Calculation, luck, perseverance and patience in business are great. These are important qualities, but without a decent idea they work in vain. The ability to find a unique way out of a difficult situation distinguishes a good businessman from just an entrepreneur. It’s not for nothing that Jobs said that when he didn’t have enough money, he sat down to think, rather than run to earn money.
One of the popular ways to come up with a brilliant idea is brainstorming. But many companies turn a unique gimmick into a haphazard dump, so let's figure out how to properly brainstorm and get that brilliant idea.
What is brainstorming?
Brainstorming is the process of finding a solution to a specific problem, in which any thoughts and ideas are taken into account - from adequate to crazy. Some of them are further transformed into new solutions. The main task of the method is to go beyond the boundaries of habitual thinking.
Why do you need brainstorming? The structured and approved decision-making process in a company often plays a cruel joke when new ideas are automatically driven into the established framework and the result is mortal boredom. Brainstorming helps to mix the experiences of different team members and add color to the idea generation process.
A little history
One of the first to pay attention to such “collective” problems as self-doubt and fear of the opinions of others was Alex Osborne. Back in the 30s, he began, quite successfully, to practice the brainstorming method in his advertising agency.
What’s also interesting is that it was Osborne who changed the established opinion that not only quality is important, but it makes sense to take quantity into account. After all, the more attempts, the greater the likelihood of hitting the bull’s eye, which means that you are closer to achieving your intended goals.
According to Alex’s method, it doesn’t matter at all what quality these “attempts” will be. The main thing is their quantity! Surprised? But what can I say, this is the basic, and most importantly effective core on which the entire brainstorming system is built, with all its additional aspects.
How to choose the right idea?
After brainstorming, there are still a ton of ideas that need to be organized and sorted. If it is clearly difficult to implement the plan, cross it out; if you do not have enough resources (and no real sources), cross it out; if no one is interested, cross it out. There are a number of questions you can ask yourself:
- How quickly can this be accomplished?
- How big is the payoff?
- Is it easy to do?
- Is it cheap?
- Risky?
- What does your fifth point... sixth sense tell you?
Alternatively, you can use a modified SWOT matrix to evaluate ideas. To do this, you need to write down all the solutions received in a list, number it and consider each one separately.
To narrow down the circle of “suspects,” you can ask each participant to choose the TOP 5 ideas.
It is important that the lists are anonymous - at this stage groupthink will only cause harm. mozgovoy-shturm-7-pravil-19-tekhnik-i-10-chastykh-oshibok
"Brainstorm". article on technology (grade 10) on the topic
Possible order of brainstorming in a group. 1. Divide the children into two groups. One group is the “idea generators,” the other group is the “insightful analysts,” or “experts.” 2. Explain to the children the rules of the game, talk about the responsibilities of both groups. Emphasize that you can express any ideas, the wildest and most fantastic, no one will laugh. Everyone should come up with at least one idea, the more the better. For all ideas, you can give out chips of different colors. 3. Give both groups a task. 4. Ask the “generators” to express their decisions, and the “analysts” to listen carefully, remember or write down all ideas, but remain silent! If there is a hubbub at the “generators”, then this is normal, even good. Children need to express their emotions along with their ideas. The time for “yelling” must be steadily reduced; after a few days, children will learn to “yell” in turns, and then speak normally in turns. A very good technique for calming a noisy class was suggested by I. Vikentyev. You need to agree in advance with the group that everyone will fall silent when the teacher loudly claps his hands and stretches his arms forward. Over the course of several days, you need to train the children to say: “Make noise! And when I clap my hands, shut up at that very moment.” You should not do more than three repetitions of a command in one exercise - children may not calm down, they will just like to make noise. 5. All children’s ideas must be managed to be written down on the board or remembered. A tape recorder is appropriate. 6. When ideas run out, you need to give the floor to the “analysts”. Let them evaluate each solution in a friendly manner and select the best few, as well as offer their own solutions. Be sure to provide each child with the opportunity to defend his decision and find the optimal area or conditions of application. This is a very important point - you develop the ability to defend your opinion or agree with stronger arguments. Praise all children, mark the most active and witty. 