Brainstorming is a method of bringing a group together to collectively produce as many ideas as possible on a given subject.
Brainstorming is a technique developed in the USA in the 1940s by advertising executive Alex Osborn (one of the founders of the BBDO advertising agency).
Brainstorming is a highly effective way of finding ideas for developing a concept or product.
The method is widely used within companies, particularly in the advertising and marketing sectors, to design products and campaigns.
In reality, any company is likely to brainstorm at some point. In fact, brainstorming is always appropriate when creative, new, and innovative ideas are needed.
Brainstorming can also be used to address a specific business problem and find appropriate solutions.
To ensure that a brainstorming session runs as smoothly as possible, and that as many ideas as possible are collected, a few rules need to be observed. It's important to do the following:
- Express yourself freely, without criticism or judgment: During the brainstorming session, all participants must be able to express themselves without being disturbed or criticized, so that the flow of ideas is not interrupted or blocked.
- Prioritize quantity over quality: During a brainstorming session, it's important that team members can express all the ideas that come to mind. Even if they seem absurd or uninteresting, the important thing is to gather as many ideas as possible and then sort them out. Creativity is the key!
- Take notes: All ideas expressed should be recorded in a table, for example. It's important to ensure that all ideas are taken into account; you otherwise risk demotivating the participants.
The results of the brainstorming are then analyzed during a discussion with the participants.
This is an opportunity to take the time to discuss each proposed creative idea in detail in order to sort out and select the most relevant ones. Here, more strategic and reasoned considerations must come into play in order to assess the usefulness of the ideas submitted for the project in question.
Other brainstorming techniques can also be used to generate ideas. Digital brainstorming, for example, is based on collaborative software such as Slack.
Brainwalking, in which white posters are placed around the office so that people can write down their ideas outside traditional brainstorming sessions, is also an option to consider.
