How do you use brainstorming to solve conflicts?

1 Identify the problem

The first step of brainstorming is to define the problem or conflict that you want to solve. This involves clarifying the nature, scope, and impact of the issue, as well as the needs and expectations of the parties involved. You can use questions such as: What is the main cause of the conflict? How does it affect our work or relationship? What are the desired outcomes or goals? You can also use tools such as the 5 Whys or the Fishbone Diagram to dig deeper into the root cause of the problem.

2 Generate ideas

The second step of brainstorming is to generate as many ideas as possible to solve the problem or conflict. This involves encouraging everyone to share their thoughts, opinions, and suggestions without judging, criticizing, or rejecting them. You can use techniques such as: Brainwriting, where each person writes down their ideas on a paper or a board and passes it to the next person; Mind Mapping, where you draw a diagram that connects related ideas around a central theme; or SCAMPER, where you use prompts such as Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, or Reverse to modify existing ideas or generate new ones.

3 Evaluate ideas

The third step of brainstorming is to evaluate the ideas that you have generated and select the best ones to solve the problem or conflict. This involves applying criteria such as: Feasibility, how realistic and practical the idea is; Effectiveness, how well the idea meets the needs and goals of the parties involved; and Acceptability, how likely the idea is to gain support and cooperation from the stakeholders. You can use methods such as: Dot Voting, where each person assigns a number of dots to their preferred ideas; Pros and Cons, where you list the advantages and disadvantages of each idea; or SWOT Analysis, where you assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of each idea.