Brainstorming Methods

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Author:
Noam A.

Here are some tips to help you become better at brainstorming.

• It’s easier to brainstorm earlier in the day because your energy levels are usually higher. You should also make sure that you are in a comfortable place with lots of natural light. A good place is a coffee shop with large windows. DONT sit in a room with florescent lights. These will suck the life out of you and you’ll fell less alive than in a room full of sunlight.
  


• There are a number of implements that you can use for brainstorming - a white board, pencil and paper or even an audio recorder - but my favorite tool is a software program called FreeMind, which allows you to create tree charts from your thoughts. It’s also free and open source. You can download it at freemind.sourceforge.net
  


• A good brainstorming session should last around one hour. After that, your mind will probably start to slow down. If you find yourself needing more time, extend the hour, or get some rest. Let your subconscious do some thinking for you and then continue the next day.
  


• During a brainstorming session don’t discount any ideas, either of yours or of a coworker’s. Accept every suggestion, even if it sounds silly. When you acknowledge everyone’s thoughts they’ll be more motivated to think creatively, which in turn, could solve the goal you are trying to achieve.
  

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Brainpower... Random Word Brainstorming When I was first exposed to this method, I was somewhat skeptical. The occasion was a brainstorming evening to generate new ideas for my book's title. As our group gathered, A hypnotherapist colleague of mine, suggested this innovative brainstorming approach. With the topic identified beforehand, the process began with a member of the group being asked to open a dictionary to any page. He then randomly selected a common noun, which was written on a flip chart. Each person was asked for a single word that he or she associated with that noun. The group was then asked to suggest associations between each of these words and the topic, accelerated learning. The words flowed in amazing quantity. We repeated this process a few times. Why did this technique work so well? It's really quite simple. In a typical brainstorming session, when members of a group are asked to come up with ideas or solutions to a problem, their minds access their memory banks and download what is already known about the issue. Introducing the random word method forces the mind to find a link between dissimilar things. Because of the gap between the random word and the topic, ideas may be quite unusual, or even off-the-wall. As the group members build on each other's ideas, they generate more creative solutions. This method is fast and simple, and usually leads to ideas that are more creative than those generated from the classic brainstorming format. International speaker, Dr. Brian E. Walsh, is the bestselling author of Unleashing Your Brilliance. For much of his 30-year corporate career he was involved in human resources, specifically training. While living in the arctic, Brian studied anthropology and Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), which prepared him for working with other...