There is no such a thing as a great idea and immediately crafting it into a piece of art. So in order to make this process easier and more effective we created this list of brainstorming techniques combined with other methods that activate your lateral thinking.
You will be able to unite your efforts to find a conclusion to a specific problem by gathering ideas spontaneously contributed by its members with the ability to solve problems through an indirect and creative approach, using reasoning that is not immediately evident and involving thoughts that may not be obtainable by using only traditional step-by-step logic.
Approach the problem through the eyes of someone else. It could be your mum, your teacher, the shopkeeper downstairs, your boss, anyone. Try to replicate what their thought process would be and the solutions they would encounter.
Hero Time:
Who wouldn’t love to have superpowers? Stop desiring and start believing with this brainstorming solution. Would you handle your problem differently if you had any super power? We cannot promise you’ll find the most incredible content, but you’ll have a jolly time and mate, truth be said, this usually leads to better ideas.
Illuminati Session:
Also called The Iconic Brainstorming. Similar to walking in someone else’s shoes but this time pretend you’re a VIP, the more iconic the better. How would you deal with the issue if you were The Queen of England? Barack Obama? The Pope? Adolf Hitler? Being the figures they were (or are) you can come up with some extreme solutions.
The Outgoing Plan
Did you know that even if your office is super cool it somehow kills a part of your employees creativity? Routines are pretty bad when it comes to get creative. Why don’t you take them out for lunch, have a couple of beers and think about how to solve that pressing issue? Being in a different environment will bring unique ideas to the table.
REM Stage and WTF?!
All you need are 5 basic elements: A pen, a notebook, a friend, tiredness, and a comfortable place where you can lay down. Now that you’ve got everything, go to sleep and leave both the notebook and the pen near by. This will be your friend’s favourite part: As you are falling asleep, have your friend wake you up with a loud noise. Grab the pen and write down the first thing comes to your mind.
SWOT it
It’s quite common to get lost at certain point even before you brainstorm. Your goals are not clear, the panorama is foggy… doing a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) may help you to get a cleaner scene where you understand what’s going on and what you can do better.
Virtual Brainstorming
We accept that in general we obtain better ideas from group brainstorming sessions, but sometimes it’s just impossible to meet everyone in the same place at the same time… till we remember there’s something called the Internet. Some studies already show that virtual sessions unleash our creativity more than non-virtual. Everyone has Skype, Hangout, Facetime… Don’t hesitate to do it next time, it’s way better than not doing anything at all.
