Brainstorming Technique

In a separate article we looked at brainstorming in general. We saw that it is used for generating creative ideas for solving problems. The method can also be used for generating ideas for a new business.

We noted that brainstorming seeks to create a criticism-free environment during the idea generation session so that participants do not feel inhibited in coming out with unusual ideas. Normally, people are held back from coming up with such ideas for fear of criticism and even ridicule. During the brainstorming session, criticism, evaluation and decision making are all postponed. The emphasis is on generating as many ideas as possible, with encouragement given to out-of-the way ideas.

The earlier article ended with an outline of the preparation involved in organizing a brain storming session. During the preparation stage:

• The topic for ideas is articulated in the form of a simple question
• Invitations are sent to selected participants with a note detailing the session and indicating the topic to be discussed
• The note is sent sufficiently in advance to help the participants start thinking about the topic

In this article we will look at the conduct of the session itself.

The Brainstorming Session

Every session should have a facilitator who keeps the session going and ensures that the ground rules are followed. The session should also have an idea collector who does the note taking, noting down all the ideas. A whiteboard or blackboard to display the ideas is also available.

• It is a good idea to familiarize the participants with the criticism-free environment by conducting a preliminary session with a simple topic unrelated to the main topic. This preliminary session can be seen as a kind of warm up for the main session that follows.
• The facilitator then introduces the problem that requires ideas for solution and invites ideas from the group
• If ideas are not forthcoming, or if their flow is tardy, the facilitator uses a lead question (a few lead questions would have been prepared in advance just for this purpose) to get the session moving with desired speed
• Participants present their ideas, generally in response to the previous idea, and briefly elaborate on the idea where necessary; the session should move quickly (otherwise it won’t be a “storm”)
• The idea collector will be taking notes of all the ideas generated
• When the brainstorming session proper is over, the exercise of classifying and discussing the ideas begins
• Duplicate, off-topic and obviously impractical ideas are eliminated

Evaluation

Provided the group members have the skill set to evaluate the idea, an evaluation exercise can follow the brainstorming session.

• Decide on the metrics for measuring progress towards and success of the final solution
• Outline the steps to follow for the evaluation exercise and identify some milestones
• Assign the steps to group members, ensuring that each member has an important role
• Agree on the coordination and decision-making processes, including how to reassign any tasks
• At each milestone, review whether the group is on track to a final solution
• Provide some incentive to sustain the effort

Where the group members do not have the skill set to evaluate the idea, the evaluation is passed on to competent groups.