How to Brainstorm: 9 Most Popular & Effective Ways to Choose

Brainstorming is an essential part of any creative or problem-solving process. It allows individuals or teams to generate and explore multiple ideas and solutions to a particular challenge. However, coming up with ideas can sometimes be a daunting task, and it's not always easy to know where to start. That's why in this article, we will discuss the 9 most popular and effective ways to brainstorm. Whether you're trying to develop a new product, plan an event, or solve a problem, these methods will help you generate ideas and choose the best ones for your situation. So let's dive in and discover how to brainstorm like a pro!

Table of Contents

What Is the Main Purpose of Brainstorming?

How to Brainstorm? Step-by-step Guide to Follow

How to brainstorm: Basic Rules of Brainstorming

9 Effective and Most Used Ways to Brainstorm

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Brainstorming is a creative problem-solving technique that involves generating a large number of ideas within a short amount of time. The main purpose of brainstorming is to encourage free thinking and spark creativity by generating ideas without judgment or criticism. It's a collaborative process that allows individuals or teams to explore different perspectives and come up with innovative solutions to challenges. Brainstorming can be used for a wide range of purposes, from developing new products and marketing strategies to solving complex problems and planning events. The main goal of brainstorming is to generate as many ideas as possible, then refine and select the best ones for further development. The key to getting full potential is to know how to brainstorm. 

As we mentioned before, brainstorming is a popular technique for generating ideas and solutions to problems. There are two ways to brainstorm: group and individual. 

Group brainstorming is a collaborative process in which a group of people comes together to generate ideas. Group brainstorming can be effective because it allows for a diverse range of perspectives and experiences to contribute to the process. It's the best way to brainstorm.

Individual brainstorming, on the other hand, is a solo activity in which a person generates ideas on their own. This method is often used when someone needs to come up with ideas quickly or needs to think deeply about a problem. Let’s discuss how to do brainstorming.

Step 1: Prepare the group if necessary

The best way to facilitate a group brainstorming session is to inform all team members in advance and explain what brainstorming is. It is especially helpful for those who may need to become familiar with the process. Additionally, it is recommended to share the theme or main problem that will be addressed during the session so that all participants can adequately prepare.

Step 2: Create an environment more conducive to creativity

For individuals who need to focus and concentrate on brainstorming, it's important to find a quiet and distraction-free place that allows them to fully immerse themselves in the task at hand. On the other hand, when it comes to group brainstorming sessions, it's recommended to conduct them in an isolated meeting room where all participants can gather and collaborate effectively without being interrupted. 

With the advancement of technology, online collaborative tools have become increasingly popular and useful for team brainstorming sessions. One of the most effective tools for online brainstorming is MioCreate, which allows team members to collaborate and contribute ideas in real-time, regardless of their physical location.

MioCreate eliminates the need for physical meetings, saving time and resources. Team members can join the session from their own computers or mobile devices and contribute their ideas, comments, and feedback. The members will get a variety of tools, such as sticky notes, shape tools, videos, links, and more. 

Advantages of using MioCreate to brainstorm:

Step 3: Set the rules of a brainstorming session

Establishing rules for brainstorming can help create a safe and productive environment for team members to share ideas. It’s quite important,  especially for offline brainstorming sessions where team members gather in a physical space and can interact face-to-face.

Team members should avoid interrupting each other while sharing their ideas to prevent interruptions. Instead, each team member should be given ample time to express their thoughts and ideas.

The brainstorming session should focus on quantity rather than quality. This allows team members to freely generate as many ideas as possible without worrying about their feasibility or practicality. If you want to get the best results, you have to follow the basic brainstorming rules. 

If the brainstorming takes place on an online tool like MioCreate, the leader needs to create a board, invite the team members, and instruct them where to add their ideas. MioCreate also provides real-time voice meeting room when they need real-time discussion. This simplifies showing ideas and making perfect plans. 

Step 4: Organize the brainstormed ideas and come to a conclusion or solution

After the brainstorming session, the next step is to organize the ideas that have been generated and come to a conclusion or solution. This involves analyzing and evaluating the ideas to determine which ones are most feasible and likely to be successful.

1. Free yourself or your team from other things when you’re trying to brainstorm. You need plenty of time to go through the process.

2. Generate as many ideas as possible before considering or any discussion. Quantity weighs more than quality in the brainstorming process. 

3. Avoid censoring seemingly “crazy” ideas. The unusual ideas may bring you surprising results.

4. Ensure that everyone in the team participates in the brainstorming process. 

5. To keep the brainstorming process organized, focus on one topic or problem at a time.

6. Keep an open mind and avoid judging or criticizing ideas during the brainstorming process.

7. Stay focused on the goal of the brainstorming session and avoid getting sidetracked by unrelated topics or discussions.

1. Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a visual brainstorming technique that involves creating a diagram to represent ideas, concepts, and their relationships. It’s best used for organizing and grouping ideas. 

Pros: It’s easy to use and can help to reveal connections between ideas. 

Cons: Making a map that is clear and concise can be challenging.

2. 5 Whys Analysis

This method involves asking a series of “why” questions to identify the root cause of a problem. It’s best used when the cause of a problem is not immediately apparent. 

Pros: Easy to use and useful for identifying underlying problems.

Cons: It may not work for complex problems.

3. Starbursting

This technique involves generating questions about a particular topic or problem. It’s best used when you’re trying to gather information about a new topic or product. 

Pros: Potential issues or concerns can be identified.

Cons: Solutions may not be creative.

4. Gap Filling

This method involves identifying gaps in a particular process or product and brainstorming ideas to fill those gaps. It’s best used when trying to improve a process or product. 

Pros: Identifying improvement areas can be helpful. 

Cons: It might not lead to innovative ideas.

5. Brainwriting

This technique involves writing down ideas on a piece of paper and passing it around to other team members, who can add to or modify the ideas. It’s best used when you want to encourage participation from all team members. 

Pros: It can help to generate a large number of ideas quickly. 

Cons: The process can take a long time.

6. Figure Storming

This method involves using images or figures to brainstorm ideas. It’s best used when you want to stimulate creativity. 

Pros: It can help to generate unique and creative ideas. 

Cons: Not all team members will find it effective.

7. Reverse Storming

This technique involves brainstorming ways to make a problem or challenge worse. It’s best used when you want to identify potential issues or concerns before they arise.

Pros: It is possible to identify potential problems before they occur.

Cons: It may not lead to creative solutions.

8. SWOT Analysis

This method involves identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of a particular product, process, or business. It’s best used when trying to assess the viability of a particular product or business idea. 

Pros: Potential issues or concerns can be identified.

Cons: It may not lead to innovative ideas.

9. Six Thinking Hats

This technique involves looking at a problem or situation from six different perspectives, each represented by a different “hat.” It’s best used when you want to encourage different perspectives on a problem or situation. 

Pros: New approaches or solutions can be identified.

Cons: It can be time-consuming.

Conclusion

Hope you got an idea about how to brainstorm. Each brainstorming method has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the effectiveness of a particular method will depend on the problem or challenge being addressed. By experimenting with different methods, teams can find the approach that works best for them and their specific needs. For effective brainstorming, try MioCreate platform to collaborate with your members.