7. Next time, switch the children's roles. The best “generators” and “analysts” will soon be revealed. 8. Generally speaking, it is not necessary to divide the children into two groups; both operations can be performed by the same children, but only the operations must be spaced out in time. 9. An excellent incentive for activity is to immerse children in a situation where they need to save someone, help someone, advise someone. Only this “someone” must be a “good person”. “Let's help the chick, Little Red Riding Hood, Alyonushka...” Teach children to ask themselves questions: which parts are involved in the task? What properties do these parts have that can help solve the problem? For example, the task: you need to quickly (!) cool a glass of boiling water. What should I do? You need to find 10 solutions. Start with the question: - What is in the problem statement? A glass, boiling water, you, the kitchen and everything that is in the kitchen is a resource for solving a problem. We use the following techniques: mediator + physical effect (transition of heat from a hot to a cold body). Solutions: 1. Add cold water, tea leaves or milk. 2. Pour into a saucer, into a soup plate, into a massive bowl. 3. Pour from glass to glass many times, keeping them at a great distance from each other. 4. Add a lot of jam or sugar. 5. Pour through a funnel. 6. Immerse cold spoons. 7. Place in the freezer, in a pan of cold water, in the snow... It happens that children unanimously repeat a previously expressed idea without offering their own. Don’t aggravate the situation, ask: “What do you have to offer?” Repeat the question to the child in person. Sometimes children are silent. Nobody has a single idea. Ask leading questions, turn to the smartest or most lively child. Shake them up. If the generation process could not be established, it means that the proposed topic did not inspire the children, they are bored or are afraid to take part in the discussion. Brainstorming Topics for Kids First, we will present “classic” questions for brainstorming, and at the end of the section we will present problems and their solutions. — How to deliver Robinson’s heavy pirogue to the sea? — How to measure the length of all poisonous snakes in a terrarium? — How to protect pedestrians from icicles falling from roofs? — How to protect the pool from which drinking water is supplied to the city from swimmers? — How to warm people on the streets in severe frost? - How not to quarrel with your mother? — How to save a dog floating on an ice floe on a river during an ice storm? — What would you suggest doing that is uncontrollably fun? — How to save birds in the harsh winter without food? — What can you use to draw on the asphalt? — You need to stir sugar in a glass of hot tea, there is no spoon. What to do? — What will happen if elephants increase to the size of a blue whale? (The height of elephants reaches 4.5 m, and their weight is 5 tons, the length of whales reaches 30 m, and their weight is more than 100 tons.) - What will happen if the length of the legs of hares increases tenfold? — Imagine a house of the future. (Formulate the functions of the house, improve them, reverse them, formulate human needs, let the house satisfy them...) - What will happen if you destroy all the wolves? — What will happen in the lakes if all the pikes are destroyed? — Come up with an insect with unusual properties. — How to make a multi-colored piece of ice? — How can the hero of a fairy tale be saved? What should he do? — How can a hen save her chickens from a kite? — How can you greet a person? — How can astronauts secure small objects flying around the cabin (pens, a comb, a notepad...): with a magnet, Velcro, a paper clip, a spring clamp, a pin... What methods will not work? — Australian Aborigines catch turtles when they crawl ashore. They are simply turned over on their backs and become completely helpless. How can I help them? — The number of people on Earth is rapidly increasing. The time will come when there will not be enough food, water, fuel, space. What to do? — The leader of the tribe needs to determine who is more numerous: men or women? He can only count up to 10, but there are more than 100 people in the tribe. — How to get into a room without opening the doors? — How to get an icicle from the roof? — How to decorate a classroom for the New Year? — What can you put in a cake to make it delicious? - Where in the room can you hide a doll? -Where did I hide the candy? — How to ensure 100% school attendance? — What qualities of birds would you like to have? — How to find the smartest person in the kingdom? - How is a mosquito useful and how is it harmful? Tasks: 1. The family is going on vacation for a month. It is necessary to water indoor plants. What should I do? 2. How can you tell time if there is no clock? 