Brainstorming, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is:
“a group problem-solving technique that involves the spontaneous contribution of ideas from all members of the group” [source]
Alex F. Osborn, who worked in advertising, made the term mainstream in the 1940s and 1950s. However, brainstorming had been practiced long before then as an overall concept for people to come up with ideas [source].
What is brainstorming?
A brainstorming session involves people meeting [either in person or virtually], to discuss, draw out, explain, and write down ideas to solve problems or to create something new.
Note that you can also brainstorm by yourself. Even though solo-brainstorming isn’t included in the dictionary definition, coming up with a list of ideas on your own is just as much brainstorming as group-brainstorming is.
Some classify meetings and brainstorming sessions as the same thing because, in most meetings, the participants are discussing ideas or solving problems. While this makes sense, you can also have a brainstorming session that isn’t a “meeting”.
Meetings are usually done in work or educational settings, whereas brainstorming can be done at any time, by anyone, for any reason. For example, a couple might brainstorm at home about their upcoming wedding, or an individual might brainstorm alone about ideas for a book they want to write.
Why do people brainstorm?
Brainstorming sessions are done for one main reason — to generate ideas!
All participants are expected to throw out any ideas they have, even if they seem too simple, too complex, or too odd because they just might work. If not, it’s great to have a backlog of ideas for future use.
Ideas can always be narrowed down and thought of in more detail as your process progresses, but initial brainstorming is the time to think freely and openly.
How is brainstorming done?
Brainstorm sessions, just like formal meetings, work well when they are planned ahead of time so that you and your team [or just you] have something to focus on.
Invite people who you want to brainstorm with and set a goal or general-purpose for the session. Also, consider inviting people outside of your core team to get a new and different perspective.
You can have someone that acts as a leader or guide, but since a brainstorming session is usually less formal than a meeting, this isn’t necessary. If you are in a professional work setting, having a facilitator might work best — but if you are brainstorming in a casual setting, try letting the ideas flow freely without someone organizing you.
Don’t let the brainstorming session last forever.
Keep it within an approximate time limit, but also have some flexibility, because creative ideas don’t always arise when you are under pressure.
Your guide to brainstorming with Stormboard
You may think of brainstorming as sitting around a table with sticky notes or a whiteboard, which works well, but going digital can be even better, and Stormboard’s innovative features are the answer to all of your brainstorming needs!
After signing up for an account or free trial, pick from any of our hundreds of templates to begin brainstorming with your team.
Once you’ve selected a template and are working in your Storm [what we call your digital workspace], try changing the colors, shapes, and fonts of your Sticky notes to organize and get creative with your ideas.
You can access your Storms from any device at any time — so if an idea pops into your head in the middle of the night, when you’re out for a run, or after your session is over, you can add it when inspiration strikes. It will be saved and ready for your brainstorming group to see it whenever they jump into the Storm.
If you have a scheduled brainstorming session with a remote team, you can all add and share ideas from wherever you are located, in real-time. And one of the best features is that everything saves automatically to the cloud, so you don’t have to worry about any of your awesome ideas getting lost or deleted.
In conclusion
Brainstorming, just like the official definition, is all about ideas. If you have an upcoming project that needs to be worked on, a problem to be solved, or anything else that requires the generation of ideas, brainstorming is going to be the best approach for you!
Get Started
Are you ready to take your brainstorm digital? Sign up for a free trial of Stormboard today!
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Aha moments are priceless, but wouldn’t it be awesome if the journey to come up with the best solutions were also exciting [and easy]? Truth is, sticky notes don’t always stick to the wall, and ideas on paper are quickly forgotten. Today, typical team brainstorming sessions are predictable and can even get awkward if motivation to participate is low. Not to mention, they can be complicated if too many team members are involved, or they’re not all in the same physical room.
Reimagine how you brainstorm at work to make the experience better for everyone. Keep reading for inspiration to make brainstorming more inclusive, efficient, and ultimately: more productive.
Why brainstorm
Let’s start with the basics, what is brainstorming?
According to the dictionary by Merriam-Webster, to brainstorm is “to try to solve a problem or come up with new ideas by having a discussion that includes all members of a group.”
Many people believe brainstorming can be used to come up with the best new ideas and input. And recently, the collaborative, creative problem-solving process has grown in popularity. Indeed, in business, brainstorming is now a buzzword.
It’s carried out by teams worldwide and with good reason. The benefits of brainstorming at work include:
- Sparking creativity, and thereby productivity
- Promoting working together to achieve goals
- Empowering individuals and teams to come up with solutions
- Breaking the ice amongst a group of people
- Driving innovation and growth
Nowadays, brainstorming is ever-present. A growing need to make brainstorming more practical has made people turn to brainstorming tools, like Kahoot! that makes it easy to bring a large group together and quickly come up with new ideas within any session.
The widespread adoption of these digital tools has also made common brainstorming problems like time efficiency, inclusion, and scale a thing of the past! Nowadays, with so many people enjoying and taking advantage of brainstorming no matter where they are, it’s likely not going away anytime soon.
