Effective Brainstorming Techniques

Even though you may have several effective brainstorming techniques that does not mean you should constantly use the same ones. To have an effective and highly productive brainstorming session you must constantly change your effective brainstorming techniques.

It is vital that when the brainstorming session’s facilitator is selecting group members, team leaders should consider people that have never attended a brainstorm session before. This gives all employees a chance to attend at least one brainstorming session. Use a broad range of selection by inviting as many people from as many different departments in the company as possible. Each member will bring to the brainstorming session a fresh new view from the perspective of their positions. That unique point of view will produce an overwhelming amount of fresh new ideas. Not from just that member but what the member sparks in other members. This is one of the most effective brainstorming techniques you can use.

Team leaders have the sole responsibility to keep groups enthusiastic and filled with positive energy for good ideas. Effective brainstorming techniques do not have to be the standard brainstorming techniques. Team leaders need to be skilled enough to know how to create new effective brainstorming techniques of their own. Think outside the box, dare to come up with radical brainstorming techniques.

Some standard brainstorming techniques are still very successful such as breaking a large group into several small groups. This creates a sense of comfort when members work in small groups. This is also an excellent way to get soft spoken members and members that are shy to participate.

One of the standard effective brainstorming techniques is to reread all ideas to the group giving them the opportunity to expand and improve on the ideas. This technique often leads to another brainstorming technique called Seeding. Seeding is an idea that springs forth as the result of an idea that has been expanded. Seeding is often the result of a quick and steady flow of ideas. Seeding speeds up the momentum of the ideas yielding a massive amount.

Keep the group awake and motivated by using a brainstorming technique called “Night and Day”. Each group member is given a set of words and is asked to write three words that mean the opposite of each word. For example, the opposite of night is day, or the opposite of cloudy is sunny, etc. This brainstorming technique is effective in getting the flow of ideas going again.

Effective brainstorming techniques need to be constantly fresh and new. Make every brainstorming session different from the one before. Keep the group members excited about attending brainstorming sessions. Give members the idea to expect the unexpected this will definitely increase the flow of ideas.

Team leaders should also consider using brainstorming software to give them a never ending flow of effective brainstorming techniques. The software can also be beneficial in planning sessions as well as providing templates for overviews. Using brainstorming software enables a team leader to have an individual brainstorming session.