Checklist_Conducting a Brainstorming

8:58 AM Posted by Blony

. Creative thinking requires tools such as the brainstorm and the affinity diagram. Brainstorming is simply listing all ideas put forth by a group in response to a given problem or question. In 1939, a team led by advertising executive Alex Osborn coined the term "brainstorm." According to Osborn, "Brainstorm means using the brain to storm a creative problem and to do so" in commando fashion, each brainstormer audaciously attacking the same objective." Creativity is encouraged by not allowing ideas to be evaluated or discussed until everyone has run dry. Any and all ideas are considered legitimate and often the most far-fetched are the most fertile. Structured brainstorming produces numerous creative ideas about any given "central question". Done right, it taps the human brain's capacity for lateral thinking and free association.

A brainstorm starts with a clear question, and ends with a raw list of ideas. That's what it does well - give you a raw list of ideas. Some will be good, and some won't. But, if you try to analyze ideas in the brainstorming session, you will ruin the session. Wait. Later, you can analyze the results of a brainstorm with other quality improvement tools. In particular, affinity diagramming is designed to sort a raw list, using "gut feel" to begin to categorize the raw ideas. It is most often the next step beyond brainstorming.

Before beginning any effective brainstorming session, ground rules must be set. This doesn't mean that boundaries are set so tightly that you can't have fun or be creative. It does mean that a code of conduct for person to person interactions has been set. It's when this code of conduct is breached that people stop being creative.

The best way to have meaningful ground rules is to have the team create their own. Try performing a mini-brainstorming session around creating brainstorming ground rules. It should provide a nice opportunity to practice the skills necessary for an effective brainstorming session. This also allows the team to take ownership of acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. Only if the team hasn't addressed the key ground rules should you (as the facilitator) add to the list. Once the ground rules list is generated, be sure to gain consensus that the session will be conducted according to them, and post them in a highly visible location in the room.

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