Brainstorming Techniques
It sounds easy enough: Start with a blank sheet of paper and start writing down everything you can think of. But, when it comes to brainstorming for our own projects, that's not quite how things work out.
That's because in order to do an effective brainstorm about anything, we need to:
- know the topic for which we are brainstorming
- understand the goal or objective
- define the scope and deliverables from the assignment or project; then come up with ideas that fit those criteria.
In other words, we need to know our audience and the desired audience response in order to effectively brainstorm .
So, when you're brainstorming for an assignment or project, what's really going on?
Here are some ideas to get you started...
How do we define "idea" in the context of brainstorming?
* Ideas are connected (to a topic) and distinct (from other ideas). Ideas must be measurable and testable.
How do we define "idea" in the context of brainstorming?
Ideas are connected (to a topic) and distinct (from other ideas). They must be measurable and testable.
How do we define "idea" in the context of brainstorming?
Ideas are connected (to a topic) and distinct (from other ideas). They must be measurable and testable. What characteristics should our idea have? Think about the criteria you will be using to evaluate ideas as well as your audience so that you can determine what it is that they really want or need. Then start your brainstorm with those characteristics in mind.
What are "aspects" of an idea?
Aspects are the measurable components that make up an idea. So, when we review our ideas we want to be able to describe each one in terms of each of its aspects, so that there is consistency in how we evaluate the different options (See Aspect-Based Evaluation below). For example, if you were doing a brainstorm on how to improve Internet access and speed at your college, one aspect could be "password requirements." The aspects must be "measurable" so that each option you come up with can be graded against them.
How do we use aspects to evaluate ideas?
After reviewing your ideas, you may want to do some aspect-based evaluation. To do this, review each of the aspects you have listed for each idea and rate it on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest). Then assign a score based on that rating. For example, if one idea has a low rating in "password requirements" (5), then that's not going to be as good a choice as one with a high rating (8).
What are the best approaches for brainstorming?
Brainstorming is basically any technique used to come up with options, ideas or solutions. It can be used when you have a problem and don't know what to do, or when you have a limited amount of time to come up with ideas. Brainstorming works best when there are no rules for what you can or cannot do to encourage creativity.
In the following sections we'll describe some of the most common brainstorming techniques.
Brainwriting (or sentence-completion) involves getting a group together and having each person write down one sentence that describes the item being brainstormed. The group then works together to combine their sentences into one unified statement. This technique is typically used for topics that are highly emotional or controversial, as it helps avoid the issues of groupthink and keeps the emotion out of the actual writing so that there will be less resistance to trying something different.
Brainwriting works well when:
- you need to get a large amount of ideas from many people in a short time period
- you don't have time to meet or discuss any one idea (as no discussion is required)
- you need to improve your creative output using the brainwriting technique. (Many times when people are asked to write by themselves they end up editing what they write. When writing in a group, this editing process doesn't happen. So, by writing with a group you are more likely to get a higher quantity of ideas.)
Brainwriting does not work well when:
- people do not want to "step on each other's toes"
- there is more than one item being brainstormed at the same time (a SWOT analysis, for example)
This technique is used to create new words or phrases that describe an object. It involves coming up with as many descriptive words and phrases as possible that could be used to describe the object. When using this technique it's important to use a large vocabulary so that you can come up with a lot of different options.
Brainstorming Adjectives (or "rabbit-hunting") works well when:
- you need to increase your vocabulary (particularly a technology-related vocabulary)
Brainstorming Adjectives is not effective when:
- you only have a limited amount of time to use the technique (as there is a tendency to stick with words that are similar to existing words in a language)
This technique is used to come up with new ideas related to an existing idea. It involves examining that idea and then deciding what it would be like if it were different. It helps make the original idea more distinct from other ideas. As an example, if you are brainstorming ways to improve Internet access at your college, you might use the inverse thinking technique to decide what would happen if Internet access were worse. You could then brainstorm ideas for how that situation could be improved. This technique is effective with things that have a range of outcomes (variables), as it helps you explore all of those options for new opportunities or solutions.
Inverse thinking works well when:
- you are trying to see beyond the obvious in an idea or problem
- you want to look at a problem from different perspectives.
Inverse thinking is not effective when:
- you don't have sufficient time to use this technique.
This technique uses a list of criteria to determine what the best solution is for a particular problem. It involves working with your team members to come up with particular aspects that are most important, and then ranking each idea (or solution) against those criteria. This technique is particularly good for brainstorming regarding problems that you know can be solved because it allows you to focus on the most important parts of an idea or solution.
Conclusion:
Brainstorming is a very effective tool that can be used to generate new ideas or solutions to problems. For best results, it's important to have a team of diverse people. And, because brainstorming involves coming up with lots of ideas, it's best not to limit the time you spend brainstorming. So, take some time and try these techniques out for yourself!
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