Is your group stumped for new ideas? Do you do the same activities the same old way year after year? Do the leaders and maybe just a few others seem to do all the talking? Brainstorming may be just the technique to rejuvenate your organization and get everyone excited and involved.
Brainstorming is a way to stimulate creative thinking. It is the free expression of ideas on a given subject without the evaluation of the ideas by the group. The purpose is to get out as many ideas as possible - the more you have to choose from, the better your final choice will be! You can use brainstorming for almost anything - program and fundraising ideas, themes, slogans, publicity, group goals, and problem-solving.
Set the stage:
- Set a time limit - 10 to 20 minutes, depending upon the size of your group and the complexity of the issue.
- The best group size is 3 - 12 people. If you have more, break into two or more groups and brainstorm simultaneously.
- The question or issue must be one to which all participants can speak. The question should be brief, stimulating, and the reason for the question should be made clear to the group. The group leader should provide all pertinent background information as well as information regarding how the ideas will be used.
- Record all responses on a blackboard or big sheets of newsprint so everyone can see them; don't record the name of the person suggesting.
- Record only key words and phrases - not word for word.
- Record as quickly as possible. Hesitation in recording the idea sometimes gives the impression of disapproval. Usually the session begins with an initial spurt of ideas and then slows down. At this point, a new flow of ideas may be stimulated if the group remains silent for several minutes and thinks about the problem and the ideas previously suggested.
Clearly explain (possibly post the following rules):
- Do not discuss ideas.
- Don't criticize, praise or judge. No evaluation of ideas is permitted by the group during the "brainstorming." This includes both verbal evaluation and non-verbal expression of approval or disapproval.
- Be spontaneous - no hand-raising, just call out.
- Repetitions are OK.
- The quantity of ideas is the main goal -- quality ideas will normally follow.
- This is called "freewheeling." Build a long list of suggestions in a given time frame.
- Build on each other's ideas - "hitch-hiking" or "piggy-backing" is encouraged.
- Enjoy the silences - often the best ideas come out of them.
- Welcome any ideas -- no matter how wild or absurd.
- A recorder should write the ideas down.
Make good use of your members' creativity:
- After all the ideas have been given, the group can discuss and evaluate ideas and select the best ones as a group. Try to combine and improve ideas.
- If several groups brainstormed the same idea, put the lists on the wall and let everyone read each other's work.
- Group ideas into related categories for review.
- Decide which ideas are most promising and which can be eliminated; can be done by group putting pluses and minuses by items.
- Rank-order the most promising.
- Select those with the greatest potential and high-ranking priority for either implementation or refinement by committee.
Be sure to utilize the ideas generated. It's extremely demoralizing for a group to invest its time, energy and creativity and have its ideas disappear. On the other hand, seeing your idea come to fruition is extremely rewarding.
Unless you have participated in a well-run brainstorming session, you may find it hard to believe that this is a creative technique. Almost everyone who does participate is surprised at how freely ideas flow, how people get out of the rut of traditional thinking, and how many ideas are produced in a short time.
Of course, you can expect that only 5 to 10 percent of the ideas that come from a brainstorming session will be practical; new ideas are hard to come by. But in spite of all the "fluff," the many good ideas are well worth the short time it takes to produce them.
One of the main reasons brainstorming works is the permissive atmosphere of the session: you can present any idea without fear of being told that you can't think straight, that you are way off base, that you aren't practical. Each person in the group is assured that his ideas will be listened to with respect.
This suspension of judgment, with the emphasis on wild ideas, helps people to get out of a rut. Giving your imagination a free hand (even a push) will help you go beyond the common, traditional solutions that frequently inhibit creative thinking. |
