Brainstorming Techniques

Sometimes during a brainstorming session, the group starts to run down. When the group runs down, the ideas stop flowing. Brainstorming activities can be used to clear the mind and start the idea process flowing again.

One of the brainstorming activities used quite frequently is called "Night and Day". You give the participants a set of words and ask them to write the several words that are opposite of that word. For example, the word "night" would be the opposite of "day, sun, awake". Give the participants approximately 15 minutes to complete this activity. This is used to get the mind flowing in the right direction.

Brainstorming activities such as "What Can You See", is where you show the group 3 different shapes in three different colors and ask them to write down what they see. For example, show the group a red square, blue circle and yellow triangle. It's interesting the different answers you will get, such as a triangle that looks like a road hazard sign. This tells you the creative juices are starting to flow for that participant. Instead of saying a yellow triangle, the participant got creative. This lets you see exactly where the groups mind set is and what it may take to get the ideas flowing.

Use brainstorming activities such as "Whose Line Is It Anyway". No, not the TV show, but an activity that is similar to it. Bring a few props into the room and put them in the center for the group to focus on. For example, a belt, post it notes and a paper clip. Ask each participant what each one could be used for. You may get a participant that has their creativity in gear and say the belt is a head band for a martial arts instructor.

These three brainstorming activities are just an example of several activities you can create to get the brainstorming session off to a good start. Some people are very creative, but their day to day life does not give them the opportunity to use it. Most office workers do not get the chance to suggest ideas as to how to improve a product or service offered by their company. That job is usually left to the marketing departments.

The best brainstorming session can come from people who have never had the opportunity to open up their creative flow and have them participate in a brainstorming session. By using people like this, it can create a bond between the participants since the whole brainstorming idea is a new concept to all of them. Use these brainstorming activities to get the creative juices flowing then present the problem to be solved; or, you could get your own creative juices flowing by inventing new brainstorming activities. If you would use new and different people for each brainstorming session, you would have a continual flow of unique ideas to solve a problem. Each session would be a unique experience both to the facilitator and the group.