Finding new ideas and promoting innovation. These are two particularly important corporate objectives. And they’re essential, whatever your sector of activity. In fact, if you want to meet your customers’ needs, these steps are essential. You can brainstorm solutions and alternatives. It’s also a very useful tool for improving your products and services. But above all, brainstorming is an excellent option for solving personal problems. In particular, this organizational tool will help you find your way in a career transition or when setting up your own business.

So, what exactly are we talking about? And how can you make the most of it? Find out in this article.

Brainstorming: what is it?

In reality, brainstorming is a fairly common concept, especially in professional settings. At the most basic level, brainstorming refers to a method of generating ideas and sharing knowledge. Brainstorming generally takes place spontaneously, so as to reap the full benefits of unbiased creativity.

During brainstorming sessions, participants are encouraged to contribute without thinking. When brainstorming, you need to pay particular attention to the quantity of ideas. This is far more important than quality. This means that the information is simply stated, without anyone being able or obliged to criticize. You should reserve that for a later part.

In any case, the very concept of this exercise demands that the activity is generally performed in a group. In other words, each new idea proposed belongs to the group as a whole, rather than to the individual who put it forward. Nevertheless, a facilitator will be needed to introduce the topic to be discussed or to define the rules for effective brainstorming.

Note-taking is also an integral part of this process. You’ll need to have a whiteboard handy to record all the information you’ve gathered. This will make it easier to divide the information into different categories of ideas. The aim is to create a kind of mind mapping, but on a physical medium. At the end of the meeting, follow-up actions are defined. In this way, brainstorming represents an interactive and creative means of problem-solving. But that’s not all!

When should you brainstorm?

We owe the concept of brainstorming to American advertising executive Alex Faickney Osborn. He developed an approach aimed primarily at art direction employees. He published his method in his book Applied Imagination. Numerous variations have since emerged. This makes it possible to put it into practice in different areas of life. Whether in the classroom, on the job or in a personal context, you can apply it with ease.

The objective remains the same: to come up with ideas that may at first seem a little nonsensical, but which will take on their full significance once combined. By brainstorming, you’ll also come across information that you can certainly turn into solutions to your problems. So, when should you actually use it? Here are the three main categories.

BRAINSTORMING IN THE CLASSROOM
Brainstorming is a particularly interesting tool in the teaching context. In fact, it’s a strategy that allows all learners to participate. They can each respond in their own way to a given question. This method has a number of advantages. It motivates, stimulates and encourages interaction between students. Brainstorming is a particularly interesting way of putting the inclusive classroom into practice. This particularly effective approach takes into account the fact that children learn in different ways and at different speeds.

In any case, this technique encourages the expression of new ideas among students. This would certainly have been difficult in a traditional classroom. So, brainstorming in the classroom is a useful teaching strategy. Especially as the combined, concentrated mental power generated during a session greatly enhances performance. It also virtually guarantees individual and collective success. Brainstorming effectively promotes the ability to think critically from an early age. Of course, successful brainstorming requires the teacher to refrain from evaluating every idea presented.

In certain circumstances, it may also be wiser to divide the class into groups or pairs. This would make it much easier to manage the students. Here again, you have the option of :

Give each group the same topic, or
Suggest different subtopics for each group.
At the end of the session, simply ask them to write down their ideas and conclusions.

CORPORATE BRAINSTORMING
In its simplest form, brainstorming is a technique for stimulating group creativity. In the workplace, brainstorming aims to generate as many ideas as possible. This makes it a powerful tool for encouraging innovation. Brainstorming can be used for :

Problem-solving ;
Decision-making ;
Idea generation;
Improving offers and services.

Today, this term is an integral part of the everyday vocabulary of many workplace organizations. Its main advantage in this case is that it enables open and continuous collaboration. Brainstorming is a powerful tool for collaborative management.

In any case, brainstorming is essential for achieving better results in different areas of corporate life. Since it encourages teamwork, it helps to strengthen cohesion. In fact, there’s nothing worse than a lack of harmonization within a team to undermine project results. When brainstorming is carried out correctly, it provides a framework that establishes common objectives. This, in turn, helps to consolidate a sense of belonging.