3. What needs to be done to ensure that your Barbie doll never gets lost? 4. It is necessary to clean the inside of the winding pipe. What should I do? 5. Come up with a new, unprecedented natural phenomenon. How to help yourself fantasize? Answers: 1. It is clear that some preliminary action needs to be taken. It is better to use different techniques together. Ask neighbors to come water; place the pots in a basin of water; fill the bottles with water, turn them over and stick them in the ground; bury a wick (a string of cotton wool) in the ground of a flower pot, and place the other end in a jar of water; take flowers to neighbors; cover the plants with glass jars or plastic bags; give away flowers. 2. The appropriate response depends on the specific circumstances. Make a phone call; turn on the radio and wait for the exact time to be announced; go outside and ask a passerby; can be approximately determined by the position of the sun or moon; at the first roosters; by the number of passers-by on the street; by feeling of hunger; by color; according to the position of the sunflower “plate”; based on the dog’s behavior (does it want to go for a walk)… 3. Do not take the doll out of the house; tie to the dress; always play in one place; always put it in the same place; don't let anyone play; install an automatic squeaker into the doll, which beeps every half hour. 4. We use, for example, the “mediator” technique: rinse with water and sand; blow with a vacuum cleaner; drive the cat away inside the pipe; ignite over a fire, and then pierce and clean; clean with a rotating flexible cable. 5. Hint: name what natural phenomena you know. Wind, rain, snow, landslides, thunderstorms, eclipses, northern lights... Make them unusual: strengthen them, turn them over, swap them... For example: rain of candy and toys... Rapid movement of continents... Source: Yu.G. Tamberg “Development of creative thinking in children”Generation of ideas
When implementing the second, main stage, it is recommended to follow the following rules:
- you need to express the maximum number of ideas, without any restrictions;
- accept even fantastic, absurd and non-standard ideas;
- ideas can and should be combined and improved;
- There should be no criticism or evaluative judgments.
Only an experienced leader and a close-knit team can make the process of generating new ideas fun. First, idea generators turn on and easily come up with new things. Following them are the less creative team members. The task of the facilitator is to organize the work in such a way that no one is left behind. If the leader sees that someone is shirking the collective discussion, then he must create conditions for the “silent” person to open up.
It is important that the team sketch out as many ideas as possible. For example, 100 ideas for a team of 5–7 people is more than normal. Even though most people, even after careful efforts by the facilitator and the strain of all their brains, cannot come up with more than a couple of ideas. Yes, and those from the “all this-has-already-happened” category. This is neither good nor bad - people have different ways of thinking and different abilities.
If nothing sensible comes to mind, TRIZ, the Six Hats method, Mental Maps, Graham Wallace theory, SCAMPER, Post-Up and others will come to the rescue.
The Post-Up technique is better suited for team brainstorming, while Mind Mapping is better suited for individual brainstorming.
Statement of the problem, selection of participants and distribution of roles
For brainstorming to be effective, you need to pay maximum attention to the first, preliminary stage. First, clearly formulate the problem that needs to be solved. Do this in advance so that brainstorming participants have time to “get involved” in the topic of discussion. A clear formulation of the problem, as well as how equally all brainstorming participants understand it, will ensure 50% of the success of the event.
Try this way of formulating the topic of the assault: the team needs to decide which method of obtaining the desired result is most effective under the circumstances and within the available time constraints.
Next you need to select participants. Representatives of all interested parties should take part in the brainstorming session, i.e. all employees who can influence the solution of the problem and those who will be influenced by the developed solution. Among the invitees there should be people who will play the following roles well: idea generator, implementer, controller, presenter, motivator, analyst, harmonizer and prospector (team roles according to R. Belbin). If it is impossible to select employees for all roles, ensure that the team includes at least: an idea generator, a controller, a leader, and a motivator.
Selection, systematization and evaluation of ideas
For some reason, the final stage is often overlooked. But only on it can one highlight truly effective, breakthrough ideas and bring brainstorming to a common denominator. Unlike the second stage, evaluation and criticism are welcome. The success of the third stage depends on the consistency of the participants’ work and the general focus on a real search for a solution.
