Brief narrative: The Truth About Brainstorming

The term brainstorming was created by Alex F. Osborn in 1953 in his book Applied Imagination: Principles and Procedures of Creative Thinking. Since then, this word has gained popularity and produced different concepts that differ in many people’s opinions. The Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines brainstorming as “a group problem-solving technique that involves the spontaneous contribution of ideas from all members of the group; the mulling over of ideas by one or more individuals in an attempt to devise or find a solution to a problem” (Webster 2015). This definition has been applied despite its lack of complicated and varied intricacies of the brainstorming process. Culturally, brainstorming has turned into a synonym for the creative idea-generating process. This term is a tool for creative problem solving, though it’s different from the original description of the brainstorming process designed by Alex F. Osborn.

Origin of Brainstorming

A determined New Yorker had a special interest in creative thinking and he co-founded an advertising agency called Batten, Barton, Durstine, and Osborn. Inc., BBDO. The eager thirty-one-year-old was Alex F. Osborn, who had volunteered in World War I as a war bond promoter along with two of the cofounders of BBDO. The company was going through hard times trying to reach a higher position in the advertisement industry, and besides that, they were losing money and one of their workers. In 1939, it was Alex’s passion for creative thinking that worked out ways to encourage his employees to ‘’think up’’, a term he used for creative idea generation. In 1942, Osborn presented his concept of “thinking up” in his work How to Think Up that served as a model for the brainstorming technique. Thanks to this, the company became the second advertising agency in the United States of America. In 1953, Osborn introduced the brainstorming method and provided examples of BBDO’s success stories. Alex Osborn was inspired by the creative thinking theories of Graham Wallace. He was very detailed in describing his brainstorming technique. He developed four basic rules for the process. First rule: generate as many ideas as possible. It makes emphasis on quantity over quality. Second rule: no one was to criticize an idea. Third rule: wild ideas were welcome. Fourth rule: participants could combine ideas or improve on each other’s ideas. According to Osborn, brainstorming needed to be conducted in a group of 5-12 people. The process of brainstorming was meant to avoid a negative conference of thinking. Osborn recommended that the participants in the group should have experience in the task, though he resisted combining people from different organizational levels. Other specifics that Osborn suggested were that the participants had to be informed about the problem that would be discussed in the session. Also, participants had to train on brainstorming rules and techniques prior to the session by the facilitator (a pivotal role in the process).

A brainstorming session in BBDO would take place in a yellow room to keep the atmosphere warm, and the tables were supplied with pencils and pads. After the session, the stenographic record of the ideas would be sorted through and judged by someone in judicial authority within the agency. BBDO, in 1956, through 47 continuing brainstorming panels with 401 brainstorming sessions, produced a total of 34,000 new ideas of which 2000 ideas were deemed of superior quality and worth investing in.

 

 

The theorical foundation of brainstorming

Brainstorming is a powerful tool with specific rules of behavior created to enhance the idea generation.

 

1)    Brainstorming rules.

-Defer judgment: No criticism during idea generation creates a safe place to share different opinions without being judged. People will feel comfortable talking.

-Encourage wild ideas: It doesn’t matter how absurd an idea because it might be useful later.

-Build on the ideas of others: This one thrives on associative thinking. A chain reaction occurs when one person’s idea motivates another to consider a similar idea.

-Go for volume: The more ideas you have, the better. The chances of coming up with a fantastic answer are increased by the vast volume.

-One conversation at a time: Continue to move forward together. Keep the side conversations for later.

-Headline: Quickly captured the essence and proceed. Avoid dragging the group down with a convoluted notion.

 

2)    Brainstorm facilitator.

The facilitator is the person who decided what direction is going to take each brainstorming sessions. Here is how he or she leads a group to a successful meeting and ensures that there will get multiple ideas:

-Setting the stage: Before the session, the facilitator establishes the problem and sets objectives with the team. Also, they set a positive atmosphere and ensure that everyone knows the rules of brainstorming.

-Guiding process: The facilitator makes sure that the discussion stays relevant to the topic, encourage everyone to contribute, push participants to think out of the box and keep the session moving at a good pace.

-Capturing and organizing ideas: They encourage participants to expand on their ideas, build on each other’s ideas and if there’s a disagreement, the facilitator helps the group to navigate them constructively.

-After the session: The facilitator summarized the ideas generated and shares them with the team. Also, they help the team to prioritize the ideas and develop action plans.

 

Practical applications

Here are some areas where brainstorming proves invaluable:

-Product development: Generate new product ideas, improve existing products and solving design challenges.

-Marketing and advertisement: Develop creative campaigns, identify target audience, and explore new marketing channels.

-Creative writing and content creation: Generate story ideas, overcome writer’s block, and develop engaging content.

-Education and training: Encourage student participation, develop training programs, and foster critical thinking.

-Personal development: Set personal goals, explore career options, and improve personal skills.

 

Examples of brainstorming in different contexts.

1)    Writing.

-Character development: Brainstorm unique traits, backgrounds, and motivations for a protagonist in a novel.

 

2)    Business.

-Marketing strategies: Develop unique marketing strategies for launching a new service.

 

3)    School.

-Student feedback: Brainstorm methods for collecting and using student feedback to improve teaching practices.

 

4)    Real life.

-Personal goals: Generate a list of achievable personal goals for the year with steps to accomplish them.

 

5)    Healthcare.

-Wellness programs: Discuss wellness program ideas for hospital staff to reduce stress and burnout.

 

 

 

 

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