When and where to brainstorm [and ideas for what to brainstorm on]
The brainstorming process doesn’t have to take place at a certain time or place to be productive. Today, teams are brainstorming remotely, or in hybrid environments and don’t need to set an hour or two aside for a session dedicated to idea generation.
In fact, brainstorming doesn’t need to be the only item on the agenda, nor the most time-consuming one. Coming up with new ideas and input can be a small part of any broader workshop, all-hands meeting, or team meeting.
With this in mind, the possibilities of what to brainstorm as a team are also endless! Examples of brainstorming topics could be:
- New products and features
- Product/feature names
- Brand personas
- Campaigns
- Company culture perceptions
- Company values and their meaning
- New projects
- Favorite projects [to celebrate success and recognize employees]
- Process improvements and highlights from a period of time [retrospectives from a month, quarter, or year]
and more situations that are up for discussion and where input is welcome!
Teams responsible for Product, Marketing, HR, Management, Sales, Customer Success, Consulting, or other areas can all find value in collecting and discussing ideas.
Spark creativity and discussions with your team right away with a kahoot template for brainstorming any time, any place.
How to brainstorm in 3 steps
So, what does a structured, quick team brainstorm look like? It can be quite productive, fun, and even rewarding. Get inspired by how the Kahoot! team does it.
Bonus: our brainstorming technique is completely paperless!
1. Collect input or ideas. Brainstorming Examples
Kickstart the process by asking a question live.
Top tip: To make team brainstorming as productive as possible, lead with a strong question.
Set the scene with a question that is broad enough to spark creative input, while still making it relevant to the problem you are trying to solve. Examples of brainstorming questions could be
- What could we do to improve our next product launch?
- How should we promote this new service?
- What type of visual should we have on our main landing page?
- What should we name this new feature?
- Where should we host the next conference?
- What should be the goal of the project?
- What is the best part of spring? [when thinking broadly about a spring campaign]
- What do you want to hear more about in the next all-hands meeting?
After sharing the brainstorming question, participants type and submit 3 different suggestions anonymously. Then, everyone’s ideas show up on a shared screen effortlessly, wherever team members may be joining from.
2. Discuss them as a group
With all ideas on the screen, the brainstorming facilitator can start sorting them into categories. Meanwhile, team members can address or expand on any of them out loud. The facilitator can go through them one by one, or just open the floor to all.
Note: With Kahoot!, you can choose how to brainstorm. You can add the classic brainstorm feature to any presentation and also spark discussions with word clouds, polls, and even quizzes. Lead a brainstorming session that includes all these for the most engaging experience.
3. Vote for the best
Time for participants to pick the ideas that are more creative, most feasible, or just the ones participants identify with the most. Everyone gets a say and a chance to vote on any and all. The 3 top-voted ideas, and the names of those that came up with them, get featured on the shared screen.
These 3 steps are all possible with the Kahoot! brainstorm feature. Watch the video below to learn more about adding quick brainstorms to spark creativity and discussions at your next presentation, meeting, or workshop.
Say goodbye to common brainstorming problems by:
- Preventing team members from pre-judging their ideas. How? Add a time limit to submit ideas.
- Creating a safe space for everyone, even introverts, to share and have a say. Make idea generation and voting anonymous!
- Keeping people engaged. Award points to team members with the top-voted ideas. This can make the brainstorming experience extra rewarding when it’s time to reveal the most popular ones.
- Revisit all ideas and suggestions shared, way past the session is over. Go paperless and make it easy to follow up!
What to do after an awesome team brainstorming session
Follow up
This comes after the 3-step instructions above on how to brainstorm. As the brainstorming facilitator, revisit the submitted suggestions [top-voted, high-quality, and not] and your notes from your discussion. You might find patterns and could end up combining ideas to come up with the ultimate solution. After this, make an action plan and share it to make everyone feel valued. When a process comes full circle, it’s more likely to lead to the desired outcome.
Tip: Make it easy to look back at all the ideas your team came up with by making brainstorming digital. Don’t worry about having to pick up fallen sticky notes from the ground or trying to decipher handwriting.
Make brainstorming a habit
Who wouldn’t like to be a part of an organization where people are encouraged to share input and think out of the box? Contribute to cultivating a culture of innovation at your workplace by making brainstorming a more frequent part of your job. You don’t wait for everyone to have availability for a long team brainstorming session. Crowdsource ideas in any type of meeting!
Propose more open, regular, team discussions! It won’t be long before people notice and want to either join or have their own brainstorms. As described above, the benefits of these abound.
Finally…
Ideating collaboratively in a safe space for all team members gets an organization places. Brainstorming is a buzzword in today’s business world for a reason. And it’s easier to do than ever before! Say goodbye to common brainstorming problems by taking advantage of modern brainstorming tools to include and involve everyone, and facilitate all parts of your process. A great experience, whether your team is meeting online, in-person, or in-between, is sure to unlock the best ideas.
Aha moments and awesome solutions are coming to you. Time to brainstorm!