Brainstorming Creative Problem Solving

Method

Session objectives

• What is brainstorming?

• Why and when use it?

• How to organise and lead a successful brainstorming session?

• What mistakes are to be avoided?

• Additional creative problem solving methods

What is brainstorming

„The best way how to have a good idea is to have many ideas“

– Alex F. Osborne, 1939

• method of thinking up solutions, concepts, ideas in problem solving

• using the brain to storm new ideas in groups

• „It is easier to tone down a wild idea than to think up a new one.“

Why and When Use It

• the creative process is not always easy (problems of fear, criticism, no existing solutions yet)

• one person has a limited capacity

• people tend to judge new ideas immediately (a change is difficult for a human being)

Creative thinking require appropriate tools !

How does it work

• in a group of people

• free associations to the topic given

• relaxed and friendly atmosphere

• deferred judgements – release the human mind, lateral thinking

As many ideas as possible,

no matter how crazy they are

The key rules

1. relaxed atmosphere - completely free

2. no criticism or judgements

3. quantity matters

4. all ideas legitimate

5. all ideas put on the sheet of paper

6. evaluation only after the session

BENEFITS of brainstorming

QUICK

CHEAP

FUN

TEAM BUILDING

GREATER ACCEPTANCE

WIDER PICTURE

Why and When Use It

Specific questions:

- How can we promote our products?

- What can our company do in 5 years hence?

- What can we do to solve the problem XY?

- How can we improve co-operation of A and B?

- What do our customers really want?

- What opportunities do we have this year?

- How can we have more fun at work?

• does not rank the ideas

• cannot help you select the important ones

• does not suggest the best solutions

• must be amended by other methods

BRAINSTORMING CONSTRAINTS

Organising a session?

1. PREPARATION PHASE

2. CONDUCT THE SESSION

3. EVALUATION

1. PREPARATION PHASE

Specify the problem

What do we really want?

Select the right people

up to 10 – 12different positions

Decide when and where

place and time matters„U“ layout of the room

Invite people

make sure they have time

1. Specify the objectives – make sure that everybody is happy with the central question.

2. Decide the roles: - leader, recorder, panel.

3. Explain the rules (or make sure that everybody knows them. Eventually – a warm-up exercise for fun). You can let people to jot down a few ideas before starting.

4. Begin by going around, after some rounds, open the floor.

5. Record the ideas exactly, clarify only in the end.

6. Suspend judgements !

7. Encourage the ideas, even the most radical and far-fetched. Allow the late coming ideas, do not hurry.

8. At the end – eliminate duplicates, clarify, thank the participants.

2. CONDUCT THE SESSION

3. EVALUATION PHASE

Put the evaluation off / next day

Add newly born ideas to the list

Group similar ideas together

Select the best or most interesting suggestions

Create teams which will work on them further

Inform people about the results

Mistakes to be avoided

• people are negative in advance (it will not work anyway)

• too many brainstormings in the company

• bad atmosphere in the beginning

• bad experience with the method

• judgements occurduring the session

• any criticism and personal attacks

Additional creative problem-solving methods

INDIVIDUAL BRAINWRITING

COLOURFUL CARDS

MIND MAPS

When?- When you need to solve some problem alone, and

you do not have a group to work with

How?- A piece of paper (can be big and colourful to stimulate your thinking).

- Jot down all ideas linked with the issue.

- !! Do not judge yourself !!

- further steps as in brainstorming

INDIVIDUAL BRAINWRITING

When?

- in a group of people, sensitive topic (eg. What do we like / dislike about our managers, company?)

How?

- a set of papers / person (smaller pieces, A4/3 or 3M), colours as needed, for example yellow and green

- people individually note their opinions on the cards, one idea per card, yellow – positive, green – negative

- glue the cards on the flip chart, grouping immediately similar opinions together, negative on the left, positive on the right

- let people see and discuss the result

- brainstorming on What can we do about it? can follow

COLOURFUL CARDS

linear form

WHAT is it?

- alternative way of making notes and mapping any issue

- many well-known thinkers used some form of it(Leonardo da Vinci)

- does not use linear form of notes, but EXPLOSIVE

- using colours, pictures and symbols

WHY?

- uses natural brain processes

- stimulate thinking, fun, joyexplosive

form

* eg. Tony Buzan, The Creative Intelligence

MIND MAPS

MIND MAPS

Durban

history

culture

transport

Capital

city

restaurants

and

good food

architecture

HOW TO USE MIND MAPS

to make a daily schedule

notes of the lesson, books, articles

holiday planning

shopping list

to do list

every day, as often as possible, be creative, develop your own style with time, have fun

also in groups after brainstorming session

WHEN TO USE MIND MAPS

SUMMARY

• creativity is not born by itself• creative methods must be consciously introduced

and developed in organisations• people must be encouraged to use them, with no

fear to make mistakes, prized for new ideas• support from top management needed• good preparation and patience

Have fun and all the best !

Carl Lupke Consulting

Enquiries welcome

brainpowersolutions.lupke@gmail.com

End of Presentation