Brainstorming Techniques

Brainstorming is a way of generating a lot of new ideas, quickly. Once you have a long list of possibilities to work from, you can begin to evaluate each idea from a more practical standpoint. The brainstorming techniques pioneered by Alex Osborn include:

• a moderator who also functions as a "policeman" for the session
• a small group of six to 10 people
• one-hour sessions
• revised group behavior rules

General concept. The objective of brainstorming is to solve a specific problem (e.g., "how to create a new hot and cold thermos that has a self-closing, non-leaking, mechanism"). Everyone in the group has the chance to state whatever ideas come to mind, and the wilder the ideas, the better.

• Criticism is not permitted in any verbal, or non-verbal form.
• Bits and pieces of ideas are encouraged. No idea is rejected at this point.
• A large quantity of ideas is encouraged.
• Combining and using pieces of other ideas from the group is encouraged.
• All ideas are recorded as they are stated, in short phrases or words.

Moderator. The moderator acts as official encourager, policeman against improper group or individual behavior, and recorder of all ideas on large sheets of paper or a whiteboard visible to the group. The moderator must write down short phrases exactly as given.

Editing ideas. Ideas are edited later by the primary user of the creative information, which will usually be you. Unusable ideas or incomplete ideas are discarded. In longer sessions, group participants may break into smaller groups and be asked to provide a shorter list of ideas (or combined ideas) that they unanimously recommend.

A small company of even one person can gather a group to practice informal brainstorming. All that is needed is an easel or two (or even a large memo pad) to record ideas. Seven individuals alone will seldom, if ever, produce the volume or creative range of ideas of a group of seven people together, practicing brainstorming techniques.