Practical Guide to Brainstorming

Brainstormingpractical guide to

“the human mind is both capable of judgment and creativity”

Alex Osborn

the nuts & bolts

population

between six and ten people max

the more diverse the better

balance between insiders & outsiders

avoid intimidating ranks

facilitator

in charge of moderating the session

must have experience “reading the room”

able to restart the creative process anytime

strong communication skills

must be a neutral participant

setting

pick a neutral place

have a drishti

no head of the table

structure

two sessions of thinking

no longer than an hour

take advantage of the morning factor

before the session

share the topicit will help to maintain focus

share the rulesit will protect the spirit of the session

the rules of engagement

criticism is

ruled out

freewheeling is

welcome

seek

quantity over quality

encourage

hitching

the process

brainstorming funnel

PROBLEM SOLVING SECTION

IDEA GENERATION SECTION

two part process

divided between days

from strategic to creative


problem solving:

problem is stated and an unrestrictive open session takes place with the objective of gathering as many ideas as possible

during this stage interactive exercises are introduced and discussion is encouraged




CREATIVE IDEA GENERATING SECTION

SECTION I

10 MINUTES TO PRESENT THE CHALLENGE

25 MINUTES TO BRAINSTORM

- Idea Evolution (10 Mins)

- Idea Congress (15 Mins)

20 MINUTES TO DISCUSS,

IDEAS

presenting the challenge

The moderator should explain the state of the problem in detail clearly expressing all applicable factors such as recent developments in the industry, the consumer mindset, etc. This can be a dialog in which the moderator opens the floor for comments and questions to gauge how informed the group is on the topic. The brainstorming session, in large part, hangs on the success of how well the problem is framed at this point.

Example:Company X needs a mascot to represent the agency. What mascot (animal, plant, symbol or person) best describes company X to the world?

After the problem has been explained, the moderator open the room for Q&A and then re-state the problem once again to ensure everybody is on the same track.

the exercises - part I

idea evolution

This exercise will allow us to gather individual ideas from each one of the participants during the first section. The main objective here is to explore several paths by seeing how these ideas can evolve from one person to the other

Participants are given an index card and instructed to write a one- sentence solution to the problem. The card is then passed to the participants right and that person adds another sentence that builds on the original idea. This continues until each participant has his or her original card. Each participant reads his or her card aloud, moderator records the results

Example:�� Miguel writes, “Company Xs mascot should be a dog.”� Sara writes under that, “Company X is aggressive, it should be a wolf.”� Lorena then adds, “Company X is a leader in its field, it should be the leader of the pack.”

idea congress

Through this exercise we will be able to expand the ideas that were gathered during the first exercise by exploring a more interactive approach. We will put all minds to work together in groups of two and start narrowing down all these ideas into a few potential directions

The moderator divides the group in two and randomly assigns an idea from exercise 1 to each person. Each member of the group is charged with presenting the given idea to his or her group. After each person or team presents an idea, the rest of the team takes on the role of Devils Advocate, questioning the logic behind and strength of the idea. The presenter must defend the idea. After all ideas have been presented, the group votes for which they believe to be best. If none of the individual ideas are suitable, the group may combine ideas or create an all new solution. The groups then present their findings to one another.

Example:� Group one: ‘Company Xs mascot should be the lead wolf in a pack.’� opposition: ‘Wolves are evil and savage, Company X is good and sophisticated.’ Group two: ‘Company X’s mascot should be a bulls eye with an arrow in it.’� opposition: ‘Thats unoriginal.’

� Conclusion: ‘Neither are descriptive of Company X, a lion would be better; brave, noble and the king of the jungle’


idea generation section

in this second section, we start by sharing the two main ideas that came out of the first section. Then, a series of exercises are applied looking for as many tactical solutions as possible




10 MINUTES TOPRESENT THE IDEAS

40 MINUTES TO BRAINSTORM

- Word Generation-Word Relation-Idea Imagery

-Word Bank Writing-Idea Storyboard-Dictionary Search-Brand Debate,

-Brand Anthropomorphism…

presenting the ideas

During the introduction, first, the moderator re-states the original challenge and then proceeds to present the main ideas or solutions obtain from session 1. Then, once again the moderator offers the opportunity for questions, discussion and clarification of the challenge to the participants. Finally, the challenge and the possible solutions are re-stated once again and immediately proceed to begin with the exercises.

Example:

� How can Company X best implement the introduction of the Lion as our mascot?

the exercises - part II

section II exercises

Because the nature of the topics will vary, there is a looser structure for session 2. The following are a number of exercises that can be selected for the session at the moderator and key account players’ discretion. Any of these exercises can be modified by the moderator to fit the needs of the session. Two to three exercises are suggested in any combination that fits a 40 minute timeframe:

� 1. Independent word generation� 2. Word relation generation � 3. Idea Imagery � 4. Word bank writing � 5. Idea Storyboard� 6. Dictionary Search � 7. Brand debate � 8. Brand Anthropomorphism � 9. Current event inspiration � 10. Brand mapping � 11. Time travel

independent word generation

The moderator presents a word central to the focus of the brainstorming session. The group is told to write as many words as possible that relate to this word in 2 minutes. The winner is the person who has generated the most words. After two minutes, the words are counted and the winner is revealed. The group is then told to spend another 2 minutes writing as many words possible that relate to the given word. At the end, words are counted and another winner is revealed. Each person is then told to select their favorite 2 words from the last round and to present them to the group, explaining their relationship to the given word.

