Throughout our day, we use various products and inventions without ever thinking about where they come from or how they are made. When we brush our teeth, do we think about the engineering that went into creating the toothbrush? How about the process involved in manufacturing a glass from which we drink our orange juice or a thermos that has been designed to keep coffee warm for hours?
Where do all of these wonderful inventions come from? The answer is surprisingly simple. Every invention that man has ever created has started with a thought in the human brain. Before anything can come to be, it must first be created in the mind of the inventor. Over the years our brains harness amazing amounts of information and knowledge and brainstorming is the key to unlocking the creativity that is needed to function and compete in any industry.
The brainstorming process helps to identify the details of how to accomplish a goal by presenting a large number of possible solutions to a problem. Brainstorming is a technique that is used by every successful corporation around the world and should be the first step in any situation. There are many different ways to brainstorm and it’s up to you to find what works best in your situation.
Below you will find a brief outline of the four phases of effective brainstorming, why you should make brainstorming the first step in creating a direction for your business, and suggestions for how you might go about the brainstorming process.
These are the 4 basic concepts that should be applied to any brainstorming session:
1. More Is Better - You’ve heard the saying, “Be careful who you allow to speak into your life”; well this is an exception to that rule. Here is where you can include everybody in your fact finding adventure. This is when you ask everyone what they think about your idea, but try not to be too specific or they might see the value and try to capitalize on your idea themselves.
The key to this phase, is to gather as many opinions as you can. Don’t dismiss any idea; no matter how lame you think it might be. With a little polishing, that seemingly dumb idea that came from your crazy Uncle Joe might just be the pearl that puts you over the top. Just write down every idea that comes to you. It’s not time to judge them, yet. Just gather information from every imaginable source.
2. Anything Goes - By suspending judgment, your participants will feel free to offer their secret thoughts and opinions. It’s sort of like asking them to dance like no one is watching. If they know that someone is watching and judging their performance, they’ll tend to hold back those really good ideas that they are afraid to share with others. Give them the freedom to suggest any and everything they can think of. Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.
3. Be Creative - Truly let go. Don’t be afraid to try new things, new ideas or new ways of approaching the subject. Look at the situation from a different perspective. Sometimes I will literally put my notebook or laptop on the ground and look at it while standing over it. Sounds crazy I know, but you’ll be amazed at the insight you can get by looking at a situation from a different angle.
Try this technique with a digital camera. First hold the camera at eye level and take a few pictures of any subject. Now, try holding the camera with your arms straight down in front of you and the camera pointing up at an angle. Snap off a few pics at the same subject. You’ll be surprised at the new inspiration you will get. I used this technique once while shooting a podcast.
We were stumped about the set design, so we decided to shoot the podcast with the camera sitting on the floor and pointing up, which gave a different perspective that worked perfectly. The answer was to lower the backdrop image to be more in the normal shot. That was so simple, but we never saw it until we changed the way we were looking at the situation.
4. Add and Subtract - Now is the time to separate the wheat from the chaff. Take the good parts from one idea and combine it with the good parts from another. I use a green pen to circle all the good ideas and a red pen to cross through the bad ones. Then, I add the good parts together to come up with some awesome ideas. We’re not done yet! Keep doing this step over and over again until you come up with one super solution.
I used this technique to find a domain name for this website. I simply typed in every combination of name and keyword I could think of. Then I saved the names I thought sounded good at the time. When I reviewed the list of about 10 domain names together, it was obvious that some of my previous choices did not sound good at all. It wasn’t until I viewed them side-by-side that I realized they didn’t work.
After weeding out the obvious choices, I started saying the different names with different inflections and accents. I imagined how each name would sound over the phone and whether people would be able to understand the name the first time they heard it; this eliminated a few more. I kept repeating this process until I decided on How To Promote Yourself Online.
These techniques are sure to get you started down the road to creating your own great ideas. I can’t tell you how many people have told me they were not very creative. Then, after using these four easy concepts, presented me with some awesome ideas of their own!
Try to always remember that in any brainstorming session, it’s quantity that counts not quality. Write down any and every thought or idea that comes into your head; no matter how silly it might sound at the time. You can never know if an idea is truly sound when it is compared to itself. It’s only when an idea is compared to other thoughts and ideas that it can be accurately tested.
Good Luck to you as you put these techniques into practice. I look forward to hearing about your progress. Let me know what techniques you’ve developed along the way.
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