The implementer, prospector, controller and analyst come to the fore. They evaluate the ideas expressed for the possibility of their implementation, effectiveness, analyze the risks, study and propose possible ways to implement the ideas. The harmonizer and motivator ensure the work of all team members, using their knowledge and motivation skills aimed at activating the best qualities of all team members. Properly organized work and the active participation of all team members will not only allow you to find a solution with which all team members will agree, but and ensure its effective implementation.
Reference
How to use Post-Up?
Step one: Define the problem and make sure it is clear to everyone involved.
Step two: prepare the board and paper sticky notes. Distribute sticky notes (Post-it) to participants.
Step three: write down ideas. One sticker – one idea, no more.
Step four: post ideas. Each person puts their own sticky note on the board and reads what they wrote out loud. If a team member has a new idea after listening to other suggestions, he writes it on a sticky note and posts it on the board.
Step Five: Shuffle and Explore. Shuffle many ideas on the board as you like, combining even those that seem incompatible. As a result, new and completely unexpected ideas may appear.
more details
Types of brainstorming
Individual brainstorming
All roles—generator, secretary, presenter, idea evaluator—are taken on by one person. Recording on paper, computer, voice recorder. Evaluation of ideas has been postponed.
Creative techniques for a lone stormtrooper: While reading the text, pick out random words. Does the meaning of a random word lead to a new idea? Any text will do, even a phone book, but it’s better if it’s lexically rich.
Apply the meaning of the word to the environment surrounding the advertised object. What's changing? What can be learned from this to solve the problem?
Physically place the word in a problem situation.
Perform the above operations with images by looking at magazines or stock photos on the Internet.
Write down the facts and processes associated with the advertised object. What would the opposing facts and processes look like? What does this give?
How were similar problems solved in other areas and situations? Is it possible to extract anything useful from analogues, however approximate, from other times and places?
Reverse brainstorming
Its purpose is to identify as much as possible the shortcomings of the advertised object. Generators in brainstorming mode make a list of existing or potential defects, limitations, contradictions of an object or idea. The negative aspects of an object or idea are aggravated to the extreme. After such rigorous testing, a search begins for ways to eliminate shortcomings.
Double brainstorming
Introduction to the critique of ideas. Stages: direct (classical) brainstorming, discussion, continuing to put forward ideas.
Brainstorming and evaluating ideas
Combining dual, individual and reverse methods. The phases of “dreamer” and “realist” alternate flexibly many times. Used to solve urgent problems. High requirements for participants: qualifications, composure, ability to use brainstorming techniques.
Stages: Idea generation
Familiarization of all participants with variants of ideas and comments, independent assessment of variants
Selecting several (3-5) best options, indicating their advantages and disadvantages
Discussion with mini-assaults
Narrowing the list of the best options, clarifying the advantages and disadvantages
Individual presentations of the best options and their collective ranking
Disadvantages: workload, conflict. Advantage: more targeted search, reduced risk of missing a strong solution.
Brain Siege
It has been proven that even without explicit criticism, when presenting ideas, the mechanism of “hidden criticism” operates, namely: often a new proposal (which can later be considered unsuccessful) “clogs” a previously expressed good idea. To eliminate this shortcoming, a “brain siege” was proposed, in which every idea put forward must be developed to the limit. Its use increases the time spent searching for ideas, although it promises more mature results.
Method "635"
Six people come up with three ideas in five minutes. Then the sheets with their opinions are moved, for example, clockwise. Over the next five minutes, each participant must familiarize himself with all of his neighbor’s proposals and detail them. This is done until everyone has worked on all the group's ideas. In half an hour, 18 worked proposals are ready. Discussion, improvement and selection of the best options follow.
Ship's council method
Statements follow a hierarchy. The cabin boy is the first to introduce his idea, the captain is the last. Disadvantage: after your turn, you cannot express a new idea. Network brainstorming
Other names: electronic brainstorming, online brainstorming . Based on multi-user Internet services: forum, chat, blog, ICQ, Skype. “Evaluation anxiety” is eliminated because idea generators can be anonymous. You can attract extra-specialists from anywhere in the world (or engage the best minds of an advertising holding without disrupting them from their jobs). True, the exciting psychological atmosphere of joint search is lost.
