Brainstorming: Encyclopedia - Brainstorming

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is an organized approach for producing ideas by letting the mind think without interruption. The term was coined by Alex Osborn.

Brainstorming - Overview

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. 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. Brainstorming is used for enhancing creativity in order to generate a broad selection of ideas in leading to a unique and improved concept.

It 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.

When done individually brainstorming can be an effective measure of change through time. 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.

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.

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
• Joint Application design - speeds every step of JAD
• 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

Brainstorming - Procedure for a typical brainstorming session

• A moderate size room is 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 flip chart, blackboard, or overhead projector is placed in a prominent location. The room is free of telephones, clocks, or any other distractions.

• Between six and twenty people with an interest in the subject (although not necessarily experts) are invited to participate. Osborn (1957) recommended that individual ideation should occur during preparation, prior to the group session.

• Write on the flip chart (or blackboard) a statement of the subject or problem that will be discussed. This is often presented as a question.

• Have everyone write their ideas on post-it notes. Post and organize these ideas on flip charts. A single topic can be brainstormed within an hour. An older method of having one recorder write the ideas on flip charts is much slower. Everyone had to wait until the recorder finishes the last idea. Ideas should be written concisely but without paraphrasing. The recorder should state the idea in the words she has written to confirm that it expresses the meaning intended by the originator.

• Choose one person to facilitate the process. This involves encouraging participation by everyone and maintaining a criticism free, uninhibited atmosphere. Encourage even wild and seemingly ridiculous ideas.

• After 5 to 20 minutes the facilitator calls an end to the idea generation phase.

• Organize the ideas based on the topic goal. The facilitator encourages discussion during this phase. Additional ideas may be generated.

• Group sub ideas under main categories.

• After each topic advance to the next topic to be brainstormed.

• Review the list from top to bottom to ensure everyone understands the ideas. Eliminate from the list any duplications. Remove any obviously ridiculous suggestions.

• Thank all participants and give them each a token recompense as a sign of appreciation.

Brainstorming - Nominal group technique

Nominal group technique is a type of brainstorming that introduces structure to the process. It is useful in ensuring that all participant have an equal say and can be used to generate a rank-ordered list of ideas.

Typically each participant is asked to write down their ideas. Then the moderator asks each participant in turn to express one of the ideas that they have written down. The moderator writes down each idea on the flip chart. Then each participant copies the group's final list on a blank page giving each idea a score. The pages are collected from each participant and the scores summed, providing a rank-ordered list.

Brainstorming - Controversy

The story that an organization has banned the word 'brainstorm', in favor of 'thought shower', due to its connection with epilepsy, appears regularly in British newspapers. Invariably, it is given as an example of 'political correctness gone mad'. One example can be found in the Observer, 26 June 2005 regarding the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in Belfast. Another example is the Telegraph, 26 April 2003 regarding trainee teachers.

A survey in 2005 by the UK charity National Society for Epilepsy found that 93 per cent of people with the condition do not find the word brainstorming offensive.

Another UK epilepsy charity, Epilepsy Action, discuss this in their Epilepsy Facts, Figures and Terminology web page. An informal survey by Epilepsy Action in their journal Epilepsy Today (Issue 73, October 2005) confirmed the NSE findings.

See also

• design
• Dialogue
• The Fifth Discipline
• new product development
• round robin
• think tank
• TRIZ
• Metaplan
• mind map
• Lateral Thinking

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Brainstorming", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki