Effective Brainstorming

By Kerri Simon

A brainstorming session is a tool for generating as many ideas or solutions as possible to a

problem or issue. It is not a tool for determining the best solution to a problem or issue.

Before beginning any effective brainstorming session, ground rules must be set. This doesn't
mean that boundaries are set so tightly that you can't have fun or be creative. It does mean that a
code of conduct for person to person interactions has been set. It's when this code of conduct is
breached that people stop being creative.

The best way to have meaningful ground rules is to have the team create their own. Try
performing a mini-brainstorming session around creating brainstorming ground rules. It should
provide a nice opportunity to practice the skills necessary for an effective brainstorming session.
This also allows the team to take ownership of acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. Only if
the team hasn't addressed the key ground rules should you (as the facilitator) add to the list.
Once the ground rules list is generated be sure to gain consensus that the session will be
conducted according to them, and post them in a highly visible location in the room.

With that, here are four key ground rules that are useful when conducting a brainstorming
session:

• There are no dumb ideas. Period. It's a brainstorming session, not a serious matter that
requires only serious solutions. Remember, this is one of the more fun tools of quality, so
keep the entire team involved!
• Don't criticize other people's ideas. This isn't a debate, discussion or forum for one
person to display superiority over another.
• Build on other people's ideas. Often an idea suggested by one person can trigger a
bigger and/or better idea by another person. Or a variation of an idea on the board could
be the next 'Velcro' idea. It is this building of ideas that leads to out of the box thinking
and fantastic ideas.
• Reverse the thought of 'quality over quantity.' Here we want quantity; the more creative
ideas the better. As a facilitator, you can even make it a challenge to come up with as
many ideas as possible and compare this team's performance to the last brainstorming
session you conducted.

Other brainstorming preparation questions:

• Who will lead or facilitate the brainstorming session?

• Who will participate in the brainstorming session?
• Who can write very quickly to record the brainstormed ideas without slowing down the
group?
• Where will the brainstorming session be held?
• What materials are needed for brainstorming (easel, paper, white board, pens, etc.)?
• What is my brainstorming session desired outcome?
Brainstorming - Covering the Basics

Brainstorming is a method of generating solutions to a problem. It is a group activity

where each person comes up with as many original solutions as possible. A facilitator
who coordinates the session, introduces the problem and outlines the rules leads a
brainstorming session. This person should also enforce the rules, encourage participation
and make sure that practical solutions are developed. Before the session starts, it is
important to clearly define the problem. The topic cannot be too specific because that will
constrict thinking. It also cannot be too broad because you might not end up with enough
relevant solutions. It is also important to invite the right people to the brainstorming
session. Some of the participants should have practical experience in dealing with the
problem. People from as wide a range of disciplines as possible should also be invited.
This will bring many more novel and unexpected ideas to the session.

During the brainstorming session, everyone in the group can express their ideas and they
are all written down so that they can be analyzed later. These ideas can be recorded on
blackboards, flipcharts, overhead projector transparencies, etc. Now, we will talk about
the five rules that each brainstorming session should follow in order to make it more
productive:

1. No one should pass judgment on any ideas until the session is over. Even silly ideas
can lead to good ones. Withholding judgment will reduce the inhibitions in people and
encourage them to share even more ideas. Also, you will maximize the number of new
ideas because no brainpower will be spent on evaluation.

2. The facilitator should encourage wild and exaggerated ideas, no matter how odd they
are. This will reduce the inhibitions in some people and cause original ideas to be shared.
These ideas are effective in stimulating new thought patterns and may result in some
good solutions.

3. During the brainstorming session, it should be emphasized that the quantity of ideas is
more important than the quality. You increase your chances of finding a really good idea
if you have a lot of ideas to choose from. In this situation, quantity will give you quality.

4. Everyone should try to build and expand on the ideas that have already been presented.
It can be just as fruitful to improve on another idea as it is to come up with an original
one. You can also try to combine several ideas into a new idea.

5. It should be emphasized that every person and idea is worth the same. Every person
has a unique perspective on the problem and solution. An idea can be used to spark other
ideas and not just as the final solution. Everyone should participate even if that person
has to write ideas on a piece of paper.

The brainstorming session can last from thirty minutes to two hours, depending on the
participants and the problem. Breaks should be given to the group if they are required.
This will help relieve the group of any pressures to come up with the proper solution.
Once the session ends, the ideas can be analyzed using either more brainstorming or more
conventional solutions.

Michael Russell