Brainstorming steps pdf

You can list them directly on a flip chart or have people write them on sticky notes which are then posted on the walls or flipchart. ALL ideas must be captured and there should be no judging of ideas at this point.

Sort the ideas. Group similar or related ideas - the sticky notes can be helpful here because you can easily rearrange them. Cull the ideas. Now apply judgment, within an environment of mutual respect, and decide which ideas are best to pursue — discuss each idea and vote. For example, you can ask each person to put a dot or checkmark next to the top three ideas.

Prioritize the remaining ideas. Have the group decide the order of importance. Decide what will happen next with the top few ideas. Give yourselves a time limit. We recommend around 25 minutes, but experience will show how much time is required. Larger groups may need more time to get everyone's ideas out. Alternatively, give yourself an idea limit. At minimum, push for 50 ideas. But ideas is even better. Once the brainstorming starts, participants shout out solutions to the problem while the facilitator writes them down — usually on a white board or flip-chart for all to see.

There must be absolutely no criticizing of ideas. No matter how daft, how impossible or how silly an idea is, it must be written down. Laughing is to be encouraged. Criticism is not. Once your time is up, select the five ideas which you like best. Make sure everyone involved in the brainstorming session is in agreement. Write down about five criteria for judging which ideas best solve your problem.

Criteria should start with the word "should", for example, "it should be cost effective", "it should be legal", "it should be possible to finish before July 15", etc. Give each idea a score of 0 to 5 points depending on how well it meets each criterion. Once all of the ideas have been scored for each criterion, add up the scores. If so, get in touch. I'd love to chat about it with you! If you enjoyed this article, please share it with your followers:.

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