innovative+brainstorming

// Fostering the flow of innovative ideas //
 * Innovative brainstorming **

** What it is ** A fast way of collecting ideas. An inclusive method for encouraging creativity. A technique that stimulates spontaneous thought processes. A tactic that can inspire innovation.

**When to use it** To produce ideas To stimulate creativity To think critically To overcome blockages To solve problems

**How it is applied**

Identify the issue on which the brainstorming session will focus, such as an idea, problem, project, activity, or organizational entity.
 * Gather the brainstorming participants in a room
 * If the group is larger than 15 people, divide it into separate working groups so as to encourage balanced participation.
 * Briefly present the issue as a challenge.
 * The ideas generated by participants can be captured in many ways. For example, participants speak out loud and the facilitator writes the points on flip-charts, or they write their ideas on sticky notes after announcing them.
 * Allow the process to take a natural course. Try not to restrict it with time limits or directions. This can be helped by carefully selecting a specific, concrete subject.
 * When no more ideas are being offered, allow about 2 more minutes of silence, to be sure that every idea has truly been shared.
 * You may want to use one of the following options to go about the ideas generated during the brainstorm.
 * __Word clouds__ are a simple approach to randomly visualize the ideas collected through brainstorming. You can use a free online tool for __generating word clouds__, such as [|Wordle].
 * __ Buzzgroups __ are small working groups in which colleagues can share their individual ideas and prioritize them. The highest-rated ideas from all groups are then presented and possibly clustered (see below).
 * The __Card Sorting technique__ can help in clustering sticky notes into logical groups of related ideas for further review.
 * __ Dotmocracy __ is a fast and normally enjoyable way of democratically ranking ideas and proposals. Clearly display the ideas (e.g. on a flipchart, on a board) and instruct colleagues to place a sticky dot, or other indicator, underneath the ideas that seem most promising. Select the ideas with the most “votes” for further analysis, discussion or action.
 * Conduct a participatory debriefing of the brainstorm, which concludes the exercise.

**How to adapt it**


 * ** Brainwriting ** is a simple technique for overcoming challenges to brainstorming, namely the tendency for judgment, clash of personalities and the fact that time constraints or shyness may limit the number of people who express themselves.


 * Gather the brainstorming participants in a room
 * Provide a piece of paper with a problem statement written at the top to all participants seated around a table.
 * Instruct them to write down 3 ideas related to the problem statement in 3 minutes.
 * Everyone then passes their paper to their neighbour and repeats the process on the paper they receive, either building on the ideas already written or adding new thoughts. It is important that you instruct participants to not simply repeat ideas, but rather to produce as many as possible.

In few minutes you can gather many ideas!


 * ** Online Brainstorming ** can be used by inviting colleagues to share ideas in a discussion forum or wiki, or using synchronous technologies (see Wikis and Discussion Forums in the Technologies section of the toolkit).


 * ** Reverse Brainstorming **, otherwise known by the Russian acronym TRIZ, can be used to identify challenges and solve problems. Specify an unwanted consequence, and then identify the probable causes of the consequence. Gather ideas that would create an ideal scenario and formulate them into the best possible situation. Compare the real and ideal cases to determine the differences. Finally, draw up action plans to remedy the problem itself.


 * The **Three Stage Brainstorming** technique envisages a more structured approach. Start by conducting a short brainstorm on simple topics to get people into the creative thinking mode.
 * Move on to the “brain dump” stage by opening the floor to all thoughts on the specific subject.
 * The second phase, “divergent thinking”, requires participants to produce ideas related to those already captured, such as implementation, resources or risks.
 * The final phase, called “creative ideation”, is when the ideas are examined in more depth and reformulated into possible solutions.


 * See the **Top 100 Lists** method for another approach to Brainstorming.

** What to consider **
 * Create an atmosphere of productive playfulness to encourage colleagues and participants to relax and share, free of inhibitions.
 * Cluster and evaluate the ideas generated. Generating ideas is not an end in itself, there should be a practical outcome emerging from the brainstorming.
 * A Brainstorming topic does not have to always be negative, like a problem statement. It can also examine positive scenarios or wanted consequences.
 * If there is a facilitator writing down ideas, it is helpful also to have a moderator with a distinct role, to ensure that all ideas are properly captured and that the process is well managed.

Creative processes are difficult to limit in time and require a certain flexibility. Depending on the brainstorming technique you choose reflect on what timespan should be reasonable and where you can build in flexibility. A Top 100 list can be mainstreamed into a 2-3 day training activity. A brainwriting exercise can be done in 20 minutes.
 * Timing**

- paper (and sticky colored cards when possible) - copies for participants with instructions of the method - markers and pencil - flipchart for debriefing
 * What you will need**

**Where to learn more** Overview and examples from other organizations can be found at: [] For a case study on a combination of Brainstorming and Card Sorting, see this blog post: [] Comprehensive article on Brainwriting: []

**Quotes**

"Brainwriting is a truly participatory way to gather ideas. It allows the participants who are shier or not as verbal to express their views, while brainstorming tends to over-represent the ideas of the more spontaneous, charismatic and imposing speakers." (Saori Terada)

"As the day was winding down on a recent Section retreat, we had to prioritize areas for future action. Rather than going into potentially lengthy and complex discussions, our facilitator simply wrote all the options on a flipchart and gave us each three sticky dots to place next to the options we were in favour of prioritizing. We saved valuable time through the use of Dotmocracy and this helped us fully implement our agenda for the day" (Juan Fernando Núñez)