Brainstorming is a few years old now and I’m sure that most of you will have already tried it in some way or another. You know how it goes – a group of people all shout out each and every idea they have on a given subject. The group leader, or whoever is chosen to write things down, notes all the answers given – no matter how outrageous they might seem. Then a refining process ensues, which helps find creative solutions to the problem. It’s particularly useful if you are looking to break out of some tired, stale thinking patterns.
Brainstorming is not Just for Groups!
But, brainstorming isn’t just for groups. Did you know, for instance, that it’s just as effective when done individually? In fact, research shows that brainstorming alone is more effective than group brainstorming – producing more potential solutions to problems and better quality solutions too! Why is this? Well, it seems group dynamics could be the answer. When brainstorming in a group the following can happen – individuals may:
- not want to speak in-front of others
- concentrate too much on other people’s ideas
- not follow the rules of brainstorming properly
- not note down ideas when they have them and then forget about them
Individual Brainstorming
So, how does individual brainstorming work? It’s a pretty easy process to set up and follow – you simply need a large sheet of paper and a pen. Start by putting the problem in the middle of the sheet of paper and draw a circle around it, this is your starting point. Now, note down every solution you can think of – no matter how crazy it may sound – around the central problem circle. By the time you’ve finished, you should have a number of different workable solutions to the problem.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Individual Brainstorming
Many of the advantages of individual brainstorming can be easily guessed if you think about the problems that group brainstorming encounters. The obvious benefits you’ll experience are:
- you’ll not have to wait for others to finish speaking before you can give your idea
- you don’t have to worry about the egos and opinions of others preventing you from giving your thoughts
- you can offer up your more outrageous ideas without any fear of being mocked
However, there is a downside to doing this activity alone – you may not explore all the ideas you generate fully. This is where a group can help, as they might see potential problems that you may miss, or see how well a solution could work with some simple tweaking. But, there’s nothing stopping you from giving the results of your brainstorming to someone else, or a number of people, to look over.
You may want to use a mindmap (http://www.businesstrainingcollege.com/business/mind-mapping.htm) to brainstorm your ideas.
See what you think of this method and let me know if you use any others you feel are more successful.
