Brainstorming: what it is, functions and how to do it

Brainstorming

Brainstorming, which is brainstorming in Spanish, It is one of the best known techniques and that you will surely have used on some occasion. But do you really know everything that this implies?

This methodology helps you to generate ideas, but to achieve it and make it work 100%, you need to know how it is developed, the keys and other aspects that you must take into account. Go for it?

Brainstorming: what is this technique

brainstorming

As we have told you before, brainstorming, also known as brainstorming, is a technique used to generate ideas. The goal is to find as many of them as possible., although later you have to analyze each one to see if it is feasible with the problem at hand.

For example, you could brainstorm names for a brand. In this way ideas are given and then analyzed to finally stay with the most representative or the one that most likes and fits what is sought.

Usually, the brainstorming is practiced in a group since this way it is possible to have more creativity when it comes to giving solutions or ideas to what has been proposed. However, that does not mean that it cannot be used individually, you also get very good results with it.

One of the keys to this brainstorming is that nothing can be censored. That is, however silly, easy or unimportant it may seem, it must be among all ideas. They are not filtered at that first moment, they are only asked to launch ideas because, later on, they will be studied.

The first person to formulate this technique was Alex F. Osborn, an American author who, in 1939, coined the term. yesCharles Hutchison Clark was the one who developed the technique and today is the one to whom we owe it.

What is brainstorming used for?

Guys brainstorming

Having seen the above, you may have noticed thate the goal of brainstorming is to provide a large number of ideas, without thinking about whether or not they are feasible for the problem in mind. This allows people to be creative and not self-censor; but also that a group culture be promoted because everyone contributes something.

Although it is a technique that is used above all in work and university settings, it does not mean that it cannot be used at a particular and individual level or in other areas.

In fact one can be a good dynamic in classes, workshops, etc.

The laws of brainstorming

People brainstorming

Something that not many people know is that brainstorming requires four rules to comply with. These are:

Prioritize quantity over quality

In other words, it is more important to have as many ideas as possible than the quality of these. Although the objective is to find the perfect solution to the problem at hand, the truth is that for this to happen beforehand, it is necessary to come up with as many ideas as possible, because sometimes the combination of several gives the perfect solution.

Many times we tend not to say anything for fear that the idea is bad, but in this brainstorming is based on "no idea is bad".

Ideas are not criticized.

Based on the last thing we have said before, no idea is bad, and this implies that no one in the group should criticize, comment, discuss or make fun of the ideas of other colleagues. In fact, it is important that this is respected during the whole time that the brainstorming is carried out, and if not, stop it since that creativity could be violated.

All ideas are recorded

You have to put aside your subjectivity. All the ideas that come out of the brainstorming technique have to be collected, no matter how much you may think they are useful or not. One of the big mistakes when it comes to carrying it out is that the "director" of this technique, when he registers the idea, gives his opinion. This reduces the desire of others to contribute, even the same one who has done it, because he feels censored or that his ideas are useless.

The ideas of some give ideas to others

Many times, especially at the beginning, it is difficult to start and give ideas, for fear of censorship, laughter, etc. But as the meeting progresses, it is possible that these flow to the point that some ideas give rise to others from other people and thus the best solution is built.

Keys to brainstorming

If after everything you have seen it seems like a good idea to apply it in your business, in your family or in your work, the first thing you should know is how to carry it out. We start from the fact that it is very simple and easy to plan and execute. But for it to work out there are several aspects to take into account.

One of the main is to choose the person who will be the leader and will register each and every one of the ideas without making faces, comments, discussions... It must be as objective as possible and, if possible, have a "poker face".

This person will be in charge of preparing the session. In particular, you will need to take into account:

  • The number of participants who will intervene.
  • The type of participants (gender, nationality, experience…). Sometimes some can feel intimidated by others, so if you manage to form a well-cohesive group, it will work better.
  • The place where it will take place, in order to make everyone feel comfortable.

Once everything is established and the participants are appointed, before starting the leader must remember the reason why they are there and the rules that must govern during the timeor (which is normally 30 minutes). After that brainstorming time, at least an hour is spent discussing each of the ideas, discarding those that are not useful at that time and choosing the winner.

During the 30 minutes, the function of the leader is to write down each and every one of the ideas that are given on a whiteboard or on the computer, without censoring any or thinking that it is better or worse than another. You just have to write down what they tell you.

Now that you know what brainstorming is, do you remember a time when you participated in a brainstorming session?


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