I love a good brainstorm. Whether it is gathering in a room with your peers or just plonking yourself down at a desk with a massive sketch pad and a bunch of crazy ideas.
The definition is simple. It is a creative thinking technique for coming up with new ideas and solving problems. This ideation method is great for encouraging new ways of thinking and to collectively generate solutions.
Brainstorming didn’t just happen overnight. Advertising executive Alex Osborn first coined the term in 1941 when he found that traditional business meetings weren’t the ideal setting to share new ideas. He wanted a way to give people the freedom to think outside of the box without fear of criticism.
There is something to be said for the power of brainstorming. I have successfully used it many times for myself and for clients to help figure out all manner of things including:
- Great offers
- Lead magnet ideas
- Catchy headlines
- USP’s
- Tiles of newsletters
- Client ideas
- Campaign ideas
- Problem-solving
Brainstorming helps you unleash your creativity and sometimes the best ideas come from things that are left field or seem crazy at first.
Brainstorming Rules
- Set a time limit– Depending on the problem’s complexity but anything from 15–60 minutes is a good length of time.
- Focus on quantity – when it comes to brainstorming “quantity beats quality.” The more ideas, the better. Try to come up with as many ideas as possible. This method will give you more options to choose from and can inspire others to think of new ideas.
- Begin with a target problem/brief– Members should approach this sharply defined question, plan, or goal and stay on topic.
- Withhold criticism – Negativity has no place in a brainstorming session. Removing criticism allows people to not be scared of sharing thoughts and ideas without fear of judgment.
- Make it visual – Diagrams and Post-Its help bring ideas to life and help others see things in different ways.
- Encourage and welcome unusual ideas – Encourage every idea to be expressed, no matter how bizarre. Unique, unusual, and even eccentric ideas, while not always feasible, can spark innovative solutions that you haven’t thought of previously.
- Combine and improve ideas – Build on ideas. Combine concepts to create new solutions. Evaluate each idea to determine which are feasible, innovative, and best suited to accomplish your goal. Piggyback on those ideas, suggest improvements or similar alternatives.
So next time you are stuck and need an idea to help you get ‘unstuck’ think about how you can brainstorm to come up with a solution. You never know that one crazy idea might spark a whole new product line, a sales-boosting campaign, or a popular lead generator….. just let loose and have some fun.
