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Brainstorming is a collective creative technique proposed by American advertiser Alex Osborn in the 1940s. It aims to generate a large number of creative ideas and solutions through free thinking and mutual inspiration among team members. During the brainstorming process, participants are encouraged to freely propose any ideas, no matter how bizarre or unrealistic they are. Its core principle is to delay judgment, that is, not to criticize or evaluate any ideas at the creative stage to ensure the free flow of creativity.
A process for effective brainstorming
Brainstorming can be divided into many types according to different needs and scenarios. The following are some common types of brainstorming :
This is the most common type of brainstorming, which aims to stimulate the creativity and imagination of team members and generate as many ideas and solutions as possible. In direct brainstorming, participants can speak freely and put forward their own ideas and opinions without any restrictions or criticism. It is suitable for product innovation, advertising creativity, marketing activity planning and other fields.
In contrast to direct brainstorming, reverse brainstorming allows for criticism and questioning. The basic idea of this method is to ask questions to discover the shortcomings and deficiencies of the idea so that it can be further improved and refined.
This is a type of brainstorming that generates ideas quickly. In speed storming, participants need to come up with as many ideas as possible within a limited time (such as a few minutes), and then pass it on to the next person, who then continues to generate new ideas based on the previous person's ideas.
Use mind mapping tools to brainstorm, put the topic in the center, and then list all the ideas related to it. This method can help you clearly see the relationship between all the ideas and find new inspiration.
Mind Map Brainstorming-AI Application Direction
During the brainstorming process, participants need to free their minds, think about problems freely and speak freely. They don't have to worry about whether their ideas are "deviant" or "ridiculous", but should focus on the central issue of the meeting as much as possible and express various opinions freely. This principle is to create an open and inclusive atmosphere, encouraging participants to break through the limitations of thinking and put forward various seemingly unconventional ideas.
During a brainstorming session, it is forbidden to immediately reject or criticize any idea. The judging phase should be postponed until all ideas are recorded and considered by a dedicated person. This principle helps to keep the participants' thinking fluid and avoids suppressing creativity due to negative feedback. It encourages participants to actively propose ideas without worrying that their ideas will be immediately questioned or rejected.
Brainstorming encourages participants to come up with as many and as wide a range of ideas as possible. The core logic of this principle is to improve quality by pursuing quantity. The accumulation of a large number of ideas can increase the probability of high-quality solutions. Therefore, during the brainstorming process, participants should come up with as many ideas as possible, regardless of whether these ideas are practical or feasible.
This principle allows participants to generate new ideas based on others' ideas, and to extend or optimize them. It breaks the limitation of "creative ownership" and encourages participants to actively complement each other's intelligence and combine different ideas into more complete ones. Through collaboration, the iterative upgrade of ideas can be achieved, thus producing more innovative and practical solutions.
Brainstorming can be applied to many fields and scenarios. Here are some examples of common scenarios :
In the writing process, the author can use brainstorming to inspire inspiration and generate more writing topics and plots. Through discussion and inspiration among team members, the ideas can be broadened and the content can be enriched.
Example: Novel Writing Brainstorming
This example shows how a writer can use mind mapping to brainstorm, inspire more writing ideas, and improve the characters and story lines of the novel.
Novel Writing Brainstorming
In the fields of advertising, design, event planning , etc., brainstorming is widely used in creative planning. Through the collision of ideas and inspiration among team members, more innovative planning schemes can be generated.
Example: Brainstorming for event ideas
Brainstorm through the 5W1H method, analyze products and users, refine selling points, and determine the final activity plan.
In the process of developing a business plan , brainstorming can help entrepreneurs and managers find new business opportunities and solutions to problems. Through collective discussion and inspiration, participants can look at problems from different perspectives and discover hidden opportunities and potential risks.
Example: Brainstorming - Business Model Canvas
The business model canvas consists of 9 squares, each of which represents thousands of possibilities and alternatives. Participants are required to use brainstorming to think freely and find the best option after discussion.
Brainstorming - Tesla Business Model Canvas Example
A successful brainstorming session requires close collaboration and effective communication among team members. Here are some key steps and considerations:
Clarify the goal and topic: Before the meeting begins, the moderator should clearly define the goal and topic of the discussion to ensure that all participants have a clear understanding of the issues to be addressed or the goals to be achieved.
Form the right team: Select team members with different backgrounds and expertise to participate in the meeting to promote the collision of diverse ideas. The team size is generally controlled between 5 and 10 people.
Set meeting rules: At the beginning of the meeting, the host should make clear the meeting rules, such as not criticizing or judging others' ideas, encouraging free speech and association, and advocating quantity rather than quality. These rules help create an open and inclusive discussion atmosphere.
Guide discussion and inspire: The moderator should guide the direction and rhythm of the discussion to ensure that the discussion does not deviate from the topic. At the same time, the moderator should encourage mutual inspiration and association among team members to stimulate more creative ideas and solutions.
Record and organize ideas: During the meeting, someone should be assigned to record all ideas raised. After the meeting, these ideas can be categorized and organized to screen out valuable ideas and solutions.
Follow-up and follow-up: For the selected ideas and solutions, their feasibility and implementation plan can be further discussed, and relevant tasks and responsibilities can be assigned. At the same time, the moderator should follow up on the implementation of the meeting results to ensure that the results of the brainstorming meeting are effectively utilized.
There are many commonly used analysis methods in brainstorming. The following is a template of the brainstorming analysis method from the ProcessOn template community . You can edit the template and fill in your text content.
Brainstorming - Business Model Canvas
Product Solution Brainstorming
Brainstorming - Fishbone Diagram
Brainstorming is an efficient and practical way of thinking creatively and solving problems. By combining it with auxiliary tools such as mind mapping, teams can conduct brainstorming discussions more efficiently and stimulate more creative ideas and solutions.
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Getting Started with Mind Mapping - Concepts, Tutorials, Examples
Free Online Collaborative Mind Map and Flowchart 
