Introduction To Brainstorming

Brainstorming is the name given to a situation when a group of people meet to generate new ideas around a specific area of interest. Using rules which remove inhibitions, people are able to think more freely and move into new areas of thought and so create numerous new ideas and solutions. The participants shout out ideas as they occur to them and then build on the ideas raised by others. All the ideas are noted down and are not criticized. Only when the brainstorming session is over are the ideas evaluated.

This is the traditional way brainstorming is done.

Some definitions:

1. Brainstorming is a process for generating new ideas
2. Brainstorming is "a conference technique by which a group attempts to find a solution for a specific problem by amassing all the ideas spontaneously by its members"
3. To brainstorm is to use a set of specific rules and techniques which encourage and spark off new ideas which would never have happened under normal circumstances

Brainstorming will help you come up with new ideas. And not only will you come up with new ideas but you will do so with surprisingly little effort. Brainstorming makes the generation of new ideas easy and is a tried-and-tested process. Exactly what you apply brainstorming techniques to depends on what you want to achieve. You can apply them to develop new products, services and processes in your job, or you can apply them to develop your personal life.

You can think of this as either a holistic experience if you are naturally creative, or if you are naturally logical then you can think of it as a process of following logical rules which will stimulate your mind to think of a problem from a different angle.

If you follow the brainstorming rules then brainstorming will work whatever your personal style. Naturally, there are techniques and environments which suit certain people better than others but brainstorming is flexible enough to be able to suit everyone. Whether you do brainstorming with a group of excited colleagues or you do advanced brainstorming by yourself in an isolated room will be up to your personal preference and circumstance. Both will be successful if you read and follow the pages on this website. We also introduce the use of specialized computer software to aid your brainstorming sessions.

After the brain storm session, edit the brainstorming notes, arrange the ideas in related groups and send a copy to each participant as soon as possible. Ask each participant to select the five ideas he thinks are best. Request that he also explain why these ideas are most promising and how he would implement them. Be sure to include a deadline for when you’d like the ideas returned.