Brainstorming Is Broken. Here’s How to Fix It.

Where do the best ideas come from?

There are many ways to answer that. But to simplify things, I suggest “anywhere.” Meaning: great ideas can come from me, you, anybody.

I submit that nobody has a lock on creativity, and no one is not creative—despite what people who say “I’m not creative” tell themselves. However, many people probably feel that way (uncreative) because creativity has been forced on them, thanks to brainstorming sessions.

I read somewhere that Leonard Da Vinci was credited with inventing the concept of brainstorming. However, the real inventor was actually Alexander Faickney Osborn?(1888-1966).

Mr. Osborn built a wildly successful career around being creative, most notably as one of the founding partners of the enduring BBDO advertising agency (now 天联广告公司 ). In 1939, Osborn and his team coined the term "brainstorm." A few years later, in 1942, he introduced the concept of "thinking up" in his work How to Think Up, which was a precursor to brainstorming. He formally introduced the brainstorming process in his 1953 book Applied Imagination.

Clearly, he was onto something. However, in the ensuing decades, his elemental concept of brainstorming has been bastardized/corporatized quite a bit.

What’s So Bad About Brainstorming?

Brainstorming sessions have become the bane of many people, right up there with public speaking on the Things They Dread list.

You’re asked to meet, physically or virtually, and on the spot come up with killer ideas on a given challenge or topic. Through sheer force of will, being called upon, or grabbing ideas out of the ether, you (yes, you and everybody!) are expected to contribute.

“There are no bad ideas!” someone typically says, gleefully, at the start of the meeting. Yet most sense that’s untrue, knowing how bad ideas may elicit eye rolls, muffled comments, derision or quite possibly residual ridicule among their peers.

I read this great article recently in Nonprofit World (April/May/June 2024) that listed the top three shortcomings of brainstorming:

Blocking: Only one person can speak at a time, leading to forgotten ideas or self-censorship. Larger groups exacerbate this issue, resulting in fewer ideas vs. individual ideation.

Fear of Judgment: Participants may withhold unconventional ideas due to concerns about others' opinions, especially in the presence of authority figures or respected peers. This self-imposed limitation stifles creativity and innovation.

Personality Face-Off: Diverse group dynamics can lead to unproductive behaviors, such as domineering individuals, passive participants, stubborn idea defenders, and overly cautious contributors. These personality clashes can hinder effective problem-solving.

What Can You Do to Improve Brainstorming?

The article lays out a solid case for implementing a new technique for improving brainstorming sessions: brainwriting (emphasis added to their explanation of the concept):

Traditional brainstorming pales in comparison with a technique called brainwriting. Brainwriting can easily lead to more than double the ideas generated in a typical brainstorming session. Also, it’s not as tricky as brainstorming to work well for you. In brainwriting, as in traditional brainstorming, people come together to tackle a problem. The difference is that in brainwriting each participant thinks and records ideas individually, without any verbal interaction. As we’ll see, this small change results in a fundamental difference in idea-generation effectiveness."

Here are the mechanics:

• Participants each get a piece of paper and are given a brief amount of time—for example, three minutes to write down three (unedited) ideas.
• When the time is up, everyone passes their paper to the left. People read each other’s ideas, and a new 3-minute round starts.
• Participants can use the previous ideas as triggers or write down completely new ideas.

This process continues until the group reaches an agreed-upon number of rounds, or “when participants feel contributions are exhausted.”

What Makes Brainwriting Better?

There can be some significant benefits to adding written idea generation to traditional brainstorming sessions:

1. Simultaneous and prolific ideation: There’s no blocking or domination; five people can produce 100 ideas in 20 minutes.

2. Cross-pollination without drawbacks: This benefits the brainstorming process while avoiding pitfalls.

3. Immediate recording: There are no lost ideas while someone is waiting to speak.

4. Equal contribution: Personality types and agendas don't overshadow others.

5. Private submissions: This eliminates the fear of judgment.

6. Clear task with quota: This adds healthy pressure, unlocking creativity through a fun challenge.

What Do You Think? (Give Me 3 Ideas In 3 Minutes...)

Have you tried brainwriting? If not, name three ways you might convince your team to try it.

UTTERLY USEFUL TOOLS

Use Prompt Perfect to craft a great prompt to use with your favorite AI the next time you have a “brainstorming” challenge. Here’s an example:

My initial prompt:

You are a creative, brainstorming genius. Help me think of three ways to do X [based on your brainstorming challenge].

Such as: Help me think of three ways to improve our brainstorming efforts at Company B.

Revised prompt I got back:

As a creative specialist, I'm looking to enhance the effectiveness of our brainstorming sessions at Company B.

Can?you?suggest?three?innovative?ideas?or?techniques?to?help?make?our brainstorming sessions?more?engaging?and?productive??Ideally,?these?suggestions?should?cater to?fostering?a?collaborative?environment,?enhancing?creativity,?and?ensuring?that?every participant?feels?valued?and?heard.

My results from Claude.ai (No. 2 sounds like brainwriting to me!):

Here are three innovative ideas to enhance your brainstorming sessions at Company B:

1. Reverse Brainstorming

Instead of asking, "How can we solve this problem?" flip the question to "How could we make this problem worse?" This counterintuitive approach often leads to unexpected insights. Once you've generated a list of ways to exacerbate the issue, reverse those ideas to find potential solutions. This technique can break conventional thinking patterns and spark creative solutions.

2. Silent Brainstorming Gallery

Set up the room with large sheets of paper on the walls, each featuring a different aspect of the problem or challenge. Participants silently move around the room, writing their ideas on sticky notes and placing them on the relevant sheets. This method allows introverts to contribute equally, prevents groupthink, and creates a visual representation of ideas. After the silent phase, the group can discuss and build upon the posted ideas.

3. Role-Storming

Ask participants to adopt the persona of someone else—a historical figure, a fictional character, or even a competitor—and brainstorm from that perspective. This technique encourages participants to step outside their usual mindset and approach problems from fresh angles. It can lead to more diverse ideas and help team members overcome personal or professional biases.