A Brainstorming is a technique teams use to generate ideas on a particular subject. Each person in the team is asked to think creatively and write down as many ideas as possible. The ideas are not discussed or reviewed until after the brainstorming session.

One of the first things you need to determine is whether you need to use a brainstorming session at all. A brainstorming session should be used for generating lots of new ideas and solutions. It should not be used for analysis or for decision making. Of course you will need to analyze and judge the ideas but this is done afterwards and the analysis process does not involve brainstorming techniques.

A brainstorming session must be targeted to a specific topic or else you run the risk of downgrading any future sessions. You must define the problem area or the opportunity area you want to create ideas for. You must draw up a specific probortunity (problem/opportunity) statement which describes what you are trying to achieve. This statement must not even suggest what a typical solution might be because this will hinder the idea generation.

Here are some tips about the process:

• Produce a great number of ideas

• Record all ideas

• Allow no criticism – focus on quantity, not quality

• When you’re out of ideas, force yourself to add three more – innovation and creativity can surface after the apparent solutions have been exhausted

• Brainstorm with a group

• Let one idea give you another idea

• Include outrageous and off-the-wall ideas

• If you brainstorm alone, write continuously for another 5 minutes after you feel like you’ve run out of ideas

• Only after brainstorming, think through the ideas and begin narrowing the list

Here are some other important “do’s and “don’ts”:

1. Do collect as many ideas as possible from all participants with no criticisms or judgments made while ideas are being generated.

2. Do welcome all ideas are welcome no matter how silly or far out they seem. Be creative. The more ideas the better because at this point you don’t know what might work.

3. Don’t allow discussion during the brainstorming activity. Talking about the ideas will take place after brainstorming is complete.

4. Don’t criticize or judge. Don’t even groan, frown, or laugh. All ideas are equally valid at this point.

5. Do build on others’ ideas.

6. Do write all ideas on a flipchart or board so the whole group can easily see them.

7. Do set a time limit (i.e., 30 minutes) for the brainstorming.

Benefits of brainstorming :

- It encourages creativity, expanding thinking to see all perspectives of a problem, providing a wide range of options

- Everyone equally involved, no one judging another persons ideas, every idea is recorded as worthy

- Ideas grow quickly, by allowing everyone to offer any ideas that come to mind

- Sense of ownership. With the entire team actively participating in the brainstorming session, this creates a sense of ownership in the topic that is being discussed.

- Environment free of criticism

- No discussions going on, no story telling

- Everyone paying attention and really focusing on the question

- Improvements in productivity