18-23 minutes<\/p>\n
Brainstorming is a group creativity technique by which efforts are made to find a conclusion for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously new ideas and possibilities. It\u2019s a classic method widely used in business activities such as problem-solving, failure analysis, new product ideas, sales increasing, product improvements, etc.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrainstorming is something that we do naturally. As soon as you think of something that you want to do, your mind will automatically start \u201cfilling in the blanks\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013 From Ultimate Brainstorming Book by David Allen<\/p>\n
Brainstorming comes in handy in many situations where creative, cognitive thinking is required. It is a group of people meet to generate new ideas and solutions around a specific domain of interest by removing inhibitions. People can think more freely and they suggest as many spontaneous new ideas as possible. All the ideas are noted down without criticism and after the brainstorming session, the ideas are evaluated.<\/p>\n
A skilled discussion leader should lead and coordinate the brainstorming sessions. This leader can motivate members, correct mistakes, and provide a clear standard of work. They can also be used to keep track of all the ideas and make sure that these ideas are available to everyone.<\/p>\n
There are some guidelines which can improve the effectiveness and quality of their brainstorming sessions as listed below:<\/p>\n
1. Group size should not be too large (at least three and no more than ten)<\/p>\n
2. Build of the ideas of others<\/p>\n
3. Everybody is given a chance to suggest<\/p>\n
4. One conversation at a time<\/p>\n
5. Be visual, display and combine ideas<\/p>\n
6. Withhold criticism<\/p>\n
7. Defer judgment<\/p>\n
8. Freewheeling or wild ideas are encouraged<\/p>\n
9. Go for quantity (not quality)<\/p>\n
10. Stay Focused on the topic<\/p>\n
Before brainstorming, it\u2019s essential to go through the process of analyzing and focusing on objectives. Here are 5 typically steps for effective brainstorming:<\/p>\n
1. Examine \u2013 Dig into the problem. Look at the history, the context, the objects, and(most importantly) the people involved<\/p>\n
2. Understand \u2013 Go deeper and find patterns, Establish open question to build on.<\/p>\n
3. Ideate \u2013 Have a lot of ideas, good and bad. Don\u2019t stop at the obvious or the impossible.<\/p>\n
4. Experiment \u2013 Try some things out. Make some things, Fail cheap and fail fast.<\/p>\n
5. Distill \u2013 Strip your solution down to the essentials and tell the story to others.<\/p>\n
To prepare for brainstorming, you would need a group of people, ideally at least three and no more than ten. If there are more than ten, chances are that some won\u2019t participate but remain quiet and in the background.<\/p>\n
Naturally, the group should be people with at least some experience with the problem, not just some random people you drag off the street. Older and experienced people are valuable since they know a lot about the problem. It also helps if the group gets along well and is comfortable with each other. If you need to include different levels of hierarchy, try to make the span not too wide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"