Example:Moderator to group: ‘Come up with as many names as possible for the Company lion.’Sara wins the first round with 105 names.Jose wins the second round with 112 names.Sara’s favorite names are ‘Lenny and Leonardo’Jose’s favorite names are ‘Lucy and Lucky’

word relation generation

The moderator presents a word that is central to the idea being brainstormed to the group. The groups is told to create relationships for this word in the same format as exercise 1; generate as many as possible in two rounds then present the best two and explain them to the group.

In this exercise, the sentence structure is:

� (given word) is/was/are/were like (participant-supplied word)

Example:

Miguel wins the first round with 81 relationships.Martin wins the second round with 73 relationships.One of Miguel’s favorites is ‘Company X is like the Grand Canyon’ defined yet ever-changing.One of Jose’s favorite’s ‘Company X was like a baby alligator.’ Cute at first but born to kill.

idea imagery

The moderator breaks the group into three teams, giving each team a large piece of paper and a box of Crayons. Each team has 30 minutes to express a solution or solutions to the problem using only images, no letters or numbers. Cultural symbolism and metaphorical imagery are admissible. After 30 minutes, each team presents their drawing and explains it. After all drawings are presented, the successful aspects of each are discussed. The main themes of each drawing are recorded.

Example:

One group draws images of shields and swords, in reference to Richard the Lionhearted of England, known for his justice and wisdom.

The other group draws images of Africa and the veldt, conjuring up ideas of the lion’s supremacy in the wild, how he is feared and respected by all.

word bank writing

The moderator writes out 5 words on a board that relate directly to the topic of the brainstorming session. The participants in the session are to write a story in 3 minutes using those words, but not in reference to the subject of brainstorming exercise.

Example:

Wordbank: ocean, pizza, space ship, dragon, dirty dishes

Story:I planned to take my kids to the ocean today, but they were abducted by a space ship full of dragons so I stayed home, ate pizza and washed the dirty dishes.

idea storyboard

The moderator will provide the group with 100 images printed on cards from a site like gettyimages or flickr or just cut out of magazines and glued onto cards. Each person is expected to search through the stack and find 5 to 7 images that he can use to create an execution to solve a communications problem or to simply convey a brand idea.

Example:

My girlfriend was in the garden, tending to her flowers. I brought her a Corona, turned my back and BAM! She stabbed me in the head!

Lesson learned: Girls like Dos Equis.

dictionary search

Each participant is given a dictionary. In 20 minutes, participants will select 10 words at random from the book. Using the definition to understand the correct meaning of the word, the participant should write a sentence about the product or brand for each word.

Example:tortuous \TOR-choo-us\, adjective:1. Marked by repeated turns and bends; as, "a tortuous road up the mountain."2. Not straightforward; devious; as, "his tortuous reasoning."3. Highly involved or intricate; as, "tortuous legal procedures."

Sentence: ‘Though attempting to change consumer behavior can be a long and tortuous process, Company X succeeds every time.’

brand debate

Participants are split into groups of three. One participant takes the affirmative position, and other takes the negative position and a third is the judge. In 3 minutes rounds, the affirmative presents the good points and merits of the brand or product, the negative presents the down-side of the brand or product, the affirmative then rebuffs the negative’s argument and the negative then closes in response to the affirmative’s attack. The judge decides who own the debate and presents the results to the larger group.

Example:Affirmative : Company X is a respected, dynamic and growing company.Negative : Company X is growing very fast and is in danger of losing its small-company charm.Rebuff : Company X has been capable so far of keeping it’s magic as it grows, why would that change now?Negative : You never know.Judge: Clearly Affirmative has won.

brand anthropomorphism

Participants In groups of two, participants do a character sketch of the brand or product, giving it as many human attributes as possible. Things like gender (or androgyny), hometown, personality, strengths, fears, intellect, posture, role within their social network (among other brands) --- all of these should be explored to flesh out the brand or product. At the end of 15 minutes, each group presents and vivid description of their anthropomorphized brand or product to the group, adding a drawing or skit if that helps

Example:Dos Equis is the life of the party, he’s got a huge circle of friends that parties at the beach all day during the weekend. Dos Equis loves to laugh, play sports and get all his friends together for good times outdoors or back at his house.

current event inspiration

A pile of current news papers, and magazines ranging from sports, to gossip to politics, are placed in the center of the group. Each person is expected to find two things from these publications and use them to tell a story about the brand or product. The participants may use anything in these publications; stories, ads, weather reports, graphs and charts, unconventional/under-used space in the publication -- anything to tell a story about the brand or product. The publications are up for grab and can be shared. The stories are then presented.

brand mapping

Participants are asked to create and map out the ‘neighborhood’ their brand or product lives in. Who are the next-door neighbors? Are the complimentary brands and products or members of the competitive-set? Who lives down the street? What is the neighborhood like? Nice, run-down, emerging, gentrified? What role does the brand play in the neighborhood? How does the brand’s neighbor’s perceive him? Helpful? Haughty? Party-animal? Private?

Example:

Dos Equis is the laidback house on the block. The driveway is usually full of cars, they get noise complaints because the music is too loud and there are always way too many friends and family over having a good time. Some of Dos Equis’ neighors are annoyed by the noise and constant flow of people in and out of the house, but the younger neighbors love having Dos Equis nearby because they know they are always welcome to come over for a good time.

time travel

Participants are put into groups of three and asked to describe the brand or product through time. If this brand or product was around 100 years ago, how was it used? What did it look like? Who used it? How? If it did not exist, who was used instead? Looking toward the future, what will this product look like in 10 years? In 20 years? Who will use it, how, where and for what?

thank you!

www.accidentalthinking.com

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Practical Guide to Brainstorming