A Guide To Successful Brainstorming And Problem Solving

In a world increasingly cluttered with overlapping thoughts and ideas, the need for precise, targeted and creative idea generation is at an unprecedented high. Brainstorming techniques are designed specifically for group sessions, which are often difficult to streamline correctly due the inherent difficulty of groups in finding any form of consensus.Nevertheless, brainstorming serves many important purposes aside from simply being a creative fountain. Positive side-effects include boosting morale and teamwork, as well as creating a relaxed environment where work becomes less stressful and more fun.

Before a brainstorming session begins, a number of criteria must be met to ensure the quality and depth of the ideas generated. One point that is often overlooked by companies and groups of people is that the brainstorming group must consist of people with a wide-ranging array of preferences,experiences,likes and traits. This is important to reflect a truly eclectic amount of ideas. Diversity is key.

Secondly, there must a problem that needs solving (this may obvious to some, but many brainstorming sessions begin without focus, with what can only be described as a "lets throw some stuff out and see where it goes"). The more specific the problem, the greater focus will be applied. For instance, the question "How might we increase sales?" is too generic and will only lead to redundancy. The problem with generic questions is that they don't allow specific tools and considerations to surface.

If instead we asked "How might we increase sales during Easter?" we already conjure a spectrum of images, colors and ideas that are applicable to a greater motif such as Easter.

After members have been selected, it is time to define a finite amount of time and/or ideas that will be the goal of the session. Small groups will usually work at high energy for about 30 minutes. Larger groups will need a little longer to exhaust themselves. The point is: Whether you set a finite amount of ideas or time, there needs to be a threshold that every knows about. So that the added challenge will focus minds.

A designated facilitator (who serves as a moderator and transcriber of the proceedings) will make sure everybody understands what the problem the company faces is, and will answer any forthcoming questions. The brainstorming session is now ready to begin in earnest. 

After a brief warm-up mock session, participants begin to cough-up ideas that spring from their creativity. There can be no criticism at this point in the process. This means that no matter how absurd an idea might seem, it should be indiscriminately transcribed and noted by the facilitator.

After a brief period of creative idea generation, the facilitator will round-up the ideas and ask the participants to select a handful of ideas they feel are the best. It is imperative to limit the amount of "good" ideas because a session of targeted discussion on the merits of these winning ideas will ensue, and can take time.

After the debate has raged, the participants and the moderators should have a fairly good idea which ideas are the most prominent.

In order to efficiently categorize and separate workable ideas from other ones, the facilitator will usually require participants to vote on each idea numerically (say 1 to 10). The may seem arbitrary, but there is simply no time to indulge in more complex methods of voting. 

Once the most prominent idea has emerged, the facilitator will disband the meeting (usually with a thank you!) and summarize the session.

Obviously, during the brainstorming session, particularly due to its finite nature, many ideas will not have time to be discussed. It is for this reason that it is always a good idea to ask participants to write-up any ideas that were not voiced openly. These the facilitator should pick-up as well, and review in his/her own time.