2. What is brainstorming about?
Brainstorming is a mostly informal approach to solve problems with
lateral thinking that encourages people to come up with their thoughts
and ideas. Some ideas can be crafted into creative solutions to a
problem, some of them can stimulate more ideas. It's believed that
brainstorming sessions should avoid criticizing or rewarding ideas.
3. The advantages of brainstorming
A group problem-solving session can be undermined by unhelpful behavior of participants.
Brainstorming should provide an open and free environment that encourages everyone to
participate.
Group brainstorming sessions increase the richness of ideas explored. You can often find better
solutions to the problems that you face.
Product managers should start brainstorming with an open mind and a spirit of non-judgment. If
you don't pay attention to this, the number and quality of ideas decrease.
4. Individual brainstorming
According to some researches, individual brainstorming produces more and better
ideas than group brainstorming sessions. It may happen, as groups are not
always strict in following the rules of brainstorming. Sometimes bad behaviors can
creep in because people pay so much attention to other people that they don't
generate ideas of their own.
During the individual brainstorm, you don't need to worry about other people's
opinions and you can be more creative.
5. Group Brainstorming
Here the main idea is: the more people you have, the more experience and
creativity of all team members you'll get. When one person gets stuck with an
idea, another member's creativity and experience can assist. You can develop
ideas in greater depth with a group of people.
Group brainstorming helps teams feel that they've contributed to the solution.
However, don't organize big groups, 5-7 participants are usually most effective.
How to make a brainstorming tool more effective?
6. Brainstorming environment
The first thing you should care for as a product manager is to prepare the group. Set up a
comfortable meeting environment: check the room and all the tools needed. Define who will
participate in the meeting.
Try to involve people from a wide range of disciplines. Invite team members, who have different
thinking styles. It's rather convenient to appoint one person to record the ideas.
Post your brilliant notes where everyone can see them: on flip charts or whiteboards, or use
friendly Kanban boards that provide many product management tools.
7. Correct presentation of the problem
Define and communicate the problem that you want to solve clearly. You should
create the environment to generate as many ideas as possible and explain to all
participants that this is the main objective.
Give people plenty of time at the very start of the session. They should have a
chance to write down their own ideas and then share these ideas and contribute.
8. Discussion's stream
Guide the discussion in the way to develop other people's ideas, use them to
create new ideas, welcome creativity.
Encourage participants to develop their ideas and contribute and discourage
anyone from criticizing. It's better to stick to one conversation at a time.
Do not forget to let everyone have fun during brainstorming. Use thought
experiments to generate unexpected and even crazy ideas. Sometimes they lead
to great solutions.
9. The only thing you need to do after the following of these 3 stages is to act!
Be sure, smart brainstorming will lead to the great product results. Brainstorming
sessions will help you generate radical solutions to problems and encourage
people to commit to the right solutions.
Try to apply both individual and group brainstorming and don't forget to avoid
criticism of ideas.
