Often, great ideas are the product of great efforts pushed by multiple people under the same group. Brainstorming is a great way to create a team of individuals that can push and create ideas with one another.
Brainstorming is the act of creating or ideating ideas and concepts of a specific topic or with a group of people. This method is a group problem-solving method that creates a conducive environment for the creation of ideas. If you need Brainstorming templates or need a brainstorming checklist you may use any of the links on the list above.
A good brainstorming session will brainstorm ideas and have various brainstorming techniques used in the whole session. These sessions can be divided into a couple of days spanning one topic or subject.
Begin by selecting the topic the brainstorming session will tackle. This topic should be a relevant subject, problem, or issue the group needs to discuss. The more complex the topic, the greater the need for a brainstorming session.
After you have selected the topic of the brainstorming session, you will need to set the date when the brainstorming session will occur. You must make sure that the right people are accounted for and will be present during the brainstorming session. This means that you will need to find the best time for the brainstorming session. You may use any brainstorming software or tools to help with the brainstorming method.
The facilitator may not be the same person who will schedule and start the brainstorming session. If you do not want to be the facilitator and have someone else in mind, ask if they can be the facilitator of the brainstorming session. Just be sure that before the day of the brainstorming session, you have assigned a facilitator to the brainstorming session.
When the set day has started, begin the brainstorming session with the group you have invited. Be sure to conduct brainstorming activities and ideation exercises within the brainstorming session. While sharing your ideas, be sure to properly document all the ideas and thoughts brought about by the brainstorming session through a brainstorming report.
Finish the brainstorming session and have the facilitator conclude the whole session with a concluding statement. Be sure to wrap up the session and create a call to action based on what was discussed.
There are a couple of golden rules that we should monitor when we are a participant in a brainstorming session. The first rule that should be at the forefront of brainstorming is that all ideas matter and should be considered even if said ideas are bad or small. Everyone participating in the brainstorming session should be open to sharing their ideas and have enough space to create said ideas. The second rule of brainstorming sessions is to find new ways to ideate and create ideas in a specific amount of time. This could include different brainstorming exercises and programs used to refine the ideation process and give space for the person to ideate. The third rule should be to document all the ideas generated by the brainstorming session, even if the idea is shot or brought down. This is because some good ideas may be skimmed or skipped, doing this will ensure that the missed ideas are properly documented and tracked.
Brainstorming is a very useful tool to create and ideate ideas that will provide solutions and answers to a specific question, problem, or topic. One of the benefits of a brainstorming session is that a brainstorming session is a collaborative session that encourages participants to work together. Another benefit of brainstorming is that it allows people to creatively create ideas in a specific timeframe or timeline and space. More often than not, brainstorming sessions create a conducive environment for ideating that would otherwise be very hard to create.
Brainstorming has some limitations and challenges that are unique to the session itself. Due to the high number of people in a brainstorming session, participants are pressured to generate good ideas in a specific time frame. Participants may or may not present specific ideas that they might find to be bad or useless, which may miss out on the overall point of the brainstorming session. Another problem that might arise in a brainstorming session is the lack of individual thinking. The brainstorming session might become an echo chamber if there is no person to think contrary to the belief of the group. This can cause further issues, as ideas and solutions that are different from the group’s preferences will be shot down and denied.
Brainstorming is a group activity that allows participants the space and time to generate ideas and solutions that will solve a specific problem or improve a certain facet. These sessions will require some time and may present difficulties. But if the brainstorming is properly done and the session is appropriately overseen, then the brainstorming session will generate great and creative ideas that are hard to come up with.