INDIVIDUAL BRAINSTORMING
Brainstorming is also ideal as a personal organization tool. In reality, having an idea is one thing. Putting it into practice is quite another. What’s more, ideas generally come to us in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes, they even come to us at times when we’re not necessarily expecting them. So setting aside a specific time to collect them all can be a great way to take advantage of the profusion of ideas and then organize them better. Even if you’re just enjoying your own company, you’ll see your creativity increase tenfold.

But brainstorming requires you to :

Write down everything that pops into your head;
Produce as many ideas as possible (quantity trumps quality);
Avoid self-criticism;
Accept all information freely and without judgment;
Evaluate after the session.

For example, if you’re at a turning point in your career, you might want to get involved. For example, if you’re at a turning point in your career, such as planning a career change or promoting the achievement of a particular goal.

What are the benefits of an ideation session?

We’ve already seen the benefits of brainstorming. But in more detail, there are several advantages.

Firstly, it allows for exhaustive involvement of all collaborators. Of course, working alone may seem easier. Or at least, less complicated. However, there is a definite advantage to working in teams or groups, especially when it comes to coming up with ideas. This participative vision can actually lead to positive results, while becoming an additional motivating factor.
Secondly, brainstorming also offers multiple perspectives – which are generally diverse. Indeed, it’s important to realize that brainstorming is important, because some problems require more than one person to solve. This makes finding solutions much simpler. Of course, the idea is not to welcome just anyone into the group. Rather, the idea is to encourage diversity, so as to gather information from the perspectives of people of different ages, backgrounds and beliefs. This makes it easier to achieve success.
Thirdly, brainstorming facilitates the integration of new recruits. The group and each of its members can quickly come up with dozens of ideas when it’s possible to brainstorm. Each idea can even generate a dozen others. This not only strengthens the group dynamic, but also engages every participant. What’s more, these sessions enable people who might not otherwise have the opportunity to work together on a project. For managers, it’s a way of consolidating their ability to bring people together.
Finally, it gives participants the chance to put into practice a variety of skills or learn new ones. It can be a perfect opportunity to mix old and new techniques to hone each participant’s skills.

How to brainstorm effectively

Whether in the workplace, in the classroom or individually, brainstorming requires an environment conducive to creativity and intimacy. In particular, set up a meeting room where participants can express themselves freely. In a classroom, make sure you create an atmosphere of trust where students won’t be afraid to talk. If you’re alone, simply choose a place where you won’t be disturbed. The aim is to benefit from the quiet. Ideally, everyone will be able to contribute equally to the discussion. In fact, this is a prerequisite.

In addition, brainstorming imposes five major rules to be fully effective:

Don’t criticize ideas (whether your own or those of others);
Prioritize quantity over quality;
Welcome all ideas, even those that seem crazy at first;
Encourage the participation of all members, without exception;
Make the most of every suggestion.

While you don’t necessarily have to follow these rules to the letter, they can help ensure success. They also help to give direction to your brainstorming sessions.

4 STEPS TO BRAINSTORMING
In practice, brainstorming also involves a few essential steps.

First, you need to prepare the group. (Even if you’re working alone, you need to get into the right frame of mind to get the most out of it). In any case, this is the ideal time to inform all participants of the issues to be addressed, as well as the purpose of the session. Be careful here. The aim is not to advance a project or achieve a specific objective. Rather, it is to produce, discard and redirect certain perspectives. That’s the whole point of brainstorming!
Then move on to presenting the problem. In other words, make sure everyone is on the same wavelength and understands what the meeting is about. The aim is to find one or more common solutions.
Now guide the discussion. Ask each team member to present an idea. Go around the table. Get everyone, without exception, to talk and share. Make sure you keep the conversation on track and remind everyone of the rules if necessary.
Finally, it’s time for action – the whole point of brainstorming. Here, you need to decide together which ideas are valid or workable. Perhaps you’ve found a way to solve a problem. Or have you come up with a new concept for your next product? Whatever the subject of the brainstorming session, it must end with action.

What to remember?

There are many different brainstorming techniques. But as a general rule, the aim is to generate and list different ideas. And to determine which one(s) works best for you and your team. While this approach is best practiced in a group and in a company, you can also brainstorm on your own. In other words, you can put it into practice whenever you need new ideas to solve a problem.

In any case, a brainstorming session usually lasts between 30 and 40 minutes. It consists of 4 stages: preparation, presentation of the problem, discussion and identification of the action to be taken.

What about you? Have you ever tried brainstorming? What do you think of it?