Brainstorming Techniques

Brainstorming is a creative group facilitation technique that encourages participation from all group members regardless of their roles and relationships within the organization.?

The emphasis during brainstorming sessions should be on creativity and idea generation and a non-judgmental atmosphere is essential.?By themselves, none of these brainstorming techniques solve business problems that an organization might be facing but provide a range of alternative approaches to be studied and pursued.

Various brainstorming techniques include:

Classic Brainstorming Using classic brainstorming, the group will be responsible for focusing its undivided attention on a problem or need for a limited period of time - probably between 30 and 90 minutes.?The idea is to generate as many solutions to the problem as possible while a facilitator writes them all down.?Quantity of ideas, not quality, is what counts here and criticism is not allowed at this time.

The Challenge Here, the problem is deliberately made more difficult than it really is, forcing the problem to be addressed from a different perspective.?If trying to reduce order processing time from six working days to three working days, to focus aggressively on the problem, the brainstorming group should be asked to consider what would happen if order volume increased 1,000%.?What new systems would have to be put in place to address the problem aggressively??Exaggerating the problem forces the group to think creatively about solutions.

What If? Using this technique, each member of the group is asked to pose at least three “what if” questions about the topic being discussed.?Suppose the objective is to reduce employee turnover.?“What if every employee was given a bonus at the three-year mark?” or “What if flex-time was instituted?” or “What if employees were surveyed to find out what their likes and dislikes are about their work?”?The “what if” technique enables consideration of hypothetical perspectives that are not part of current thinking.

The Wrong Way Here, instead of generating good ideas or solving problems, the group deliberately tries to generate poor ideas or discuss ways to make the problem worse.?If trying to solve recurring customer complaints about service, ask: How could every single customer who walks through the door be infuriated??What could be done to ensure that no first-time customer would ever want to buy a second time??By focusing on poor customer service, the focus is on the service issues that matter most to customers which generates ideas which are better poised to solve the problem.

Role Playing If trying to solve a difficult record-keeping problem, ask how someone in the purchasing department or in sales would handle a similar problem.?Ask how colleagues in other firms or other countries would address the issue.?By viewing the problem from a different professional perspective, a novel solution may be developed.

Metaphors A metaphor is a word or phrase that symbolises something other than its literal meaning.?Metaphors can be used as a brainstorming tool.?If seeking ways to energies the sales team, visualise the sales team as a football team, how would their performance be improved??By applying metaphors to current processes, a fresh outlook on the problems may be gained.

Word Associations Instead of trying to generate concrete solutions or ideas, here the group simply generates whatever words or phrases come to mind when the brainstorming group faces a problem.?If discussing ways to improve the exterior appearance of the main office, the group might generate phrases like these: “Paint”, “Texture”,?“Wash”, “Lawn”, “Manicure” or “Outdoor carpet”.?Later, these key phrases can be used to develop action plans and strategies.

Risky options Group members may be afraid to suggest unusual or risky solutions to problems: the fear of failure or group censure is often too great.?Using the “risky option” technique, openly invite wild and risky approaches to the problems.?To inject levity into the process, a prize can be offered to the group member who poses the riskiest option of all.?After a short period of silence and more than a little mumbling, surprising idea may emerge.

The Hunter When group members play “the hunter”, scan through the pages of newspapers, magazines, speeches, literature and products in search of random ideas that might have a bearing on the problem at hand.?Whether trying to develop a new production process, come up with new advertising ideas or meet almost any other business need, the group is asked to embark on an “ideas hunt” and be prepared to report back on what has been found.?This technique can be used equally well with individuals and small groups.