical fixation happens when people get too focused on what's realistic. Temporarily suspend practical concerns to encourage wild ideas.

Remote and Asynchronous Brainstorming

Modern work often requires adapting brainstorming for distributed teams:

Digital whiteboards like Miro or Mural work well for remote brainstorming sessions.

Chat-based ideation uses messaging platforms for text-based brainstorming.

Hybrid approaches combine individual ideation with group sessions.

Asynchronous brainstorming extends ideation across time zones and work schedules.

AI-assisted brainstorming uses generative AI tools to expand creative possibilities.

When to Use Brainstorming

Brainstorming is particularly valuable when you're in early design phases and need to generate diverse concepts before narrowing focus, stuck on a project and need to break through creative blocks or entrenched thinking, facing complex problems that benefit from diverse perspectives and approaches, building team engagement and want to create shared ownership of solutions, working on cross-disciplinary challenges that require multiple types of expertise, or looking for innovative solutions and want to explore unconventional approaches.

Getting Started

If you want to try brainstorming, begin with these fundamentals:

Start with a clear problem that everyone understands and cares about.

Choose the right technique for your team and the problem you're solving.

Create a safe environment where people feel comfortable sharing any idea.

Separate generation from evaluation - don't let people start critiquing while you're still creating.

Follow through by organizing, evaluating, and acting on the ideas you generate.

Remember, brainstorming is a tool for generating ideas, not for making final decisions. The goal is to create a rich pool of possibilities that you can then evaluate and refine.